PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
FOUNDATIONS (1, 2)
To act as a professional inheritor, critic and interpreter of knowledge or culture when teaching students.
FEATURES
 Situates the discipline's basic benchmarks and points of understanding (concepts, postulates and methods) in order to
facilitate significant, in-depth learning by students.
 Adopts a critical approach to the subject matter.
 Establishes links between the secondary culture set out in the program and the secondary culture of the students.
 Transforms the classroom into a cultural base open to a range of different viewpoints within a common space.
 Casts a critical look at his or her own origins, cultural practices and social role.
1
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to:
 understand the subject-specific and program specific knowledge to be taught, so as to be able to promote the creation of
meaningful links by the students;
 exhibit a critical understanding of his or her cultural development and be aware of its potential and limitations;
 exhibit a critical understanding of the knowledge to be taught, so as to promote the creation of meaningful links by the
students;
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Establish links with the students' culture in the proposed learning activities.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional seminar/field experience?
 I welcomed all viewpoints the students shared in the classrooms. These viewpoints mostly appeared in the ethics
and religious culture course. One unit in particular emphasized the students’ ability to express their thoughts and
opinions concerning a topic. I planned a unit regarding human rights and freedoms, introducing the students to
the fact that there is an official document containing thirty articles identifying what rights and freedoms all
individuals have. After exploring the thirty articles, I asked the students to choose five that were important to
them. I explained that out of the five they chose, they would have to choose one that they could not live without.
They were informed to provide details and explain why they could not live without this right. Prior to giving this
assignment out, I had thought the students were going to pick the obvious important ones, such as freedom of
expression and freedom through equality and freedom to have your own ideas. However, after reading the
students’ assignments, I was not only shocked by the rights they chose to write about, but I was impressed by the
level of detail and connection to their lives or the world. Many had very insightful ideas that I had never even
considered. I learned that while some of the rights and freedoms may seem more important to one individual,
others may have more of an impact or influence on an individual’s life. Their perspectives represented critical
thinking skills.
 At McGill, I took a science course which was called Understanding Planet Earth. In that course, I learned about
the theory of continental drift for the first time. I was so fascinated with the theory, yet I was frustrated that I had
only learned about it so late. For this reason, I chose to teach a lesson about it the grade sixes. I brought the
heavy content down to their age level, including the vocabulary. This also opened the door to teaching the
concepts of theories and evidence to the students. The students were so drawn into the lesson that I continued by
introducing the consequences continental drift produces on the environment. We began discussing volcanoes,
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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earthquakes and mountain ranges, which again captivated the students’ attention. Many questions arose during
the lessons, as they were surprised to hear that mountain ranges were formed because of the continental drift.
In math, the students were weak overall, nor were they fond of the subject. Therefore, when teaching math
lessons, I had to find fun and interactive ways to captivate the students’ attention. I incorporated the use of
technology with the smartboard. An example of how I used this in the classroom was creating review games for
divisibility rules. As the divisibility rules required the students to learn each rule according to the specific
number, I wanted to find a fun way to assess which students had mastered this skill. The review game was
explained as a form of competition. Only one boy and one girl each came up to the whiteboard. The question
was projected on the smartboard, which I would read out loud as well. Students would then be given time to
answer the question. The focus of the review game was not to time which student finished first. In fact, before
points were awarded, I would wait for both students to answer the question. If both students got the correct
answer, both teams received a point, whereas if only one student got the correct answer, their team would get the
point. This game was so successful, as all the students, the ones who despised math and who had no confidence
in themselves all wanted to take a turn answering a question. The students did not want the game to end! It was
nice to see the students excited about math.
In the rights and freedoms unit, after exploring the thirty rights and freedoms, I did not simply touch upon the
topic and move on. I designed a research lesson, in which the students could apply the new knowledge they
learned about human rights in a more meaningful way. I developed a project, where students in partners, would
have to research information concerning an individual who fought for and/or influenced human rights. For
example, instead of assigning a group to research Rosa Parks, I made it more relevant to the students’ lives by
including the Canadian version of the Rosa Parks story: Viola Desmond. This project was also designed with the
idea of teaching students that the rights did not always exist, but individuals, such as the ones they researched,
fought for these rights. I also wanted them to understand that in Canada we are lucky to have these rights, nor
should we take them for granted.
The school’s culture was mostly Francophone, with English being many students’ second language. Their
primary culture was prevalent in their oral and written skills. Their narratives or other composition work truly
demonstrated who came from a Francophone background. Many of these students’ grammar, spelling and
sentence structure appears as low for their age level. I had a difficult time marking Francophone students’
writing because I did not believe it was fair to be deducting the same points I would to Anglophone students.
Both students did not receive the same type of education, which is clearly indicated in their oral and written
skills. Therefore, how can we compare or grade them equally in relation to their peers of an Anglophone
background?
At the beginning of the year, my cooperating teacher and I planned to introduce the concept of self-image via
analyzing advertisements. We took one class to delve into the topic through the use of magazines and analyzing
how advertisements are targeted towards a specific audience. We asked the students to explain the effects these
advertisements have on that audience. In the next class, my cooperating teacher and I explained the logistics of
how to engage in a debate. The rules and procedures were explored, as well as emphasizing the importance of
respecting their turn to speak, as well as respecting what others are saying. Everyone is entitled to their opinion,
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
and in a debate, the students had to learn that others had the right to express their thoughts, without the fear of
others dismissing what they had said.
 This field experience really tested my math abilities and confidence levels. As the level of math was not one that
I had practiced in a while, I often found myself taking the workbook, situational problems, or applications home.
I would practice the work at home prior to having to help the students in class the next day. I was too worried
that I would get stuck on a particular question, be unable to help the student or simply tell them an incorrect step
they had to take. I had to review basic grade six math concepts, such as vocabulary as well as the content. My
greatest fear was making mistakes in front of the students. However, over time, I pushed myself to move past
my anxiety, and began planning math lessons. Along the way, I did make mistakes, but I owned up to the
students that I did. While they would make comments along the lines of I am a teacher and I should know these
things, I still reinforced the fact that I am human, and it is only normal to make mistakes. More importantly, it is
essential that I own up to said mistakes, rather than try to pass them off, which is what I did. The more I exposed
myself to math concepts, I became more familiar and comfortable with not only the vocabulary, but also with
the fact that making mistakes was not the end of the world.
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Another issue I had this stage the way students are assessed according to certain subject-specific competencies. In math,
the students in the classroom I was in had a wide range of strengths and weaknesses. However, there were far more weak
students than strong students. I understand that math is not easy for all students, nor do I expect students to understand a
concept after only one day of working on it. However, when my cooperating teacher would assign pages in the math
workbook, correct a situational problem or applications, the students would never receive the correct answers. In other
words, the students could have misunderstood a concept in math and completed the math problems in the workbook
incorrectly. The situational problems and applications, the students did receive a grade for those assignments, however, the
students are not quite aware of what they lost points on, or how to improve the next time. Basically, the students are
assessed on concepts that they were never corrected on. I believe much more work, review and formative assessments
should be completed before giving the students an exam. Some students require more time to work with a given math
concept, whereas some students require less time. Nonetheless, it is unfair to assess a student when it is clear they were not
ready for the exam, and needed more time to practice.
Likewise, my cooperating teacher informed me that spelling and grammar is something that the government does not focus
on anymore. On the end of year exams, improper spelling and grammar has little effect on the students’ grade. I have a
difficult time accepting this, as we are basically advocating that it is not the end of the world if students’ have atrocious
spelling. We are not teaching them to care about the quality of the writing by doing this. Instead, I feel as if we are
promoting the fact that students do not need to educate themselves, which is the message we send by not having the
students correct their spelling and grammatical errors in their writing. In other words, students do not need to improve on
anything in their writing. Therefore, when I have my own classroom, I will have to make it my personal goal to ensure that
my students understand the value and importance of proper spelling and grammar, not only for educational purposes, but
also when they go out into the real word.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
FOUNDATIONS (1, 2)
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
To communicate clearly in the language of instruction, both orally and in writing, using correct grammar, in various contexts
related to teaching.
FEATURES
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2
Uses appropriate language when speaking to students, parents and peers.
Observes rules of grammar and stylistics when writing texts intended for students, parents or peers.
Is able to take up a position, support his or her ideas and argue his or her subject matter in a consistent, effective, constructive and
respectful way during discussions.
Communicates ideas concisely using precise vocabulary and correct syntax.
Corrects the mistakes students make when speaking and writing.
Constantly strives to improve his or her own oral and written language skills.
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to:

master the rules of oral and written expression so as to be understood by most of the linguistic community;
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Express himself or herself with the ease, precision, efficiency and accuracy expected by society of a teaching professional.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional seminar/field experience?
 When speaking to the students, I tried to use appropriate grammar and terminology at all times. However,
there were instances when I made some errors (I am human after all), which the students were quick to catch.
I always admitted to the mistake if they were right, proceeding to correct myself afterwards. I also explained
to the students that I am not perfect, which means I make mistakes. For example, when introducing a math
problem, I explained that me and Ms. Melanie could not agree on a recipe (we were looking to find
equivalent fractions that would match the original recipe. However, the students quickly shared that I should
have said Ms. Melanie and I. The students were right, therefore, I owned up to my error, and began to
introduce the problem again starting off with Ms. Melanie and I.
 Using the communication website Edmodo allowed for communication between students, my cooperating
teacher and myself during off school hours. As this was still a form of communication between myself as a
teacher to the students, it was important that I proof read my message before sending it off to the students.
Spelling errors in my messages to the students would demonstrate a lack of professionalism on my part, as I
could not take the time to edit my message prior to sending it. All my messages were read out loud, at least
twice, to ensure no grammatical or spelling errors occurred.
 When designing worksheets, quizzes, review sheets, as well as Prezi’s, it was important that I edit the
instructions, as well as the questions or content I was providing the students with. It was essential that my
instructions and content of the worksheet or assignment was written in a clear and concise matter that was
relevant to the grade six level. During one science experiment, where the students were learning about oil
spills. Instead of providing the students with written instructions about the procedures, I decided I would
verbally inform them as we went along in the experiment. To say the least, verbally expressing the
instructions did not end well. There was chaos and interrupting the students every five minutes to discuss the
next step was merely tedious. My cooperating teacher informed me that providing written instructions would
have went a long way in avoiding the chaos that occurred that class. Therefore, when I taught the next
science class about continental drift, I found an interactive activity that allowed the students to manipulate
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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the continents to observe how the continents have shifted and were once together. This involved the students
working with a map, having to place the continents in one supercontinent, with the help of using fossils as
evidence to piece the continents together. After the feedback from my cooperating teacher from the previous
science experiment, I had written the procedures step by step, clearing indicating what the students had to
do. Each stencil had a specific title, allowing the students to have further clarification about the instructions
of the activity. Thankfully, the written procedures allowed for the activity to run smoothly and I was pleased
with the outcome!
In instances where students could read out loud, I would find myself correcting their mispronunciation of
words. Some of the words the students could not pronounce correctly, were words they should have known
how to by now. In the past, I would have hesitated to correct the student because I did not want to embarrass
them in front of their peers. However, now that the students are in grade six, they need to be aware of how to
correctly pronounce words. Likewise, in order for students to learn from their mistakes, it is important for
the teacher or an adult to model reading or pronouncing words correctly, so students have someone to refer
to.
Moreover, when the students wrote narratives or any other written component, I would always correct their
spelling. Sometimes I would correct the spelling of the word, by writing the correct word on top of it. Other
times, such as when correcting narratives, my cooperating teacher advised me that I should highlight a word
that is spelling incorrectly. This does not give the student the correct way of spelling it directly, forcing them
to have to look up the correct way of spelling said word. Spelling corrections in the writing was something I
would have to frequently do, as their spelling was quite weak.
During a lesson I developed, in which the students were to write a reading response, we had to read a text,
which the students would later have to analyze to determine the author’s meaning. The chosen text included
some vocabulary that was higher than a grade six level. Unlike during my last stage, where I would have
ignored exploring new vocabulary because I felt intimidated and feared giving the wrong definition, this
stage, I took the opportunity to help the students explore new vocabulary. With the guidance of my
cooperating teacher, I asked how I should approach exploring the new vocabulary with the students. She
suggested that I use context clues to encourage the students to try and decode the meaning of the word. This
worked well, as after reading a paragraph with the word elixir in it, the students were capable of using the
context of the paragraph to decipher the word’s meaning.
A couple of weeks back, my cooperating teacher had an IEP meeting to attend. I had attended the ones
previous to this, but she had asked me to stay with the students to ensure the spelling test was done correctly.
During this time, one particular student made the decision to disrespect me by ignoring the rules, openly
mocked me in front of the other students, as well as making grunting noises when walking to the computer
lab. As much as I was frustrated with the way the student was disrespecting me, I had to keep calm. At the
end of the day, I informed my cooperating teacher of the afternoon struggle. She informed me that I would
have to explain the situation to the principal the next morning. The next day, my cooperating teacher, the
behavior technician, the principal and I discussed the situation in great detail. After hearing what happened,
the principal called the student into the office. She reviewed the events that occurred the previous day with
the student, and he owned up to his behavior. To end the meeting, the principal asked me to state my
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
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expectations to the student. No matter how frustrated I was with the student for engaging in disrespectful
behavior towards me, and not giving me the same respect he gives to my cooperating teacher, I kept calm
during the meeting with the principal. I clearly expressed my expectations to the student, as well as
describing the behaviors I did not accept from him the previous day. I simply asked him for the same respect
he provides to my cooperating teacher.
 Likewise, when working in math with the students, I had to ensure they were becoming familiar with and
using the appropriate vocabulary when learning about various concepts. For instance, in the fractions unit,
our goal was to ensure students were aware of what the numerator and denominator were called, what
equivalent, improper, mixed and simplified fractions were. If students were unable to determine the meaning
of the vocabulary, the likelihood of them successfully answering a question in relation to this on the test
would be low. If students mispronounced a number, I would correct them. Math is mostly tied in with
Language Arts because if students do not understand the math language, they will be unable to proceed with
the math calculations and work related to the problem. Therefore, it was essential to ensure the students were
practicing and becoming familiar with the vocabulary for each concept.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
TEACHING ACT (3, 4, 5, 6)
To develop teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the students concerned and the subject content
with a view to developing the competencies targeted in the programs of study.
FEATURES
 Bases the selection and content of teaching sequences on data drawn from recent didactical and pedagogical
research.
 Selects and interprets subject-specific knowledge in terms of the aims, competencies and subject content
specified in the program of study.
 Plans teaching and evaluation sequences taking into account the logic of the content to the taught and the
development of learning.
 Takes into account the prerequisites, conceptions, social differences (i.e. gender, ethnic origin, socioeconomic
and cultural differences), needs and special interests of the students when developing teaching/learning
situations.
 Selects diverse instructional approaches that are suited to the development of the competencies targeted in the
programs of study.
 Anticipates obstacles to learning posed by the content to be taught.
 Plans learning situations that provide opportunities to apply competencies in different contexts.
3
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to:
 develop appropriate and varied teaching/learning situations involving a reasonable level of complexity that
enable students to progress in the development of their competencies;
 Build these activities into a long-term plan.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional seminar/field experience?
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The research unit I had planned in the ethics and religious culture course was something I invested a lot of time
in. I really wanted to the students to take the opportunity to learn about an individual who influenced human
rights and freedoms on their own, as opposed to me informing them about it. I wanted the students to take their
learning into their hands, as well as learn how to properly conduct research. I knew that finding websites, as well
as citing their sources was going to be difficult for the students. However, after repeating, as well as modeling
this for them, I was quite pleased with their results. Many avoided the use of Wikipedia, which was my ultimate
goal for this project. I wanted them to understand why the website was unreliable, which I explained to them. I
also taught the students about the concept of plagiarism and the consequences it has. I wanted them to learn
about this now, so they could begin to at least site the sources they used. The students must be aware of the fact
that they must give credit to the individuals they borrowed their information from. I simply had asked the
students to copy and paste the links of the websites they used when taking their notes.
I had designed a lesson in which the students would create comic strips. I chose to do this, as many of the
students often resorted to reading comics during class reading time. This was a popular genre among the
students. Therefore, I wanted to students to take the same idea, and design their own comic strip. The students
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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still had criteria to respect, such as using appropriate speech bubbles, as well as onomatopoeias. The students in
the classroom were extremely creative, making it easy for me to believe that their final products would be
outstanding. Many of them did more than just a strip, they created their own mini comic book. This is the reason
why I have not corrected them all just yet. I have to return to the school next week to give them back to the
students.
For all my lessons, I tried to find ways to explore the content in a fun and motivating way. The students in my
classroom are strong visual and kinesthetic learners. They are extremely successful in drama, which always
amazed me. Therefore, I often included group collaboration in my lessons, as I knew this was the best way the
students learned. The students enjoy sharing their ideas and opinions with one another, as they also build off one
another’s ideas. In addition, the students were quite chatty, which made for great group work and discussions.
Whenever I would listen to their conversations, they would mention great points, introduce some insightful and
new perspectives, as well as learn to agree to disagree with one another. I always enjoyed reconvening as a class
and listening to what the students contributed to their group discussions. I would often find myself informing the
students that this would be the last comment I would take, as we would need to move on to the next part of the
lesson. In other words, there was never a dull or cricket moment in the classroom!
During some of the activities, I opted to pair strong students with weaker students in order to differentiate my
teaching. For some lessons, I knew some students would have a more difficult time, so I provided them with the
learning conditions that would only foster success. When engaging in the math review game, I often chose one
boy and one girl to come up that were similar or close enough in their math abilities. I wanted to level the
playing field. When designing the research projects, I let the students chose which individual they wanted to
learn about, however, I chose the groups the students were going to work with. I wanted to have a more
independent student work with a student that required more guidance and support, especially during a project
that was relatively new to them.
I knew that the students needed to be engaged from the very beginning of my lessons, in order for them to want
to participate. For this reason, I often turned to using ICT in my lessons, as I knew this was a tool that the
students responded well to. For example, I had chosen to introduce the concept of triangles to the students (types
of angles, types of triangles). Instead of reading from the information in the workbook, I made a PowerPoint,
and projected it onto the smartboard. I also made it so the students could participate in the introduction section
of the lesson. I did this to also assess the students’ prior knowledge concerning the topic. In other words, instead
of merely listing the types of angles, I listed numbers one through three, and asked the students to raise their
hands to share their answers. If the student was correct, they had the opportunity to come up to the smartboard
and fill in the blank space. Again, the students were excited and all wanted to have a turn to come up to the
smartboard.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
TEACHING ACT (3, 4, 5, 6)
To pilot teaching/learning situations that are appropriate to the students concerned and to the subject
content with a view to developing the competencies targeted in the programs of study.
FEATURES
 Creates conditions in which students can engage in meaningful problem situations, tasks or projects, based on
their cognitive, emotional and social characteristics.
 Provides students with the resources they need to take part in the learning situations.
 Guides students in selecting, interpreting and understanding the information provided in the various resources
and in understanding the elements of a problem situation or the requirements of a task or project.
 Supports student learning by asking questions and providing frequent and relevant feedback to promote the
integration and transfer of learning.
 Encourages teamwork.
4
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to:
 guide students, through appropriate interventions, in carrying out learning tasks; lead the students to work
together in cooperation;
 Detect teaching/learning problems that arise and use the appropriate resources to remedy them.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional seminar/field experience?
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Many of my lessons involved group collaboration. I strongly believe that the students need to learn to work with
one another, to help support one another’s ideas, but also be exposed to different perspectives, to broaden their
knowledge. Students must also understand that working with other individuals is a task they will have to take
part of in the future. For this reason, as well as the fact that the students learned best through discussing their
ideas verbally, I often decided to use think/pair/share or group discussions to get them thinking about a new
topic I introduced. When introducing the theme to the reading response the students had to write, I asked them to
watch the house hippo commercial. I knew the meaning was abstract for them, so I had them work together in
their groups with guided questions to help them get into the mindset of whether or not the commercial was true.
I had asked them to provide reasons why they believed it was true or not. It took a while before the students
understood whether it was true or not, but I constantly questioned and challenged their contributions. I asked
questions such as “what in the commercial made you believe it was real?” “What images in the commercial
support your opinion?” Towards the end, a student shared, “it has to be true because it is a commercial”. It was
finally the comment I was waiting for. Therefore, I directed the discussion based on this comment. I asked the
students, “Is everything we see in a commercial true?” This led to an interesting discussion with the students.
As I know the students learned best with visuals and movement, for the long division lesson I had planned, there
was a song on YouTube that discussed the steps involved in the long division process. My fellow stagier had
developed moves for the song, to emphasize the importance of the steps. I had reviewed the steps with the
students prior to showing the video, and asked them to join in whenever they heard the chorus of the song. This
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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turned out to be a hit, as the students had already been excited and hyper from the first snowfall. If it was not for
a lack of time, I would have replayed the song, for the students to dance to it again, as it was a hit!
When creating lessons, I always designed the development section in mind with an activity the students could
carry out. While I would introduce the lesson in order for the students to know how the lesson was going to
proceed, I also took the time to explain why I was choosing to implement this lesson in the classroom. I believe
it is important for students to be aware of why a teacher has chosen a particular subject for them to learn about.
Providing reasons to their learning, will give the students more reason to want to take part in their learning.
Moreover, with having an activity the students would engage in, it would allow me to observe who understood a
certain concept of idea I introduced, as well as who seems confused. In essence, the activities were designed to
allow the students to take control over their learning.
When planning a lesson regarding equivalent fractions, I wanted to find the perfect activity the students could
engage in that would allow me to assess whether or not they understood the concept of equivalent fractions. I
found the perfect way to introduce the activity, as many of them found it funny and asked me whether or not the
story was true. I had explained that my fellow stagier (who they were familiar with) and I were discussing a
pancake recipe. I had said that if we changed the fractions of the original recipe that we would be able to still
make the same number of pancakes. Therefore, I assigned team captains with the original pancake recipe
fractions (also fractions in their simplest forms). I made the team captains the students who were weaker in
math, as many of them would simply use the activity as an excuse to say they could not participate because it
was too difficult for them. Prior to the activity, one of the students who I had named captain was already telling
me he did not want to partake in the activity, as he felt overwhelmed or worried that he would not be able to
complete the activity like the others. After this, I explained to the student that he was one of the team captains,
which was an important role because he had to ensure that his whole group found him. There were five team
captains, whereas the other students were given equivalent fractions, to which they had to associate which team
captain their fraction fit with. The activity was successful, as the students had to complete this while walking
and discussing with their peers in the classroom.
The seating arrangements in the classroom for the most part were set up in a way that allowed for every student
to benefit and have the opportunity to engage in learning. The students who were often distracted or who would
disrupt the classroom often, were placed next to my cooperating teacher’s desk. This was done as the ones near
her desk often were off-task so she put them close to her to keep an eye on them, other stronger students were
placed next to ones needing more support, with the role of providing peer assistance when needed. Likewise,
these independent students were also placed at the back of the class.
One student in particular was diagnosed with having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He would often
come to school without having taken his medication. This would take away from his learning, as he was unable
to focus, and became distracted by even the smallest noises. Likewise, his peers would often try to trigger him,
as they knew he was hyper that day. My cooperating teacher suggested that I isolate the student from all
distractions. We would often move him to my cooperating teacher’s desk, removing him from any distractions
and chatting that he could engage in. This worked well, as he would focus on the task at hand. However, there
were days in which the distractions were simply too high, and the desk technique did not work. Therefore, I took
it upon myself to take the student into another room or into the hallway, to completely isolate him from any
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
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4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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noise that was in the classroom. The more closely I worked with this student, I realized that he had great
potential to complete the tasks assigned if he was alone and had some guidance. It was merely unfortunate that
his ADHD took away from his ability to learn and remain on task. He was an extremely intelligent, opinionated
and curious student.
When the students completed narratives, I always corrected them in a timely manner. I also found it extremely
important to take the time to write the students’ constructive feedback that would allow them to understand why
they received the grade they got, as well as what they had to do next time to improve their grade. I also wanted
to ensure that I provided the student with positive feedback to begin with. It is always important to begin with
the positive aspects to an assignment the student completed. The students need to know that they have done
things right, and then be aware of what elements of the assignment they need to improve on for next time. We
cannot expect the students to guess at what they need to do for next time. If they knew from the get go, they
would have incorporated it in the assignment to begin with.
When piloting lessons, I always had an issue with time, as I always over planned! In my opinion, it is better to
be over prepared, than to not have enough content or tasks to implement during the lesson. I often had to extend
a lesson into two classes or skip over parts of the lessons, as time would become the enemy.
During every lesson I planned, I ensured that the students had all the necessary materials required to take part in
the activity. It took careful planning and days of organization to ensure I had everything in place. I had to ensure
to prepare the necessary worksheets or information based sheets and ensure I photocopied enough for each
student. If I was presenting the content visually, I had to ensure I prepared the PowerPoint or Prezi, as well as
review it beforehand for any spelling errors I might have made. For group work, I had to ensure I had designed
which groups each students were going to be together, which had to be done carefully, as I could not place
friends with each other. Preparing the lessons itself was also time consuming, as I had to ensure to have proper
engagement activities, as well as ways to ensure that I could assess the students’ knowledge or understanding of
the topic.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
Name: Larissa Morgan
ID: 260583963
Date: December 7, 2015
ACCEPTABLE
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PARTIAL
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
MINIMAL
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
TEACHING ACT (3, 4, 5, 6)
TO EVALUATE STUDENT PROGRESS IN LEARNING THE SUBJECT CONTENT AND MASTERING THE RELATED
COMPETENCIES.
5
FEATURES
 Gathers information as students are engaged in a learning situation in order to identify their strengths and
weaknesses and to review and adapt his or her teaching accordingly to help them progress.
 Takes stock of the learning acquired by students in order to assess their mastery of the related competencies.
 Designs or uses tools to evaluate student progress and mastery of competencies.
 Communicates expected outcomes to students and parents and provides feedback on student progress and
mastery of competencies using clear, simple language.
 Works with the teaching team to determine the desired stages and rate of progression within the cycle
concerned.
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to:
 detect the strengths and weaknesses of the students in a learning situation;
 identify some of the adjustments required in his or her teaching on his or her own;
 in cooperation with colleagues, design evaluation materials, interpret the work of students in terms of their
mastery of the competencies, and develop tools for communicating with parents;
 Inform the students of the results of a diagnostic evaluation process and inform parents and members of the
teaching team of the corrective intervention strategy elements envisaged.
How have I developed this competency during this cour se or professional seminar/field experience?
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As my cooperating teacher and I taught art to the both grade six classes, we had to determine the best way to
assign the students a grade. We both felt that art is subjective, which made assigning a grade based how we felt
the artwork appeared wrong. Therefore, we created a rubric that assessed the students’ ability to follow the
directions we had given for the assignments. Another grade was assigned for the students’ self-evaluation of
their own artwork, while the last component evaluated the students’ effort, use of class time, and overall
neatness of the art piece. This allowed for the students not to be graded according to the final product and its
look, but instead specifically focusing on the process the student was involved in when making their piece.
The self-evaluation done by the student for their own art work was designed with the idea of helped the students
begin to think critically, as well as criticize their own work. We wanted the students to not only identify the
strengths of their piece, but also to determine what grade they would give themselves for their art work,
providing a reason why. I wanted the students to move past the stage of giving themselves fives because they
took their time. Instead, we were searching for answers such as them following the instructions we had given for
the assignment, as well as openly admitting to whether or not their heart and soul was put into the piece they had
created. Towards the end of my stage, the students were finally beginning to write honest, reflective and critical
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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self-evaluation that not only praised themselves for what they did well, but also for what they should improve on
for next time.
The use of diagnostic assessment was used a few times during my field experience. At the beginning of the year,
my cooperating teacher provided the students with a math booklet, which helped to assess what math concepts
students were strong in, and which ones required reviewing. This proved to be a useful tool, as we were able to
determine which students were strong and those who would require extra support throughout the year. We also
gave the students a writing activity involving them having to describe who they were as a person. This not only
allowed my cooperating teacher and I to get to know the students, but it also gave us an idea of who were strong
writers and who had a more difficult time composing a written text. This activity led us to learn interesting facts
about the students in our class, as well as realize that many of them had poor writing skills.
Likewise, I enjoy using think/pair/share, group collaboration, as well as class discussions to determine what
knowledge the students have on a particular matter. For example, prior to discussing the theory of continental
drift, I asked the students to brainstorm with one another about what they believed the theory was. When sharing
their ideas with the class, I wrote down what the students said on the board, in order to have a list of the different
schools of thought in the classroom. In addition, when introducing the concept of human rights and freedoms, I
had the students brainstorm questions about what they thought rights and freedoms were, what rights and
freedoms they had at home, and what they were not allowed to do at home. We then reconvened as a class, and
shared our answers together. This allowed me to determine which rights and freedoms the students were already
aware of and if they actually knew what they were to begin with.
When assessing students for a major assignment, I always provided them with the rubric when giving out the
instructions to the assignment. This allowed the students to know from the beginning what criteria I would be
evaluating them on, as well as they had to do to receive a particular grade. When giving out the rubric, I always
explained the criteria to the students and explained what they had to do to receive a four and what would lead
them to receive a one. When students had questions, I tried to have them refer to the rubric to determine what
was expected of them. When creating the rubrics, I designed them with specific criteria in mind. For instance,
for the students oral presentations on an individual who has impacted rights and freedoms, which was their
summative assessment for the unit in ethics and religious culture, I specifically focused on whether or not the
students researched the appropriate content that was asked of them, they were graded on the notes they took
during the research process, the organization and preparedness of their presentation, as well as whether or not
they were speaking clearly. The criteria was clear and concise, allowing the students to be aware of exactly what
I was going to assess them on for their presentation.
Furthermore, after evaluating the students’ first narrative, I asked my cooperating teacher if I could plan a lesson
directed at improving the students’ narrative writing skills. With her approval, I prepared a lesson exemplifying
a strong narrative as well as a weak narrative. For both stories, I had the students read it out loud, but also
highlight the qualities about each story that they liked or disliked. The students easily identified which story was
the strong and weak one, as well as identifying the necessary characteristics that make a great story. After this
lesson, the students’ narrative marks improved immensely. I realized that if you provide the students with the
criteria to be successful, they are more likely to succeed at a task because they know what is expected from them
for a given assignment.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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One of the evaluations my cooperating teacher evaluated me on was one introducing the students to the concept
of personifications. I had figured out how to introduce the topic, as well as explore examples with the use of a
book. I had the students identify personifications on each page of the book, which I asked them to identify which
two objects were being compared. Towards the end, I was able to assess that many students understood how to
identify personifications in a given text. However, for the last section of the lesson, I was unsure about what I
wanted to have the students do. My cooperating teacher gave me the idea to create a text, where students would
have to fill in words between the words “like” and “as” to create personifications. They would encourage the
students to not only use context clues to determine which word would be appropriate for the blank space, but
would allow me to witness whether or not the students truly knew how to apply the concept of personifications
independently in a text, not merely just identifying them.
During the art classes, I often decided to model what the assignment was asking of the students. Many times
students felt insecure or did not know where to start. Therefore, I decided to create my own versions of the
assignments, which would allow the students to view it and understand what was expected of them. Also, having
a representation of the assignment can help students design or build off of the example. Some students also
require visual representations to truly understand what the assignment really is. In art, there is a huge difference
between giving students verbal instructions, in comparison to show casing what you want from them. In art, I
will always choose to opt for the visual representation, to ensure students are fully aware of what the assignment
entails.
When correcting student work, I always take my time to provide them with feedback on their work. Most
importantly, I want them to know what they succeeded in doing well on the assignment. However, I want to
ensure that I provide information that will allow the student to know what they must improve or incorporate in
future assignments to improve their grade. For example, when grading the students’ narratives, I would write
that their story idea was creative and original, they used paragraphs well, or that the organization of their ideas
was well executed. However, I might inform them that to receive a higher grade in the future that they need to
include more dialogue between their characters in the story, provide more detail about the characters or conflict
within the story, as well as be careful with their spelling and sentence structure because it was difficult to
understand.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
TEACHING ACT (3, 4, 5, 6)
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
To plan, organize and supervise a class in such a way as to promote students' learning and social
development.
FEATURES
 Develops and implements an efficient system for running regular classroom activities.
 Communicates clear requirements regarding appropriate school and social behaviour and makes sure that
students meet those requirements.
 Involves students on an individual or a group basis in setting standards for the smooth running of the class.
 Develops strategies for preventing inappropriate behaviour and dealing effectively with it when it occurs.
 Maintains a classroom climate that is conducive to learning.
6
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to:
 introduce and maintain routines that ensure the smooth running of regular classroom activities;
 identify and correct organizational problems that hinder the smooth running of the class;
 anticipate some of the organizational problems that hinder the smooth running of the class and plan measures to
prevent them;
 Establish and apply methods that can be used to solve problems with students who exhibit inappropriate
behaviours.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional s eminar/field experience?
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Edmodo is an online classroom management tool, which is designed for a grade five level or higher. As a means
of trying to reduce the number of students who claim they did not write their homework in their agenda, I would
use this to help encourage independence and responsibility among the students. While I would still keep a
homework board present in my classroom, having both Edmodo and the homework board, would ensure that
students’ have a slim chance of claiming they did not know they had homework. The monthly planner assists
students to remain aware and organized of when upcoming assignments are due or when exams are going to take
place.
Thumbs up/down is a strategy I use to assess the students’ comprehension towards a new concept, idea or
definition. This technique is one I often tend to use in math. When going over the answers for mental math, I ask
the students to put their thumbs down if there was a question they did not understand. This allows me to focus
specifically on questions that trouble the students, as opposed to going through the entire ten questions.
Moreover, after explaining a new math concept to students, I ask them to use the thumbs up/down to help me
identify who has or has not understood what has just been explained. For those who comprehend, I assign them
their work. For those requiring extra explanations, I bring them into a smaller group and provide further
examples as to how to apply the math concept.
On the first day of school, it is essential for students to be made aware of their teacher’s expectations, as these
vary from teacher to teacher. To put these rules into place and make them meaningful to the students, I would
have them participate in the creation of such rules, through classroom discussion. I would ask the students what
rules they want to be implemented within their classroom. In order for these rules to be effective, we chose to
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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create a small number of them. The students are made aware of the fact that I expect these rules to be followed
daily, and I implement consequences when students break them. With these rules set into place, all the students’
learning is optimized. These rules are important, as I want my students to feel their classroom is a safe and open
space. This will encourage them to want to take part in class discussions, take initiative in their learning, and
hopefully, not shy away from asking questions they may have.
At the beginning of the year, we arranged the desks into groups. While the first month was a trial run in terms of
which students should or should not sit next to one another, the second month had more planning involved.
When I placed the students in groups for the second month, many factors had to be taken into account. In order
to keep students from being off-task or misbehaving, I had to ensure I did not place students together in a group
with their friends. Likewise, I had to ensure that the groups created had a blend of strong, average, and weak
students to promote balance within the classroom. Moreover, the students that frequently misbehaved or were
off-task had to be assigned close to the teacher’s desk. This was done as a means of ensuring these students
remained on-task, as well as monitored, helping to reduce the amount of misbehaving that occurs.
Prior to teaching students a particular concept or idea, it is essential to provide the students with an explanation
as to why they are learning it. As teachers, it is our role to ensure students are aware of why we implement rules,
certain teaching methods, and most importantly content. When students understand why a certain concept or
idea must be mastered, they are more opt and willing to take initiative in their learning. In math class, I made a
point of explaining why the divisibility rules were so important for them to master. The next concept we were to
learn in math was factor trees. I went into detail explaining how factor trees require us to find divisors of a given
number. In order to find these divisors, we must know our divisibility rules. After learning this, the students
were more receptive to the concept of divisibility rules – something they dreaded learning about.
For students with high stress or those diagnosed with attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, fidget toys can help them remain on task as well as calm. For those with the attention deficit, having
something to manipulate in their hand keeps them from getting into trouble in the classroom. It can also help
deter them from disrupting their peers. For the students who use them as stress relievers, this causes minimal
disruptions and it allows them to cope with their stress in a healthy manner.
Routines: Attendance: Giving the students a role in the morning provides them with a specific responsibility. In
addition, it puts a routine in place, allowing the students to know what to expect during homeroom time. With
this routine, there is less time wasted for attendance. Likewise, with this task, students are less likely to engage
in inappropriate behaviors.
Class Jobs: Moreover, I believe in assigning classroom duties to students, in order to maintain a positive
classroom environment. These jobs are assigned to different students on a monthly basis. This ensures that all
students will have had the opportunity to have at least one job during the year. As a teacher, it is essential to give
the students the opportunity to participate in classroom duties, as it gives them a sense of responsibility.
Furthermore, it relates back to the concept of classroom community, as students feel a sense of pride and
ownership in promoting and maintaining their classroom environment.
A huge part of classroom management involves finding ways to draw students’ attention (when they are
participating in group work or working individually) without yelling over their voices. What I have adopted
from my third field experience is using five ready. Of course, in order for this to be useful, the students need to
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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be made aware of what the five ready stands for. Therefore, on the first day of school, I would explain the five
steps involved in the five ready process. I would inform the students that throughout the school year, I will be
calling out five ready during instances when I need their attention. They are to follow the five steps, which
allows me to have their full attention.
In order to minimize misbehavior and disruptions, students must always be made aware of work or a task they
are to complete, if they have finished an assignment. Prior to sending students off on a task, I explain that those
who finish early will have certain tasks to complete. I write these tasks on the whiteboard, so students are fully
aware of what is expected of them. I usually verbally address and write on the whiteboard that the students are to
complete any previous work they owe in that subject. For example, if students have completed a task early in
Language Arts they are asked to complete tasks they have not yet finished such as reading responses, a journal, a
narrative, their spelling. For math, students are asked to complete: previous situational problems, application
questions, pages they did not complete in their math textbook, or they are told to seek help from the teacher
concerning a concept they are having difficulty with
Class points: I give students points if they are on task, following routines or exemplifying exceptional behaviors.
When a student or a group are given points, this helps to redirect students or groups who are off-task. This is a
more positive way to tell those who are off task that they need to model the behavior of those who just received
points. At the end of the month, students and the group with the highest points receive prizes. In this point
system, no points are ever removed from students, it is merely used as a positive reinforcement system. For
example, in math, when transitioning from mental math to a situational problem, application, or pages in the
workbook, I would award the team that is quiet and had the necessary materials on their desk. The students have
become so used to this that they have turned it into a race!
While I know that students can become chatty at times, if it becomes out of hand, where I have to constantly
wait and remind them of the class rules, I implement a consequence. I inform the students that if I cannot get
through the material I had set out to teach during that period, I would take their time at recess. This strategy
works well, as it is a logical consequence. Likewise, students value their recess time and immediately stop
socializing with their peers and/or calling out. This occurred in geography, history and citizenship class with the
students. They kept socializing with their friends, which was not allowing me to get through the material I had
set out to explain to the students. I waited quietly for the students to stop speaking and informed them that
because their socializing had reoccurred numerous times during the lesson. Therefore, the amount of teaching
time they took away from me, I took away from the students at their recess. The students lost two minutes before
learning their lesson.
While teaching during this field experience, I noticed myself frequently asking students to stop playing with
their pencils, reading and drawing when learning is occurring. I learned that before I even begin a lesson, I need
to tell the students to completely clear their desks of anything that might distract them from their learning. While
this does work well for most of the period, there are some students who take their books and drawings out again.
When I catch students engaging in these behaviors, especially after I have already asked them to put them away,
I call on the student to participate in the current lesson or discussion. At that moment, I also ask them to place
either their drawing or book on the teacher’s desk. If, at that moment, they say they do not know where we are in
the reading or activity, I repeat it, still having them participate. I do not scold them for doing something they
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
were not supposed to do. Instead, I merely let them know that I am aware of their actions, by having them loose
the right to their book or drawing for the rest of the day.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT (7, 8, 9, 10)
To adapt his or her teaching to the needs and characteristics of students with learning disabilities, social
maladjustments or handicaps.
FEATURES
 Facilitates the educational and social integration of students with learning disabilities, social maladjustments or
handicaps.
 Consults resource people and parents to obtain background information on students with difficulties (needs,
progress, etc.).
 Proposes learning tasks, challenges and roles within the class that help students to progress.
 Participates in developing and implementing individualized education plans.
7
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to :
 Cooperate in the development and implementation of individualized education plans designed for students
under his or her responsibility.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional seminar/field experience?

When discussing modifications and accommodations at McGill, I was never informed of the fact that if a student
is modified in elementary school, they would never officially graduate from high school. Nor, was I aware of the
fact that students are only modified if they are seen or assessed as being at least two years behind the grade level
they are currently in. This stage, I had two students who were modified in the classroom I was placed in. Having
modified students in math is difficult because you are unaware of what the student is truly capable of doing or
what true gaps of knowledge or understanding they lack in their learning. Therefore, creating modified forms of
assessment or even teaching them concepts that they should be learning according to their assessed level of
knowledge was difficult. Oftentimes, these students would implement the correct way of performing a particular
concept, but the next day or even after a few questions, will forget how to successfully complete the question.
This made for a difficult process, in which I would often discuss with my cooperating teacher. We felt as if they
were memorizing what they had to do, as opposed to truly understanding the concept, which caused them to be
unable to apply the concept to a problem. For example, I provided the two modified students with a worksheet
that solely focused on equivalent fractions, whereas the other students received a type of a quiz, which I would
use as a formative assessment tool to identify what concepts were still unclear to the students. The quiz focused
on equivalent fractions, as well as simplifying fractions. I was happy to have just given the modified students the
equivalent fractions sheet, as it allowed me to gain insight into what they understood. For one student, it was
clear that he had memorized what I told him at first but after completing more questions, he was unable to apply
the concept. The second student understood the concept of determining a greatest common denominator, and
multiplying the denominator and numerator by the same number. However, instead of multiplying the numerator
with the number, she wrote that number above the new equivalent fraction. In other words, in the case of 3/5, the
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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student had to find the number that went on top of 15. Instead of her writing 9/15 as the new equivalent fraction,
she wrote 3/15. It was interesting to see that she was just missing one step to fully grasp the concept.
I was blown away by the number of students on IEP’s in the classroom I was in. There were nine students who
were put on one, which to me seems like a high number. After reviewing many of them with my cooperating
teacher at the beginning of the year, we came to realize that
When planning to implement the research project in ethics and religious culture, I had to keep in mind that this
student would require extra support, nor could he simply be alone with one another student. Therefore, I created
a group of three students, choosing two students who were very understanding, and willing to help this student
out. They always included him in the project, and he ended up looking up some great information. They divided
the work evenly amongst themselves, giving him the easier information to research, which suited him fine.
During the project, he never once felt unwanted or incapable of completing the task (which he often feels during
other tasks), as the students were extremely welcoming and supportive. Likewise, when teaching the students
about continental drift and tectonic plate theories, I had created a template for him to record his notes on. I had
bolded the titles, making them a font bigger, to indicate these were the major sections of the notes. I also had
typed up some of the notes in the blank template, as too much writing would overwhelm and confuse him.
Regarding other IEP students, many were granted accommodations such as extra time for exams, especially in
math. Others were given the opportunity to use tools such as calculators and their reference book when
completing the exams. However, the students did not use these tools frequently even though they were aware of
the fact that they were allowed to use them. I often felt that the students chose not to use them, as they did not
want to be identified as being different in front of their peers.
The second modified student in the class (she is only modified in math), was given the opportunity to work on a
tablet, using the program called reflex math. This program allowed for the students to practice their math facts
such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. My cooperating teacher had wanted her to use
this, as opposed to engaging in the mental math that occurred at the start of every math class. This was not done
to put the student down, however, it was not to discourage her or ask her to complete questions we knew she was
not capable of doing (due to the fact that she is considered two years behind).
When giving assignments to the student modified in Language Arts, my cooperating teacher and I often
discussed changing the procedures for him. For example, during the survival unit, the students were told they
were put on a deserted island. Every day for the week, they were asked to pick chance cards, which would
discuss a disaster that would happen to them that given day. For instance, one card read that they had dropped
their entire box of matches in the fire. Now they had to determine new ways to start a fire without the matches.
The students had to write journal entries every day, incorporating the events of the chance cards, explaining how
they reacted to the event, as well as what they were going to do in the future. The students in the class had to
write seven entries, whereas the modified student was asked to write about four, and was also told he did not
need to write as much detail as the others. Every week, the students would have to write spelling tests. For this
student, he would still have to spell the sixteen words like everyone else. However, instead of writing a
paragraph, incorporating as many of the spelling words as possible, my cooperating teacher and I decided it
would be best if he simply used these words in sentences. This would also allow him to practice the goal of
trying to use capitals and proper punctuation at the end of his sentences. At the beginning of the year, we would
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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ask him to write ten sentences. However, a few weeks back we asked him to try and write more than ten. He had
successfully written between ten to thirteen sentences.
Furthermore, many of the other students in the classroom had confidence issues, but were not on IEPs. This was
still difficult to manage, as many of these students chose to avoid completing work. Similarly, my cooperating
teacher and I would end up running after the same students for multiple assignments every couple of weeks or
so. This inability to believe in themselves often occurred during math class. My cooperating teacher and I would
have to work one-on-one with these students in order to ensure the work was being completed. The frustrating
part in all this was the fact that the students were capable of completing the work. As when we worked with
them, they were answering every question, with little to no guidance from an adult. The students constantly
needed to be told they were on the right track or had the right answer in order for them to continue working.
Many of the students would often compare themselves to the stronger math students in the class, explaining that
they were not smart like them. This would frustrate me, as not every individual is smart in the same way. This is
what I explained to the students making these remarks. I would also explain that they were smart in another
domain, providing examples of how I knew this to be true.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT (7, 8, 9, 10)
To integrate information and communications technologies (ict) in the preparation and delivery of
teaching/learning activities and for instructional management and professional development purposes.
FEATURES
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Exercises critical judgment regarding the real benefits and limitations of ICT as teaching and learning resources, and
regarding the social issues they raise.
Assesses the instructional potential of computer applications and networking technology in relation to the development of
the competencies targeted in the programs of study.
Communicates using various multimedia resources.
Uses ICT effectively to search for, interpret and communicate information and to solve problems.
Uses ICT effectively to build networks that facilitate information sharing and professional development with respect to his
or her own field of teaching or teaching practice.
Helps students to familiarize themselves with ICT, to use ICT to carry out learning activities, to assess their own use of ICT,
and to exercise critical judgment regarding the information they find on the Internet.
8
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to :
 demonstrate critical judgment regarding the real benefits and limitations of ICT as teaching and learning resources;
 demonstrate a general understanding of the possibilities offered by ICT (and the Internet in particular) for teaching and
learning, and know how to integrate ICT in a functional manner into teaching/learning activities, when appropriate;
 use ICT effectively in different aspects of his or her intellectual and professional life: communication, research, information
processing, evaluation, interaction with colleagues or experts, etc.;
 Effectively transmit the ability to use ICT to his or her students in order to support the collective construction of learning in a
well-structured, critical manner.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional seminar/field experience?


At the beginning of the year, the smartboard in my cooperating teacher’s classroom was not functioning. This
made teaching certain subjects difficult, as she often had videos that would help students solidify their
understanding about a given topic and/or idea. For example, in science, my cooperating teacher had an awesome
video that helped to reinforce the idea of lighting and cumulonimbus clouds. Similarly, when working the math
textbook decimal, my cooperating teacher could represent the pages of the math book onto the smartboard. This
would make the math more fun, as students could be called upon to come up and answer questions. This would
also help those who were visual learners, as merely calling out the answers for students to check off whether or
not they got them correct seemed boring. However, as the smartboard was not working, my cooperating teacher
could not implement these materials in her teaching. Therefore, this is the downside of using technology in the
classroom. If a piece of equipment is malfunctioning or is broken for an extended period of time, it can take
away the fun and interactive aspects of your teaching that you grew so dependent on using.
Furthermore, while I did try to incorporate ICT during my field experience, I never really took into account what
I would do if the technology in the classroom did not function for that given lesson I had planned. This is
something I definitely need to improve on. Using technology does have its benefits and can deeply engage
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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students in their learning, however, I must remember to have a backup plan in case the internet does not function
or other issues similar to such. This field experience, I did not prepare another lesson in case the first one fell
through.
My cooperating teacher was trying to teach the students how to take notes based on the content discussed in
class. My cooperating teacher would often read from the textbook of a given class, and write down the important
facts she felt the students should take note of. Later on in the year, she began to inform the students that they
must learn to take their own notes based on what was being read and discussed in class. In order to support this
independence and responsibility among the students, I chose to teach them about the theories of continental drift
and tectonic plates. I made the vocabulary and content age appropriate and planned a few lessons on these
topics. I chose to introduce these theories to the students via Prezi. I had informed the students that they were to
copy down the notes that were written in the Prezi. They were told to write down the information they felt was
important for them. Every slide had images to help represent the information being explained on the page. I also
encouraged the students to draw pictures of the images if that would help them retain the information they were
writing down. In order for the notes to be meaningful to the students, I informed them that at the end of all the
lessons, there would be a quiz. The students were told they were allowed to use their notes. I chose to present the
information via Prezi because rather than just share the information with them orally, I wanted them to have a
visual representation of the words, while I spoke about it. This way they could choose whether to copy down
exactly what was written on the Prezi, or write down the way I had put it in my own words. Likewise, there were
many new vocabulary words, and instead of hearing them, without knowing how to write them correctly, and the
students asking for correct spelling, having them written would help the students visually try to associate its
meaning with the way it was spelled.
In a lesson I had prepared where the students would have to complete a reading response, I introduced the small
unit with a video of the house hippo commercial. The meaning behind the commercial was the fact that one must
not believe everything we see. I used this as an engagement activity, as it allowed the students to begin
brainstorming what they believed the commercial’s meaning was. This was also a hint as to what the overall
theme of the unit was going to be.
I used ICT in a major unit, in which the students were beginning to learn how to conduct research for a given
project they were assigned. After introducing the students to human rights and freedoms, I wanted to the
students to take their learning further by having them research an individual who influenced or fought for human
rights. Therefore, as I knew the students were not familiar with how to conduct research, I used Prezi to give the
students a lesson on how to properly conduct research. They learned about using valuable resources, refining
their search, citing the sources they used in their project, as well as how to take appropriate notes of their
findings. I had the students take it to the next level by having them create a visual representation either through
Prezi or Powerpoint. Many of them surprised me by having decent animations and using Powerpoint properly,
not overwhelming each slide with text. While the students still have a long way to go with learning how to
conduct research, their notes and presentations were well done for the most part.
During a personification lesson I planned, my cooperating teacher had lent me a book that had personification’s
incorporated throughout. I thought this would be a great way to help the students not only learn about this, but
also to help them learn to identify them in a given text. Therefore, with my cooperating teacher’s suggestion, I
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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used the document camera to project the book in order for the students to view each page. This allowed me to
not only call on students to read the pages as we went along, but gave them the opportunity to find the
personifications on the page. This gave me the chance to question the students as to what two items were being
compared that made it a personification. I also had the students identify why they believed it was a
personification. This helped, as some students began to say certain phrases were personification because the
word “as” was in it. However, I took that opportunity to explain that just because the word “as” is present does
not mean the phrase is considered to be a personification. I had to remind them that personifications are only
present if there is a comparison between two objects.
For math, I knew how important it was to incorporate ICT into the students’ learning. They did not enjoy the
subject, many of them lacked confidence and felt unable to succeed. For these reasons, as well as the fact that
the students were much more visual learners, I incorporated ICT as much as possible in math. When the students
were learning the divisibility rules, they basically had to learn and memorize the rules associated with dividing
with certain numbers. At the end of the learning, I decided to design a review game that would allow me to
assess who has understood the rules. This was also a fun way to have a final review about this concept before
moving onto a new concept. The review game was created in a PowerPoint format, which I would project on the
smartboard. The game involved having one girl and one boy come up to the whiteboard. I would project the
question, read it out loud and give the students the time to answer the question. Time was not the focus of the
game, as I would wait for both students to answer the question. Whoever received the correct answer would get
the point. If both students got the right answer, they both teams would receive a point. The game worked well, as
all students wanted to have numerous turns answering questions. At the end, they asked if there could be more
questions they could answer.
In science, I tried as much as possible to include the use of videos to help support a point or concept I was
teaching to the students. Likewise, I also used videos to help introduce a new concept to the students. The videos
often helped to reinforce what I had just discussed with the students, as well as giving them a second chance to
hear the information. The videos also help, as they provide visual representations and diagrams of certain
concepts, in order to help those that are more visual learners.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT (7, 8, 9, 10)
To cooperate with school staff, parents, partners in the community and students in pursuing the educational
objectives of the school.
FEATURES
 Collaborates with other members of the school staff in defining orientations, and developing and implementing projects
related to educational services in areas falling under the responsibility of the school.
 Informs parents and encourages them to become actively involved.
 Coordinates his or her actions with those of the school's various partners.
 Supports students involved in the administrative structures of the school or in school activities or projects.
9
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to :
 situate his or her role in relation to that played by other internal or external resource persons;
 adjust his or her actions to the educational objectives of the school and contribute to the attainment of these objectives by
becoming personally involved in school projects;
 Start building a trusting relationship with parents.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional seminar/field experience?


During my third stage, a fellow stagier and I set up a science club for the grade six students. The club occurred
every Tuesday at lunch time, for the duration of the entire lunch period. My fellow stagier and I would research
fun experiments to conduct with the students for each week. We purchased the appropriate and necessary
supplies we needed on a weekly basis. We also had to practice the experiment before trying it with the students,
as we did not want it to fail in front of the students’ eyes. As the science experiments required seriousness and
the students’ full attention, during our first meeting, we established a set of rules and expectations with the
students. We included them in the process of creating the rules, and if we felt the students had not mentioned
something we felt was important, we included it at the end. We made it clear that if the students did not attend
one meeting (unless they had a legitimate reason), they could no longer be a part of the club. Likewise, if the
students could not abide by the rules, they would be asked to leave the club as well. As our expectations were
clear from the get go, we did not have any issues with the students throughout the duration of our club.
During one spare period on a Friday afternoon, I attended a meeting with the special needs specialist of the Sir
Wilfred Laurier Schoolboard, to discuss how to use the literacy continuum as a way of helping to develop IEP’s,
modify current IEP’s, as well as to assess students current developmental and progress levels. The meeting was
extremely eye-opening, as the consultant wanted to use the literacy continuum to help students move forward
from their current level of development, not focusing on whether or not they are behind or advanced. I learned
that each student has an elementary school profile, which describes the students as a learner via their strengths
and weaknesses, as well as focusing mostly on what they capable of as opposed to what they cannot do. Using
this profile, teachers and resource educators use the literacy continuum, progressions of learning and the QEP to
develop students’ learning profiles, assessing where the students’ current level of development is. In extreme
cases, these three tools are used to help educators develop IEPs, to help the teachers target the students’ needs,
allowing them to develop specific goals in relation to where they are at.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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I also attended a meeting where my cooperating teacher and the resource teacher were developing an IEP for a
student who has already been modified in math, but they were now wanting to modify him in Language Arts.
Apparently, he should have been modified in it last year, however the teacher chose not to because it was too
much work for her. This meeting occurred on a pedagogical day, which allowed for it to occur in the classroom
itself. The parents and student were invited to the meeting, and the principal took part in the meeting as well.
The meeting was very insightful, however, due to the lack of preparation and communication between the
principal, resource teacher and my teacher, the meeting took over two hours. My cooperating teacher really
broke down what the students’ struggles where when it came to English, which was his inability to
independently determine the meaning of a story he has read. Likewise, he had difficulty implementing basic
punctuation such as using capital letters and ending sentences with the necessary periods, question marks or
exclamation points. Therefore, the major focus and goals that were developed for Language Arts were based on
these two issues brought up in the meeting. For math, the goals were designed to touch upon concepts that grade
six students were exploring this year, however, they were focused more on a grade four level. For example, the
student would work on correctly identifying a number’s place value, engaging in two digit multiplication, as
well as focusing on him improving his multiplication facts overall. After the goals were discussed and greed
upon by all parties, the parents began to bring up what this students options were for high school. They were
also concerned with what the future would look like for him due to his delays. At this point, I chose to distract
the student, by having him play on his tablet, as well as look at a variety of different books. As the topic was
getting into more depth, I had taken the student down to the library to get away from the atmosphere completely,
as I could tell he was listening and becoming very overwhelmed.
I took part in dressing up for pyjama day, Halloween and ran with the students in the Terry Fox run. I ran with
the students, encouraging them to keep it up along the way! Likewise, at parent-teacher interview night, the
grade six students were selling baked goods in order to raise money for their graduation camp at the end of the
year. The students eagerly asked me to buy some goods. I told them I would wait to see if there were leftovers,
as I wanted the parents to get the baked goods first. Towards the end of the night, not too many parents
purchased much of the baked goods. In order to support their cause, I bought two plates of baked goods. I also
attended every teacher council meeting that took place, simply observing how such meetings take place. I
attended one governing board meeting to observe the logistics of that meeting as well.
Every day three, during the last period of the day, my cooperating teacher, I and the other grade six teacher met
to engage in our cycle meetings. The principal thought it was important for teachers within the same cycle to
meet to discuss how they could align their lessons, as well as their assessment tools in order to create a more
consistent and static reflection of teaching and evaluation among all the students. Both grade six teachers agreed
upon using the same materials to teach the math content to students, which included the decimal workbook,
situational problems, as well as applications. Trying to come to a consensus about Language Arts lessons was
not easy, as both teachers had different beliefs concerning what they felt their students should learn. Similarly,
the students in both classes were quite different, which does not necessarily mean that both classes should cover
the same content. Therefore, they all agreed to implement their own lessons concerning this topic. However, did
they did agree to teach and provide the students with the opportunities to learn how to write proper reading
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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responses and narratives, as this was what the students were evaluated on by the government at the end of the
year.
I attended the parent-teacher interviews my cooperating teacher had requested from a variety of parents. I simply
sat and observed how the meeting went, what topics of discussions arose, as well as how to begin such a
meeting. My cooperating teacher informed me that it was extremely important that you always begin the
meeting on a positive note. Share the students’ strengths and positive aspects before presenting the reasons you
requested the interview. I never really thought that parent-teacher interviews could focus on other aspects other
than the students’ learning or academic abilities. Instead, some of these meetings were expressing concerns
about a student’s behavior and respect towards adults, concerns about a student’s drastic change in demeanor, as
she was being unhappy or distant more than usual, clarifying whether or not a student is truly weak in math or is
it simply a façade or simply explaining that a student’s learning is being affected because he is not taking his
medication. The communication between parents and teachers is key, as it helps the teacher understand what is
going on at home, giving us the other perspective we are not aware of. For instance, the student was not taking
the medication because he did not want to or forgot, it was because when he was with his dad, his dad did not
believe in giving his son the medication, which through the student off completely, as his inability to concentrate
and remain calm, caused him to lose a lot of teaching time.
I attended the curriculum night at the beginning of the year, which was simply to welcome the parents, as well as
give the parents the opportunity to meet their children’s teachers. This night also consisted of informing parents
what their children were going to be learning during the year, as well as what tools would help to reinforce and
support their learning. During the cycle three meeting with parents, the teachers explained what types of content
the student would learn, as well as if they would be using a particular textbook in relation to that subject. For
instance, the parents were explained that for math, the students would work in the decimal workbook for a
chapter at a time, and then their child would complete a situational problem and applications that went along
with the problem. The teachers explained that this was necessary as they are helped to prepare the students for
the end of year math exam. Teachers explained that if students were struggling severely with these throughout
the year, they should seek extra help in order to ensure their child succeeds. Likewise, the teachers explained the
geography, history and citizenship course consisted of following along in a textbook, and recording notes and
such. The teacher explained that as parents they would not see these books at home because there was only one
copy for the entire cycle, as to avoid losing books. It was simply an information session, where parents could
learn what their children were going to be exposed to, as well as what materials they would be using to support
their learning.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT (7, 8, 9, 10)
To cooperate with members of the teaching team in carrying out tasks involving the development and
evaluation of the competencies targeted in the programs of study, taking into account the students
concerned.
10
FEATURES
 Recognizes instances where cooperation with other members of the teaching team is required in order to design
or adapt teaching/learning situations, to evaluate student learning or to promote the mastery of competencies
by the end of the cycle.
 Develops and organizes a project appropriate to the objectives to be attained by the teaching team.
 Cooperates in an active, ongoing manner with the teaching teams working with the same students.
 Helps build consensus, when required, among members of the teaching team.
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to :
 contribute to the work of the teaching team in an effective manner;
 Provide constructive criticism and make innovative suggestions with respect to the team's work.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional seminar/field experience?



Many of the students were on IEPs, which made teaching difficult at times. As these students required more
support and guidance to complete tasks, I often sought the advice of my cooperating teacher. I did not want to
overwhelm the students or push them beyond what they were capable of doing. Likewise, I did not want them to
be too hard on themselves, to the point where they gave up on completing the task. My cooperating teacher
would assign the same workload, however, she would provide accommodations to those who required it. For
instance, in math class, many students did not finish the situational problems, applications or workbook pages in
the assigned time in class. Therefore, I would ask my cooperating teacher if I could work with certain students at
recess, in order to help them catch up on their work, or to provide them with extra time to explore a concept they
did not understand in class.
Moreover, many of the students in the classroom had confidence issues. When having to complete writing
assignments and math work a large number of students would often get discouraged before even starting the
task. They would frequently say they could not do the work, they were not smart enough and they would fail so
what was the point in trying. I sought advice from my cooperating teacher, as I was unsure how to deal with
such a high number of students who had little to no confidence in their abilities. She informed me that the only
thing to do is to keep lifting their spirits, reassuring them they are capable of doing the work. She suggested that
I try to work one-on-one with these students to observe if they truly cannot complete the work because they do
not understand or if it is due to a lack of confidence. However, when sitting next to many of these students, I
discovered that they are fully capable of completing their work. The students merely needed some guidance,
support, and motivation from an adult to ensure they were not giving up on their assignments.
While my cooperating teacher had a set schedule for lessons she planned in the majority of her subjects, she was
open to my suggestions and ideas for art. Therefore, together we collaborated on creating lesson plans for art, as
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
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well as the rubrics used to evaluate the students’ artwork. We planned an activity where the students would have
to produce line art, which had them involve drawing a minimum of seven shapes, in which they had to fill in
with different types of lines. We also had the students explore using warm and cool colors, by coloring half of an
image in the warm colors, whereas the other half was colored in cool colors. We also collaborated to design a
lesson introducing the students to pointillism and having the students create their own pointillism artwork.
I often tried to confer with teacher from the other grade six class to see where her students were at in terms of
conducting research and using computers, as she had opted to implement a research project early into the year. I
asked for advice in terms of how many classes the students would need to conduct the actual research, how well
and quickly they used computers and PowerPoint presentations. I was happy to have consulted with her because
I assumed the students would be quick computer users, as well as easily know how to conduct research.
Unfortunately, they did not know how to do these things. For this reason, I prepared a lesson on how to conduct
meaningful research for a project. I spoke with this teacher to also determine what concepts her students were
having difficulty mastering in math. I wanted to know if her students had the same gaps in knowledge as the
students in my class had. She often told me that her students also had a difficult time grasping math concepts, so
she would provide them with extra worksheets on a given concept to help solidify their understanding.
When correcting the situational problems for math, my cooperating teacher often included me in the process.
She accepted my opinions and viewpoints, encouraging me to use my judgment to correct the students’ work.
However, whenever I was unsure about what grade I should give a student, I asked my cooperating teacher what
she would give the student. She often justified her reasoning to me, using the rubric provided for the evaluation
situation. Sometimes, I justified to my cooperating teacher why I felt a student deserved a certain grade, to
which each time she agreed with my decision (for the most part). I also had the opportunity to grade some
entirely on my own. However, upon return to the school on Tuesday, I consulted with my cooperating teacher
for a few students’ situational problems that I was unsure if I was being too harsh on, or too lenient on. I was
happy to do this because she felt that some of them deserved lower grades than what I gave them.
At lunch, I often took this time to get insight and perspective from other teachers concerning the fact that many
students come in with incomplete homework. Other teachers explained that many of the parents that are
francophone feel too intimidated and incompetent to help their child at home with reading and other homework
related tasks. Likewise, due to the math being at a grade six level, some parents are unfamiliar with how to work
with these mathematical concepts. The parents often leave their child to fend for themselves, which doesn’t
allow for the students full potential to be realized. With little to no help at home from the guardians or parents, it
is difficult for students who are struggling to receive that extra boost they need to reach their full potential.
I often felt that the classroom I was in was a struggle because academically, they were weak. After conversing
with the teachers in the younger grade levels, they had informed me that this was the cohort that had received
less of an academic focus in grade one because behavior was the main priority. Apparently, the behaviour was
so out of control that learning could not occur in the environment. The teachers spent most of their time teaching
the students what appropriate behavior was within the classroom, with their peers and authority figures. For this
reason, there were many knowledge gaps in the students learning.
I often consulted with my cooperating teacher for assessment tools that I could give to the two modified students
in the classroom. I would have to design two different types of assessment tools because both modified students
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
were at least two years behind the rest of the students. I found it difficult to determine what types of questions to
include on math assessments due to them being at a lower level. Regarding fractions, I suggested that I only
provide the two modified students with a worksheet that simply focused on equivalent fractions, not simplifying
fractions, in order to determine if they understand the concept of making fractions equal, as well as the processes
involved in doing so. Additionally, when encouraging the students to take notes in science class, I had them
copy down what information they felt was important. However, my cooperating suggested that for the two
modified students that I create a template for them to write down the notes. I did this for them, having titles
written and underlined, I included the number of bullet points, and even wrote some of the notes for them so
they would not get too overwhelmed taking too many notes. This method seemed to work well, as they knew
what they had to copy down, nor did they feel lost.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY (11, 12)
To engage in professional development individually and with others.
FEATURES


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

Takes stock of his or her competencies and takes steps to develop them using available resources.
Discusses the relevance of his or her pedagogical choices with his or her colleagues.
Reflects on his or her practice (reflective analysis) and makes the appropriate adjustments.
Spearheads projects to solve teaching problems.
Involves peers in research related to the mastery of the competencies targeted in the programs of study and to
the educational objectives of the school.
11
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to :
 identify, understand and use available resources (research reports and professional literature, pedagogical
networks, professional associations, data banks) related to teaching;
 identify his or her strengths and limitations, along with his or her personal objectives and the means of achieving
them;
 engage in rigorous reflexive analysis on specific aspects of his or her teaching;
 Undertake research projects related to specific aspects of his or her teaching.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professional seminar/field experience?


To take full advantage of my third field experience, I took every possible opportunity to attend meetings that
would help me gain more knowledge about being in the teaching profession. This stage I chose to attend a
governing board meeting, even though my cooperating teacher was not a part of it. This allowed me to gain
insight into how school staff and parents collaborate with one another. It was interesting to witness the logistics
of governing board. During the meeting, we were able to witness that the teachers and parents did not always
mutually agree on a decision for the school life. Likewise, I was not aware that governing board meetings were
so official as voting, seconding decisions, and adjournment occurred. I did not think the governing board
meetings were this sophisticated. Moreover, it was interesting to hear both sides to the voting process. There
were times when parents did not always agree with something the school wanted to implement, or they
expressed concerns that I would have never thought of. For example, as a teacher I do not see the harm in having
the students participate in fundraisers, especially when the grade sixes are trying to raise money for the
graduation camp. I also thought the parents would be content with the fact that this was happening, as it would
lower the cost of sending their child to camp. However, some parents expressed concern with the fact that
having too many fundraisers around the same time made it difficult for them to support their child’s
participation, as most require parents to purchase items. Before they mentioned this point, I would have not
realized the pressure parents would be under. This taught me that it is important for parents and school staff to
collaborate with one another, in order to ensure all perspectives are being taken into account.
Furthermore, my cooperating teacher was a part of teacher council. This was also another eye-opening
experience. Again, I was shocked at how sophisticated the meetings were. Among the teachers there was the
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS



chairperson, which had to be voted for and elected by the other teachers a part of the council. Additionally, it
was different to view teachers in a setting where they had to raise their hand to provide input, ask questions or
respond to a colleague. I was blown away again by the fact that this type of meeting was so formal. In my
opinion, teacher council represents a small government within the school. In other words, the teachers on the
council were basically responsible for voting for or against certain rules or regulations that school staff would
like to implement. Likewise, I was not aware of the fact that teachers who ran extra curricular activities had to
seek approval for their club from teacher council. One hot subject of debate was often the pressure tactics, to
which there were was never a common consensus among all the teachers. Teacher council allowed me to
understand that no matter what, as a teacher, I am free to have my own opinion, as well as exercise said opinion.
It is important for myself to stand up for what I believe in because if not, who else will stand up for me?
After every lesson I would teach in the classroom, I often sought the opinion of my cooperating teacher. I would
always ask my cooperating teacher went well, what I need to improve on, or what I should have implemented in
the lesson. I always took her advice as constructive criticism. Likewise, I used the comments to reflect on my
own teaching and strategies I implemented in the classroom. At the beginning, my cooperating teacher often
gave me suggestions I could use to help improve my classroom management skills. For instance, there was often
a group of boys that would speak during my lessons. My cooperating teacher explained that one excellent way to
stop this from happening would be to move one of the students next to the teacher’s desk. This would not only
break up the trio, but clearly inform the students that I did not tolerate their socialization during my lesson. Ever
since then, I have implemented this strategy, which has reduced the chattering between the trio.
During my third field experience, a fellow student teacher and I implemented a science club as an extra
curricular activity. This club not only allowed me to push myself out of my comfort zone, but I also learned that
the students enjoyed performing the experiments, even though most were quite small. Science is a subject I am
extremely uncomfortable with, as I fear students asking me questions I do not have the answers to. Moreover, I
do not feel confident in teaching the content, as I am not familiar with many science concepts. However, this
club forced me to experiment with concepts that I was not comfortable with. I learned to take the students’
questions with confidence, as I learned there was nothing wrong in looking up the answers with the students
online.
I also attended the QPAT teacher convention at the end of November. The convention was eye-opening, as I
attended various lectures, from teachers willing to share their techniques and strategies they implement in the
classroom. One lecture I found particularly interesting was the one in which a teacher discussed implementing
classroom management and motivation among her students. She shared a variety of techniques used to
encourage the students to enjoy their learning. One strategy included using the game Jenga, as a way of
preparing students for an upcoming test. Students would set the Jenga game up as they normally would,
however, each block would have a number written on it. When students removed a block from the tower, they
would have to refer to the number on it. The teacher has supplied the students a list of practice exam questions.
The student must relate the number on their block to the question sheet, to which they would have to answer said
question. This would be done as a group collaboration, but would also allow for students to study for their exam
in a fun and interactive way.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS


At the beginning of my third stage, I would often turn to my cooperating teacher when conflicts arose with the
students. I often felt uncomfortable, as I was unable to determine how I should direct the conversation or go
about having the students engage in conflict resolution. After seeking advice from my cooperating teacher, I feel
more capable of directing these types of conversations with the students. I begin by asking the frustrated student
what is bothering them. I listen to their side of the story, and then I ask the other student involved their side of
the story. After hearing both sides, I try to explain to both students the feelings that were involved in this
situation. I try to have the students try to put themselves in the other person’s shoes. The goal is to try and
understand where each student is coming from in terms of their feelings. I often reinforce the fact that the
classroom is one that stresses the importance of respect, and respecting our peers. We may not like another
student, which is acceptable. However, they still have to treat said student with respect.
For my last evaluation with my cooperating teacher, it did not go as planned at all. To begin, my cooperating
teacher forgot to inform me that the mental math now had to be comprised of fifteen questions. The mental math
was the introduction section to my lesson with the students. Therefore, I had to quickly add five more questions
in a thirty second span. To make matters worse, my cooperating teacher forgot this was the lesson she was
supposed to evaluate me on. I had to remind her mid-way through the mental math. Furthermore, this was the
morning that the first snow fall occurred. Many of the students were excited, hyper, and late to school due to the
road conditions. Nonetheless, I had to continue with my lesson as planned. However, due to all these exceptions
we lost around ten minutes of math class. After the mental math, I had prepared a review game of about twenty
questions. Unfortunately, I did not have time to complete the game with the students. I had also prepared review
stencils, as a means of assessing what the students were capable of doing independently, which I was unable to
get to. Moreover, during the review game the students were rowdy, and I frequently had to pause and refocus the
group’s attention. The teams lost points because they were unable to control their behavior.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY (11, 12)
To demonstrate ethical and responsible professional behaviour in the performance of his or her duties.
FEATURES








Understands the values underlying his or her teaching.
Manages his or her class in a democratic way.
Provides students with appropriate attention and support.
Justifies his or her decisions concerning the learning and education of students to the parties concerned.
Respects the confidential nature of certain aspects of his or her work.
Avoids any form of discrimination toward students, parents or colleagues.
Situates the moral conflicts arising in class with reference to the major schools of thought.
Demonstrates sound judgment in using the legal and regulatory framework governing the teaching profession.
12
LEVEL OF MASTERY
By the end of his or her initial training, the student teacher should be able to :
 demonstrate sufficient responsibility in dealings with students that one can recommend with no reservations
that a class be entrusted to his or her care;
 Answer to others for his or her actions by providing well-founded reasons.
How have I developed this competency during this course or professiona l seminar/field experience?



I understood the importance of confidentiality concerning IEP’s. The class I was placed in had many students
who were on IEPs. Many of the goals surrounded around the subject of math, which in order to accommodate
the student into achieving this goal, the students were allowed to use calculators and their reference booklet
during exams. Some other students in the classroom would make remarks, expressing that it was not fair that
these students were allowed to use other tools and they were not. I was not prepared to deal with this the first
time I was questioned about it. However, I quickly asked my cooperating teacher how I would deal with these
types of questions in the future. I knew we could not share with the class that these students were allowed these
tools because they were on an IEP. Therefore, she explained the most appropriate way of answering it would be
to explain that certain individuals require specific tools that allow them to succeed. This not only put me at ease
when having to face these questions in the future, but it also allowed me to kept the fact that these students were
on IEPs confidential.
In order to communicate with the students, I used Edmodo. This medium was restricted to questions related to
assignments. For example, there was a boy in the class who attended the day program at the Jewish General
Hospital for four out of five days of the week. This made using Edmodo ideal, as we often assigned him work to
complete when he was at the day program. As he was out of the school so often, he did not receive the same
instructions that the other students did, nor did he have the opportunity to ask questions as he was completing
assignments. If things changed, such as due dates, Edmodo was the only way we could communicate this news
to the student.
Likewise, the pressure tactics related to the strike caused tensions between some of the teachers. The tensions
escalated in teacher council meetings, where voting was taking place concerning whether or not students should
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
3
4
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS


be allowed to wear costumes on Halloween. The union representative is also a part of teacher council and he was
offended by the fact that the teachers did not support his idea that students should not wear Halloween costumes
to school. He felt pushing no costumes would allow for the parents to truly understand what the teachers are
fighting for. However, the majority of the teachers did not agree with this pressure tactic, as their belief was that
the pressure tactics were not supposed to affect the students. Therefore, many teachers voted against the no
costume idea. This then created a hostile environment, as some of the teachers became catty with one another.
Consequently, the rest of the individuals on the teacher’s council became very uncomfortable, just as I was.
Afterwards, teachers came into my cooperating teacher’s classroom to discuss the events that occurred, as the
news quickly travelled to other staff members. Likewise, my cooperating teacher was venting and expressing
how unprofessional the meeting was. Nonetheless, I kept quiet, only nodding occasionally, trying to not be a part
of something that did not concern me. Moreover, this was not professional behavior to be a part of, which is the
reason why I tried to avoid engaging in any discussion concerning this topic. I often tended to turn my attention
to correcting student work, as well as planning for the next day’s lessons. It was difficult to not get involved as
this was such a major event for a few weeks, as many teachers were upset with how events unfolded in the
meeting, especially with attacking one another.
Many times during this field experience, I acted with fairness and understanding towards the students. There
were many instances in which I had to deal with conflict resolution with the students. As an adult, I sometimes
found the arguments or disputes the students were having with one another were silly or could have been easily
avoided with communication. However, these issues are not silly to the students. For this reason, as well as the
fact that I am one of the students’ role models, when dealing with issues of conflict resolution, I put my own
judgements and opinions aside. For example, when assigning the students for group work, there is a student who
does not like working with partners other than his male friends. In two instances, when he was assigned group
work with a female he did not respond to it well. He ignored the partner at the beginning, he was pouting and
refused to work with her. My cooperating teacher and I tried to explain to him that in life we do not always get
to choose our partners, as well as the fact that we do not get to work with individuals we like all the time. We
also explained that his attitude would also hurt his partner’s feelings. While there were other students who were
paired as male-female partners, they adapted to the situation well. Even though I find the situation to be a minor
one, it was a big deal to the student. Therefore, it was important for me to validate his feelings and make him
aware that I was listening to what he had to say. However, it is also my responsibility to explain the reality to the
students to start preparing them for what is to come in the world, especially in high school.
There were instances where I did not agree with the assignments my cooperating teacher wanted to implement.
This became an issue when I was planning for my second evaluation with her. I was unsure with what lesson I
should prepare, so I turned to my cooperating teacher for ideas. She already has all her ideas and lesson planned
out for the year, which means she likes to stay on track with what she already knows. Therefore, she was giving
me ideas for lessons that would introduce the survival theme she has the students participate in every year.
However, I was not too fond of the lesson, nor did I feel it was my own. For this reason, I knew if I was not
passionate or positive about the lesson that it would not only demonstrate this feeling in how I taught it or in my
approach, but I would not feel as if I did my best for my evaluation. Therefore, I shared that I was not too keen
on that idea, to which I suggested introducing personification to the students. Thankfully, she accepted the idea.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
2
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PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY SELF-EVALUATIONS


Regardless of my opinions and emotions, once into the survival unit, I did take the opportunity to teach some of
the lessons that were associated with the unit. Likewise, towards the end of the unit, I had asked my cooperating
teacher if I could have the students engage in a comic strip lesson. She accepted the idea, yet she asked me to
have them stick to the theme of survival in the comic strips. While I was not too keen on the idea of
implementing such a close-ended theme, I respected her wishes as it is her classroom and not mine. I was lucky
enough to develop my own lessons with the approval and acceptance from my cooperating teacher.
Furthermore, I understood my role in parent-teacher interviews. The only times I spoke or addressed parents was
when I shook their hand to introduce myself as my cooperating teacher’s student teacher. I did not interfere in
the meeting, nor did I share my input, unless my cooperating teacher addressed me or asked me a question that
she was unsure about with a particular student. Again, I am aware that this is not my classroom, which gives me
no place to make comments or suggestions when parent-teacher interviews are occurring.
During my field experience, I respected the rules and the schedule of the school. I always arrived to the school at
least thirty minutes prior to the students’ arrival. I respected the school dress code, referring to not only what
other teachers were wearing, but also to what the principal wore. I always dressed in a professional manner. My
cellphone was never used in the school, unless it was recess or lunch time (with no students around) to take
photos of the classroom or students work to incorporate into my portfolio. I spoke to all students, parents, and
staff in a respectful, polite and professional manner. Additionally, I respected my role when attending teacher
council and governing board meetings. The staff did not have to let us observe these meetings, therefore,
keeping quiet and merely observing was our intended responsibility. While we were informed to not engage in
the pressure tactics, such as the striking, with our host school, I did try to take parts in ones that supported the
teachers as most as possible. Therefore, when teachers voted to leave the school on Wednesdays and Fridays at
lunch, I respected this, as it did on infringe on my rights or obligations as a student teacher.
WHAT IS MY CURRENT LEVEL OF MASTERY? (CHOOSE ONE)*
ADVANCED
THOROUGH
ACCEPTABLE
PARTIAL
MINIMAL
*Use the features of the competency (listed above) and the professional competency rubric.
Name: Larissa Morgan
Date: December 7, 2015
ID: 260583963
Course Name & Number (e.g. EDEC 253): EDEC 353 & 355
PS/FE level (circle one) 1
KEEP THESE FORMS IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO. YOU WILL ADD TO THEM EACH YEAR.
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