Education Portfolio   by Molly Atkinson

Home: Personal Summary Approach to Education Classroom Management Classroom Rules Parent Letter Curriculum Design Six Week Art Unit Art Folder Lesson Color Theory Lesson Environmental Art Lesson   Lesson Video Student Assessment Needs Assessment Student Self-evaluation Objective Test Art Gallery Resume Letters of Recommendations Contact Me

Welcome Welcome to my Education Portfolio website. My intention with this portfolio is to describe who I am as a professional educator by sharing with you my outlook and experience with respect to teaching. The menu to the left lists the areas of education that I have become familiar with in my teaching experience and that I consider essential tools in order to be an effective teacher. Why I Teach I teach because teaching is a profession that allows me to help children develop their full potential. I teach because in my own student days I came to the understanding that learning is a life long process and I believe that teaching children this understanding will offer them a tool with which to grow and evolve for the whole of their lives. I teach because I appreciate the challenge of a profession that requires me to be continually growing and creating in order to work well, and where a job well done is measured by the achievements and fulfillment of every student. Personal Summary Artist and Teacher: Integrating Knowledge and Experience My desire to teach comes from the satisfaction I have had and continue to experience from being a life long learner. I appreciate the process of learning as well as the end result because the learning process is so self revealing. I continue to unfold my full potential and give expression to that unfoldment through a richly expressed life that includes being an artist as well as an art teacher. I thank all the dedicated and generous teachers I've had over the years who nurtured and inspired me to grow. As a teacher, I hope to give all my students the same opportunity for on going learning and evolution through the discipline of Art. This Education Portfolio explains how I plan to carry out this intention in the classroom by taking a more in- depth look at my professional and personal goals as they relate to the field of Art and to the broader field of education. The Approach to Education explains that my goal as a teacher is to guide students to use Art as a tool for developing their full potential. I believe this is possible by teaching in a manner so that students understand that the nature of life is to grow and evolve and that the purpose of life is the expansion of happiness. Students are able to come to this understanding through a learning process that involves the sequential steps of thought, action, achievement, fulfillment and the resulting growth of consciousness. A student who is given the opportunity to learn according to this orderly sequence will know how to apply new knowledge in and out of the classroom. The ability to integrate knowledge with experience creates a as sense of wholeness that is deeply fulfilling to students. This section also discusses the importance of the teacher- student relationship and how effective teaching creates receptive students. A student will be receptive to knowledge when they are treated with love and respect, when they see knowledge being offered to them in a systematic way, and when they experience for themselves that knowledge is valid, purposeful and enriching to their lives. "Classroom Management " describes how I go about creating a learning environment in the classroom. My goal with classroom management is to create a dynamic, flexible, safe,and respectful classroom so that learning is the focus for students. The cornerstone to my classroom management is Maharishi's Principles of Ideal Teaching,, a component of the theory of Consciousness Based Education (CBE). CBE is an approach to education that emphasizes how every aspect of knowledge is connected with wholeness of knowledge which is pure consciousness. Maharishi's Principles were developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and other professional educators as the practical classroom guidelines for implementing CBE. This as the educational approach that I have been influenced by the most. It is the foundation to my teaching because of its intention is to develop the full potential of every student through the growth of consciousness. The "Classroom Rules" are guidelines I consider fundamental for a successful learniing environment in grade 7 through 12. I consider parent involvement key to a child's success in school. I have included an example of a "Parent Letter" that I would send to parents at the beginning of the year as a way of introducing myself and as a way of sharing with them what will be going on in the classroom. The "Curriculum Design" component describes art projects I have created which are appropriately challenging for middle school students. Students respond and stay interested in a subject when it is presented through a well organized, diverse, and challenging curriculum. The "Six Week Art Unit " was created to teach students about the principles and elements of Design. The Art Folder Lesson, Color Theory Lesson, and Environmental Art Lesson are detailed lesson plans I have designed and taught in the classroom. The "Lesson Video" shows how I teach the Art folder lesson. I view "Student Assessment" as a record of student achievement and as an evaluation tool for both teacher and student to gauge how well students are learning. In the Student Assessment section, I have included samples of a "Needs Assessment" for evaluating what students know and don't know about different areas of Art. "Student Self-evaluation" contains examples of self evaluation forms for students to fill out so that they have the opportunity to reflect and critique their own work., The sample included in " Objective Test " is a selected response assessment given at the end of a semester unit I feel fortunate to have worked with a cooperating teacher during my student teaching experience who was consistently uplifting, generous and positive in her assessment of students, while at the same time holding them accountable for their own performance in her classroom. I learned the value of assessing students in ways where they felt supported and encouraged to follow through on projects, not only for good grades , but also for a personal sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. Students feel fulfilled when they are able to give expression and share what they have accomplished. The "Art Gallery" is a display of student projects that were done during my student teaching experience at Washington Junior High school. Much of this work was put on display throughout the school. The entire school community enjoyed the art exhibits. and these young artists felt acknowledged for their talents as well as seeing how much beauty their work added to the school environment. The Purpose of Life is the Expansion of Happiness At the end of the school year, the students from each of my classes made a notebook for me with photos, signatures and farewell notes. One students wrote a note saying that she hadn't thought of herself as an artist, but now she did because of my encouragement. I also had students come to me outside of class in order to get feedback on projects of their own. This sharing and trusting relationship between me and my students is what I consider my primary accomplishment. The reward I receive from teaching is watching students unfold more of their potential through their knowledge and experience of Art. My "Resume" describes my work experience and skills up to the present time. The "Letters of Recommendation" are self-explanatory. Future professional goals include becoming proficient in Computer Art technology, Environmental Art, and Intermedia Art. My Hispanic background inspires me to promote the art traditions of different cultures. I am also interested in teaching and promoting more physical exercise programs into the daily school schedule. I see every area of education that I have included in this portfolio as a personal work in progress that I will continue to adjust, refine, and improve with time. As I continue to grow and unfold my full potential as a teacher, I will be better able to serve students in learning how to make use of their full potential.