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Progress Report of PDQP

Assignment 3: Progress Report of PDQP

Kelly Burkhead

National University

March 19, 2018

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

TED 690−Capstone Course

Carol M. Shepherd, Ed.D.

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Progress Report of PDQP

Abstract

The progress of this candidate thus far in the creation of a Professional Development Quest

Portfolio (PDQP) will be discussed. Professional development aspects at this stage of career

advancement including goals, challenges, future planning, and progress to date will be

considered.

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Progress Report of PDQP

The journey of working towards a multiple subject teaching credential began in

November of 2015. A career change was prompted by the start of a family and watching

firsthand children learn and develop. Watching children progress not only academically, but

developmentally is an amazing account of the work put forth by the child and the caregiver.

Witnessing the advancement over time and knowing effort was a large contribution made

teaching a passion.

It has been just over two years, and this candidate has acquired much of the textbook

knowledge necessary to work in a classroom in today’s diverse society. There have been dozens

of substitute teaching jobs within two very different districts and student teaching was completed

in January 2018. A Reading Instruction Competence Assessment (RICA) was taken February

27, 2018 and scores are not yet known. It was decided that a Masters of Education would be

practical while earning a credential. One nice advantage thus far has been being able to learn

concepts about teaching, while applying them clinically in the classroom. Some examples of

these ideas include classroom management, time management, and differentiation.

One disadvantage this candidate faces in developing a Professional Development Quest

Portfolio (PDQP) is the lack of experience held in one particular classroom in a permanent sense.

In particular, although certain areas have made significant progress, artifacts for much of the

work completed clinically is not accessible. “Most teacher candidates like having clear

expectations of what to include in their portfolio while having the freedom to select appropriate

and personally meaningful evidence” (Costantino & De Lorenzo, 2009, p. 49). There were no

indications within the program that every artifact of student teaching should be photocopied and

collected. As such, artifacts available are limited as compared to artifacts that were generated.

Although there are a plethora of artifact resources that may be used if cited properly, this

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Progress Report of PDQP

candidate feels that a more authentic reflection of work is one which was personally used. When

an educator takes part personally in the creation, development, or implementation of a supporting

artifact, the product may be more directly evaluated and tied to the specific TPE domain. Those

that are found online are great to use as ideas, but those concepts should really be practiced to be

able to better relate and reflect upon as artifacts.

The upside to not having much to work with that may be supplied as evidence, is there

exists much room for continued progress and new artifacts to be created. This applies to the

five-year plan created as well. Much like a PDQP transforms over time, current goals and

challenges will also be every evolving. Therefore, future planning as outlined in the five-year

plan may not be exactly the same one year from now. Considering the difficulty of having much

less experience in the classroom as some, significant progress has been made through student

teaching and substitute teaching. These experiences will shape and enhance the current skill set

and will be reflected upon in the portfolio as it is updated.

With regard to the specific five-year plan and goals contained within Domain F, the

growth that is sought pertains to general teaching skills. The reason for this again is due to the

pre-service phase that this candidate is currently a part of. The goals listed include those which

pertain to a healthy classroom environment, student teacher and student parent interaction,

staying current on new research and methods of teaching, and learning Mandarin and Spanish. It

is quite possible that these goals will be achieved once a permanent teaching position is attained.

On the other hand, these skills form the basis of strong classroom management and professional

educator proficiencies.

Instructional strategies and skills, including those which encompass classroom

management, the support of various modes of instruction for increasing diverse needs, the

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Progress Report of PDQP

extensive use of technology, and the ability to support non-native English speaking students are

all areas that this candidate would like to strengthen. While much of these aspects of teaching

may come with experience, enhancing skills directly through additional classes will be beneficial

to a newly certificated teacher.

In having spent numerous hours developing a PDQP, there has already been significant

progress with regards to the technological aspects and skills required for MAT 690. For

example, one has to not only carefully select artifacts to include, but they also must be attached

to the PDQP. Not every file is attachable since there are limitations on file size. In one example,

instead of a video as artifact, a screenshot of the video was included to allow inclusion. Also,

one must gain proficiency in navigating the format of choice for publishing a portfolio. In this

case, Weebly was selected for its simple and clean format. Weebly is a free website publication

tool that is widely used. As opposed to other website building tools, which require a fee,

“Weebly lives on the end that is all-inclusive and provides everything you need to get started and

grow your website” (Shivar, 2018). This tool has served sufficient in the creation of a PDQP

while allowing for increased fluency of navigating the site. This increased proficiency is just one

aspect of progress noted in just three short weeks.

Another area of teaching that has advanced is gaining a deeper level of self-reflection.

While self-reflection is a familiar process, it did not include the conscious effort to search for

articles that may be used as artifacts. Knowing that completed work which demonstrates

professional development may become an artifact that is placed on display is helpful. The

process involved requires an educator to truly slow down and plan each step and then carefully

reflect on how a lesson taught for example may be improved.

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Progress Report of PDQP

As a pre-service teacher, the creation of a portfolio is something that is appreciated and

empowering. The countless hours and work spent on this project will prove beneficial,

especially with continued revising and justification for which items are incorporated. “Pre-

service teachers who use portfolios gain an understanding that learning is an ongoing process”

(Costantino & De Lorenzo, 2009, p. 5). It is helpful to realize and constantly remain cognizant

of items that may reflect progress, strength, or goals in a teacher.

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Progress Report of PDQP

References

Costantino, P., De Lorenzo, M., & Tirrell-Corbin, C. (2009). Developing a professional

teaching portfolio. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education, Inc.

Shivar, N. (2018). Weebly Review: 6 Pros & 3 Cons of Using Weebly (2018). ShivarWeb.

Retrieved 21 March 2018, from https://www.shivarweb.com/4793/weebly-review/

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