ADVANCEMENT TO CANDIDACY PORTFOLIO Portfolios will be reviewed by your faculty members as one step toward Candidacy.DUE: 9AM December 2nd 2008PURPOSES: To reflect about, and document: 1) your prior learning in your endorsement areas (undergraduate work, community work, and life experiences) as this knowledge relates to the State of Washington Essential Learning Requirements benchmarks for which you will be responsible;2) the development of your knowledge and understanding of theories of learning, the learning process, and the relationship of learning and teaching;3) your understanding of the relationship of social/personal filters and collaboration, group process, group development, and interpersonal relationships;4) your ability to do graduate level work.Each of the areas outlined on the next pages must be addressed in your portfolio. The portfolio must be:- clearly organized, - contain a table of contents, and, - along with the appropriate documentation, contain Reflective Essays about each area of documentation.What does it mean to include a Reflective Essay for an area of documentation?Example: If you include a note from a colleague, written feedback from your seminar facilitator, and a poem you wrote as documentation of your ability to work across differences, you must accompany these pieces with a reflective essay that indicates why you chose them as evidence,why they are good pieces of evidence, what you learned from them, and how they might affect your future decisions.ADVANCEMENT TO CANDIDACY PORTFOLIOBelow you will find both requirements and suggestions about types of documentation. We require that you demonstrate your ability to work in all four learning quadrants. I. WHO AM I AS A COLLEAGUE AND ACADEMIC LEARNING COMMUNITY MEMBER? (Standard 5.4)Purpose: To demonstrate your engagement in, and contributions to, our learning community, as well as your understanding of group development, collaboration, and group process. This section should showcase your:- Awareness of how your beliefs impact your engagement with new information and other people.- awareness of your strengths and weaknesses as a community member (knowledge of your personal biases; your ability to self-reflect and learn from experience; ability to collaborate; ability to engage in leadership)- knowledge of the process of community building, group formation and group process- knowledge of your own learning/teaching preference- interactions with your colleagues that supported, or contributed to, successful learning for the community.Required Evidence: - Dispositions Survey- 5-7 other pieces of evidenceSample portfolio evidence:- self-assessment statement/essay/story/poem referring to issues listed above- quarter self-evaluations and faculty evaluations demonstrating reflections on these areas- written notes and reflections from program workshops, assignments, learning log entries- evidence of participation and contribution to our learning community- sample feedback you provided to colleagues on ELM- papers reflecting on experience with community building and the learning that resulted- analysis of your own roles and behaviors in groups- analysis of your responses to learning information that challenges your beliefs and assumptionsYour documentation must be accompanied by the Reflective Essay described on the previous page.II. WHO AM I AS A LEARNER IN THIS GRADUATE PROGRAM (Standard 5.1, 5.3, 5.4)Purpose: To demonstrate graduate level academic skills and knowledge. This section should showcase your ability to:- evaluate your academic strengths and areas of need (i.e., engage in useful reflectionabout your academic work and plan for and implement strategies for improvement)- identify areas of endorsement strength in relation to the EALRs and plan for improving areas of weakness- write clearly and employ standard conventions, including APA conventions - apply appropriate technological skills effectively - reason and engage in professional discussions (identify, discuss, compare/contrast, and critique major themes and theses in professional books and journal articles)- demonstrate a graduate-level understanding of the theories of learning explored through the Master in Teaching Program and an understanding of the social construction of knowledgeRequired Evidence: - EALR self assessments with personal plans for development (Standard 5.1)- in-process TLS paper (final seminar paper) - the 6 models of teaching lesson plans with revisions- three to five pieces of additional evidenceSample portfolio evidence:- timely successful completion of Fall Quarter work as demonstrated by faculty evaluations, written work, exams, or projects- written evaluations from faculty advisors (outside MIT) concerning competence in endorsement areas- excerpts from weekly MIT seminar papers that demonstrate development of ability toidentify themes and theses and provide adequate text support of themes- excerpts from papers that show progress in development of ideas and ability to compare/contrast diverse concepts- excerpts from MIT papers that demonstrate knowledge of learning theories and social construction of knowledge- a reflection about learning Web Page design, e-portfolio and/or using ELMYour documentation must be accompanied by a Reflective EssayIII. WHO AM I AS A RESEARCH PRACTITIONER (Standard 5.1)Purpose: To demonstrate graduate level skills in identifying and pursuing research that relates directly to improved teaching and learning.This section should showcase your ability to:- pose viable, relevant research questions- locate and annotate professional literature related to your research interests- research and analyze historical and contemporary professional material related to your understanding of teaching and learning- identify the personal filters and biases that will affect your interpretations of your research - analyze and apply theory into practice, and to differentiate between your own projections and assumptions from description and observation- Appropriately integrate music in your content areaRequired Evidence:- Two or three possible questions for your Master’s Paper - Annotations for several articles found in professional journals that relate to your researchinterests and support the feasibility of completing your masters paper in a timely fashion- 2-3 of your fieldnote entries - Notes from web research on integrating music along with (i) annotation of teaching resources; and (ii) notes on how to