Eileen G. Crawford's teaching portfolio emphasizes the importance of engaging students in active learning and self-management through various methods, including graphic organizers, reflective journals, and cooperative projects. The portfolio details instructional strategies across subjects such as language arts, social studies, science, and math, while also highlighting effective behavior management techniques. Additionally, it discusses Crawford's master's project focused on the necessity of a shared core curriculum to promote literacy and knowledge in a democratic society.

1. Teaching Portfolio
Eileen G. Crawford

2. Introduction
“The school is created by society for the purpose of reproducing in the learner the
knowledge, attitudes, values and techniques that have cultural relevancy or currency” Hilda Taba
(1962)
Students need to appreciate why the skills and concepts are being instilled and how to make use of these
skills once they leave school.
Students must take ownership of their learning and their behavior thereby appreciating the skills and
concepts being taught.
This presentation shows examples of how my students were presented with challenges and projects in
which they applied their knowledge to solve problems and engage in dialogue with their peers rather
than just recalling facts.
.

3. Elements of a Balance Reading Program
Accelerate oral reading fluency thru poetry and readers’ theater

4. Elements of a Balance Reading Program
(Continued)
Use graphic organizers to represent relevant
introductory material before learning begins.
Organizers presents introductory ideas. They help
students focus on what is important
Make summarizing and note taking a direct and ongoing part of instruction encourages
students to analyze information.
Use reflective journals, think logs, and peer coaching to encourage students’ self-
monitoring, self-regulation, and self-knowledge.

5. Elements of a Balance Reading Program
(Continued)
After Reading Activities Students embellished what they might see
on their way home from school after
reading “And To Think I Saw It On
Mulberry Street.”
Students wrote editorials to persuade people
to add more letters to the alphabet after
reading “On Beyond Zebra.”

6. Language Arts
Haiku Poem

7. Students write their own
descriptions of a Language Arts (Continued)
place, using their senses.
Students learn about
organizational structure
and about the importance
of a good introduction
that states what the paper
will be about.

8. Social Studies

9. Civil War
Unit

10. Science
Children learn science best and understand scientific ideas better if they are
able to investigate and experiment. The science center helps children
think critically and gain confidence in their own ability to solve problems.

11. Dinosaur Unit

12. Math
Students apply math concepts and skills to everyday problems found across the curriculum and in daily life.
Many of our projects involve cooperative learning, group sharing, and writing. Other projects involve
building skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making, and computing.

13. Classroom Layout
1st grade
Whiteboard with stated
objectives for the week & daily
Morning Meeting & Read Aloud
schedule. Classroom Library
Targeted Learning Centers:
Listening, Vocabulary, Phonics,
and Comprehension
Guided Reading Center

14. Classroom Layout
2nd grade

15. Classroom Behavior Management
Positive behavior is reinforced
through a variety of methods:
mystery motivators, tokens, game
boards, lunch buddies and jobs.
Goals are set for individuals, groups
& the class. Students have to take
ownership of their actions and
determine a better course of action
in the future. I try always to
emphasizing the positive.
Each students was given a job
which taught them
responsibility and increased
learning in core areas. Some
of the jobs were
timekeeper, accountant, stati
stician, mathematician, repor
ter, librarian, teaching
assistant , gardener.

16. Classroom Behavior Management (continued)
Behavioral
Observations
and Baseline
Behaviors
Self-monitoring cards

17. Home-School Connection

18. Letters of Reference

19. Parents’ and students’ comments

20. Job Performance Reviews
July 2, 2004,
“Her instructional program …. Manifest resourcefulness in selecting material and adapting them to
her instructional purposes….. Commended for her efforts to design her curriculum to address the
diverse learning styles.”
July 2, 2005
“Maintains high, but realistic academic standards for her students, emphasizing student
responsibility and accountability. Systematically develop objectives, activities and assessments that
reflect higher and lower levels of cognitive skills. Use multiple strategies to assess student
achievement.”
June 5, 2006
“Exhibits excellent classroom management. Designs activities/lessons that engage the student and
encourage active learning. Displays personal behaviors that promotes student learning:
enthusiasm, energy, sense of humor, initiative, . . . mature judgment, fairness …. Employs
instructional resources available in school and community….”
March 5, 2010
“Accepted the responsibility of working with the most challenging first grade students in order to
get them back into the larger first grade classroom. Established a learning environment that clearly
conveys value of learning at all time. Instituted a culture dedicated to learning through guided
instructional planning process.”

21. Master’s Project
Common Core
Curriculum
“A certain extent of shared knowledge is necessary
to a literate democracy” E.D. Hirsch, Jr.
My master project was the development of a
website to promote the need for a shared core
curriculum in order to establish strong foundations
of knowledge, grade by grade.