Artifact #6: Math Trails Assignment

The math trails assignment is part of the EDU 502 class. I decided to include this math

assignment into this portfolio because I believe it is a fun way to realize the importance of math.

Growing up I often struggled with some math strands because I did not realize their value at the

time. Since I was a student who did not enjoy math I promised myself I will make math as fun

and interactive as possible for my future students. This is because math is very important and we

are surrounded by it. This assignment allows the student to go on an educational walk to find

how math is in the everyday world. The walk promotes a healthy lifestyle and develops an active

mind because the students are engaged in the activity. I think this would be a great assignment

for students to do at a young age (with parental supervision) because it exposes them to the value

of math in the real world. This assignment also shows my ability to identify the multiple strands

of math that are used throughout the Ontario curriculum.

I also believe in active engagement and learning through doing. In this assignment I was

able to walk through the neighbourhood and realize how math is all around me. I think this

assignment would translate well to the elementary grades because it gets the students off the

couch when doing homework and learning. This also aligns with John Dewey and his theory of

experiential education. Dewey strongly supported experiential learning, as it offers students a

hands-on, collaborative learning experience, which helps them to “fully learn new skills and

knowledge” (Sikandar 2015). Students learn through experiences and growing through times. I

believe this math trails assignment is something I will use in my future classroom because of its

value to giving the students an authentic experience.

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INTASC Standards

Standard #1: Learner Development The teacher understands how learners grow

and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and

across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and

implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

Standard #8: Instructional Strategies. The teacher understands and uses a variety

of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas

and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways.

NYS Next Generation Learning Standards

Geometry-Grade 1-Reason With Shapes and Their Attributes

Distinguish between defining attributes versus non-defining attributes for a wide variety of

shapes. Build and/or draw shapes to possess defining attributes.

NYS Code of Ethics for Educators

Principle 2 Educators create, support, and maintain challenging learning

environments for all. Educators apply their professional knowledge to promote student learning.

They know the curriculum and utilize a range of strategies and assessments to address

differences. Educators develop and implement programs based upon a strong understanding of

human development and learning theory. They support a challenging learning environment. They

advocate for necessary resources to teach to higher levels of learning. They establish and

maintain clear standards of behavior and civility. Educators are role models, displaying the

habits of mind and work necessary to develop and apply knowledge while simultaneously
displaying a curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. They invite students to become active,

inquisitive, and discerning individuals who reflect upon and monitor their own learning.

NYS P-12 Common Core Standards

[Link].3.1: Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g.,

rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the

shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses,

rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that

do not belong to any of these subcategories. U

Ontario Curriculum

Ministry of Education. (2005). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8 mathematics.

Ontario Teacher Ethical Standards

Care: The ethical standard of Care includes compassion, acceptance, interest and

DOE/CAEP Claims

Claim 2: Medaille College graduates meet the needs of diverse learners through

effective pedagogy and best teaching practices.

Brandon Porga

Medaille College

Zuhra Abawi

June 19 2020
Introduction

Growing up I was never a big fan of math class. I think this is because I was never made

aware of the impact math has on the world. This math trails assignment allowed me to walk

through my neighbourhood to gain a deeper understanding into how math is everywhere. The

older I get, the more I realize how important math is. I think it is important as a future educator

to show my students the impacts and importance of math at a young age. This will allow them to

make connections and apply their knowledge in all situations. My math trail takes me on a walk

that begins at my house, going through my neighbourhood park, cutting through a Zehrs parking

lot, then through a car dealership to come full circle back to my house. I chose this route because

I am familiar with it. I used to play at this park growing up. I went at around 3:00pm because it

wasn't too hot at that time. This walk takes about 12 minutes. My math trail begins at my house

in Welland, Ontario. I quickly noticed the Number Sense and Numeration strand from the

Mathematics curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2005). My house number (image 1) shows how

numeration is all around us. Similar to my house, every house has a number. Moving on I

noticed how the concrete on the sidewalk is evenly spaced out. This is an example of

Measurement from the Mathematics curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2005) because the

concrete needed to be easily measured to ensure it lined up for the entirety of the sidewalk

(image 2). I would say Measurement was the strand of math I saw most on my walk. When

walking in my neighbourhood I noticed a newly build fence, Measurement is necessary here to

ensure the posts are spread evenly and the wood is cut to match the others (image 3). Moving on

I walked through my neighbourhood park that has some swings, and a playground. The

playground is an example of Geometry and Spatial Sense (Ministry of Education, 2005) because

the structure is build with various shapes that ensure it is safe for climbing and playing on (image
4). The swings in this park include Measurement because they are evenly spread apart to avoid

collision (image 5). I would also argue that Data Management and Probability (Ministry of

Education, 2005) is used in this park because the number of people living in an area usually

determines where parks are built. Moving on I was walking down a main road called Niagara

Street which has some brick sidewalk in one spot. This is an example of Patterning and Algebra

(Ministry of Education, 2005) because the bricks are coloured to be visually appealing (image 6).

I then took a shortcut through a Zehrs parking lot. Here I noticed the parking spaces and how

they are evenly spread apart to ensure there is enough room for each car (image 7). This is an

example of Measurement. Coming back towards my house I need to cut through a car

dealership. Going through their parking lot I noticed Patterning and Algebra because the cars

are organized by colour which makes it visually appealing to the customers (image 8). The image

shows white trucks lined up. This is the same for each colour of vehicle. Lastly, when I returned

home I noticed in the garden how the lights in my garden are evenly spread out to ensure there is

light throughout the entirety of the garden. In this case basic Measurement principals were used

(image 9). This 12 minute walk really made me aware of how math is everywhere we look. It

places a value on the importance of incorporating math into the various subjects that take place

in an elementary classroom.
 Images
IMAGE THREE
IMAGE ONE IMAGE TWO

IMAGE SIX
IMAGE FOUR IMAGE FIVE

IMAGE NINE
IMAGE SEVEN
IMAGE EIGHT
Reflection

Reflecting back on this experience I can definitely say it has made me feel differently

about math. I was never a person who was strong in math. I often questioned its value and why

we need to learn certain strands of it. I think this has opened my eyes to realize that no matter

where I go math will be where. Whether it be parking my car at a grocery store or walking on a

sidewalk down the street, math is involved. One of the reasons I never found math interesting

growing up is because of the way my teacher would explain it. I think we were often forced to

use the textbook too much instead of being creative. This way of exploring math through a math

trail has more value to me than reading a textbook. A textbook can tell me anything I want and I

don't have to necessarily believe it or find it interesting. Going on a fun walk that promotes a

healthy lifestyle shows me that math is everywhere. This is a genuine authentic learning

experience. I think I would definitely use this type of learning in a classroom one day. I always

strive to make learning as fun as it possibly can be.

I can safely say that I learned something new from this experience. I believe having this

type of math homework would be more beneficial to the students learning instead of a

worksheet. I say this because this walk allows the students to be actively engaged in the learning.

During this assignment I also enjoyed being able to look through the curriculum document. I

think it is extremely important to be familiar with the curriculum prior to applying for a teaching

job. This allows me to be prepared.

I found a section of the curriculum introduction interesting and informative. "Through

mathematical activities that are practical and relevant to their lives, students develop

mathematical understanding, problem-solving skills ,and related technological skills that they

can apply in their daily lives and eventually in the workplace" (Ministry of Education, 2005,

p.3). This caught my attention because I feel that if math is taught from a textbook and lecture
standpoint it can become boring and students will lose interest. The students can be extremely

skilful in math but can struggle if they find the material not useful. This is the category that I fell

into growing up. I have basic math skills and can integrate it into everyday life. However, in

school I became uninterested with reading a textbook day in and day out. As a future educator I

will do my absolute best to integrate useful material into the development of basic math skills.

Overall, I believe that math should be fun and integrative. I had a good time participating

in this assignment because I found it useful and relative to everyday life. I can definitely see

myself using this assignment in a future classroom.

References

Ministry of Education. (2005). The Ontario curriculum grades 1-8 mathematics. Retrieved from
[Link]
 Artifact #7: SMART Notebook Presentation.

This SMART Notebook presentation is important to me as a teaching candidate because

it shows my ability to use software that is applicable in the field of education. The way the world

is currently going technology plays a big role and is a major influence. In education I have

noticed that the students find lessons more enjoyable when they have the opportunity to be

actively engaged. Technology allows the students to be engaged in the lesson by having them

come up to the front of the class and try out a game, or solve a problem using the board. In

SMART Notebook there are a variety of different features which allows the student to be

engaged in the lesson. It also allows for students to play games and have fun while keeping

education a top priority. I feel that my comfort level with SMART Notebook allows me to be a

qualified teaching candidate in the rapidly growing technological world.

As part of my teaching philosophy I always strive to make learning as fun as it possible

can be. I feel that showing the students an interactive SMART Notebook presentation is more

fun than a lecture style PowerPoint. Having the students participate in these technology lessons

will also increase their awareness with technology in the real world. It is important to stay up to

date with the current times. This SMART Notebook assignment also follows the technology and

ethical guidelines that are required for educators. I believe my ability to be up to date with

current technology allows me to be prepared and a qualified teaching candidate. It is also

important to follow the correct standards when it comes to technology. Often times technology

can be difficult to follow if not used correctly. I always do my best to ensure the proper

guidelines are taken in order to provide a safe technological environment for everyone who is

involved.
 Connection To Standards

INTASC Standards

Standard #8: Instructional Strategies The teacher understands and uses a variety

of instructional strategies to encourage learners to develop deep understanding of content areas

and their connections, and to build skills to apply knowledge in meaningful ways

NYS Code of Ethics for Educators

Principle 3 Educators commit to their own learning in order to develop their

practice. Educators recognize that professional knowledge and development are the foundations

of their practice. They know their subject matter, and they understand how students learn.

Educators respect the reciprocal nature of learning between educators and students. They engage

in a variety of individual and collaborative learning experiences essential to develop

professionally and to promote student learning. They draw on and contribute to various forms of

educational research to improve their own practice.

Ontario Teacher Ethical Standards

Care: The ethical standard of Care includes compassion, acceptance, interest and

insight for developing students' potential. Members express their commitment to students' well-

being and learning through positive influence, professional judgment and empathy in practice

ISTE Standards for Educators

Leader: Educators seek out opportunities for leadership to support student

empowerment and success and to improve teaching and learning.

Facilitator: Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student

achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students.

6. Using evidence, instructional data, research, and professional knowledge to

inform practice.

DOE/CAEP Claims

Claim 2: Medaille College graduates meet the needs of diverse learners through

effective pedagogy and best teaching practices.

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This artifact allows me to demonstrate my research skills. I believe that part of being a

qualified educator also has an impact on research skills. It is important to stay with the times and

find new ways to integrate learning in the classroom. I also believe that administering a research

survey to students is also a good way to get to know their interests better. This can help me when

planning lessons because if my class does not like a certain type of format, then I will not deliver

the information that way. I like to think of a classroom as a base for learning. Research allows

new things to be learned between a large number of people. My ability to conduct a successful

research study also allows me to explain to students the proper ways to conduct research when it

comes their time.

I decided to use classroom sizes as my educational question because it is a growing topic

within the field of education. It is believed that the current classroom has too many students. I

decided to take this question and conduct research surrounding it. I believe my research skills

and abilities allow me to be a qualified teaching candidate. At the same time, following the

professional guidelines surrounding research is critical to ensure the research is conducted

without an bias which can make the sample invalid.

These research skills can translate into the classroom when I conduct research to

determine the likes and dislikes of my students. I can use the results to determine new ways to

make the classroom more enjoyable for my students. In school, this research is often conducted

fairly early into the school year to ensure the students are receiving the material in ways they

find beneficial to their learning needs.

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INTASC Standards

Standard #1: Learner Development The teacher understands how learners grow

and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and

across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and

implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

Standard #9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practice The teacher engages in

ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice,

particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other

professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.

Ontario Teacher Ethical Standards

Integrity: Honesty, reliability and moral action are embodied in the ethical

standard of Integrity. Continual reflection assists members in exercising integrity in their

professional commitments and responsibilities.

NYS Code of Ethics

Principle 6: Educators advance the intellectual and ethical foundation of the

learning community. Educators recognize the obligations of the trust placed in them. They share

the responsibility for understanding what is known, pursuing further knowledge, contributing to

the generation of knowledge, and translating knowledge into comprehensible forms. They help

students understand that knowledge is often complex and sometimes paradoxical. Educators are

confidantes, mentors and advocates for their students’ growth and development. As models for

youth and the public, they embody intellectual honesty, diplomacy, tact and fairness.
 CEC Standards

9. Practicing within the professional ethics, standards, and policies of CEC;

upholding laws, regulations, and policies that influence professional practice; and advocating

improvements in the laws, regulations, and policies

TEAC/CAEP Claims

Claim 2: Medaille College graduates meet the needs of diverse learners through

effective pedagogy and best teaching practices

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Educational Survey

Brandon Porga

Medaille College

Dr. Bachelor

November 20, 2019

The purpose of this service is to figure out if parents are comfortable with the current

class sizes. The rationale for this survey is to determine if parents believe their students are

getting the assistance they need based off the current class size. Some parents may believe the

teacher is occupied with the many other students in the class. Some parents may be comfortable

with the current class size. This research survey will aim to gain a deeper understanding

regarding this topic.

Target Population

The target population for this survey is the parents and teachers of students from

kindergarten to grade 6. This study will take place in the Niagara Catholic School Board.

Introduction

Classroom sizes play a direct role on student success and student learning. The more

students in the class, the less time the teacher will have to spend with each individual student.

The Ontario government has also been cutting teachers and making classroom sizes larger. This

survey will gives us a deeper understanding if parents believe their children are not receiving the

necessary support based off the larger class sizes. We can use this information and present it to

the Ontario government in an effort to explain how more teachers are needed in order to ensure

success for our future generations. The teacher student relationship also plays a large role in the

students learning ability. With more students in a class the teacher may feel overwhelmed. This

can inhibit the relationships and familiarity developed between teachers and students.
 Survey Questions

Directions: The purpose of this study is to determine if classroom sizes are becoming too large
to adequate learning to take place.. Your responses to these questions are anonymous. They are
developed in an effort to gain a deeper understanding on classroom sizes. I welcome you to be as
honest as possible. Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey and contribute to
provided the best education for our future leaders. Please refer to the Likert Scale below and
match your answer to the corresponding numbers to the best of your ability.

1. Strongly Agree 2. Agree 3. Neutral 4. Disagree 5. Strongly Disagree

1. I feel the student is learning to the best of his/her ability.

1 2 3 4 5

2. The classroom size plays no role towards the students learning.

1 2 3 4 5

3. I believe the classroom I am associated with is too large for adequate learning.

1 2 3 4 5

4. I feel the classroom sizes should stay the way they are.

1 2 3 4 5

5. The student/teacher relationship plays a role towards increased learning.

1 2 3 4 5

6. A reduced class size will benefit the students learning.

1 2 3 4 5

7. Smaller classroom sizes result in less friendships built.

1 2 3 4 5
8. I believe students will receive more individualized attention and higher grades in a

smaller class.

1 2 3 4 5

9. Enhanced learning takes place in a well controlled environment.

1 2 3 4 5

10. It is best to have larger classroom sizes in order to develop a wide range of skills for

peer to peer learning.

1 2 3 4 5

Comments

Please use this section to leave any comments in regards to the topic of the survey.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Your feedback is appreciated as we aim

to provide the best education possible for our students

Results

Question 1: 5,5,4,4,4,4, 3,3,2,1

Question 2: 5,5,4,4,4,4,4,3,3,2
Question 3: 5, 4,3,3,2,2,1,1,1,1

Question 4:5,5,5,4,4,4,4,3,3,2

Question 5: 4,3,3,2,2,2,1,1,1,1

Question 6: 5,4,3,3,3,2,2,1,1,1

Question 7: 5,4,3,3,3,3,3,3,2,1

Question 8: 3,2,2,2,1,1,1,1,1,1

Question 9:3,2,2,2,2,1,1,1,1,1

Question 10:5,4,3,3,3,3,3,2,1

**PLEASE REFER TO THE POWERPOINT PDF FOR VISUAL RESULTS OF THE

SURVEYS COLLECTED**

Classroom Size [Link]

Summary and Conclusions

The data collected in the survey shows us that parents and teachers place an important

emphasis on the classroom size and its direct correlation to learning. It is seen that most of our

volunteer survey takers want the classroom size to be reduced. This can be concluded because

most of the answers show that parents and teachers believe more learning takes place in a smaller

classroom.

The parents and teachers who have volunteered to take this survey show us that the

classroom size plays a major role in students learning. This can be concluded from question 2
where 70% of the answers showed us that these people believe the classroom size plays a role

toward student learning. This can also be concluded from question 6 where 50% of the people

agreed with a smaller classroom will benefit the students learning.

When looking through the comments we have noticed that most parents are pushing for

smaller classroom sizes. The size of the classroom has increased over the years. Some people

mention how their children have showed a decrease in academic grades when their classroom

size has been larger. We can conclude that this is a direct correlation with the student teacher

relationship question we asked in question 5. In this question 70% of the people agreed that the

student teacher relationship plays a role in learning. This is a common theme. We now know that

smaller classrooms can lead to enhanced student teacher relationships.

Overall, I see some common themes throughout the data. The most common theme is

volunteers answering questions that reflect a smaller classroom being more efficient to student

learning. This survey gave the volunteers the time to think about how they can better their

student and teaching education.

Plans For Improvement

Going forward we can use this information and present it to the principals, district, and

government officials to show how important classroom size is in regards to student learning. We

need to ensure that our students receive the best possible education. Based off this small sample

size we can see that a smaller classroom size will benefit the students.

The first thing we can do is present these results to the principals of the district. The

principals can then share the information at the next meeting and develop a plan going forward to
ensure we provide the best education. It is important that we see how the relationship between

teachers and students promotes a healthy classroom environment.

The next thing we can do is provide this survey to a larger sample of people. The 10

people surveyed here all seemed to have similar views. If we open the survey up to more people

we can ensure the larger population is in agreement in regards to classroom sizes. Having a

larger same size will make the survey results more valid.

Conclusion

I hope you the reader have enjoyed looking through the artifacts provided for Section

Three Teacher Candidate Artifacts. I have had a great time building my educational tool kit with

some of the artifacts mentioned in this section. Throughout this section I have continued to prove
my preparedness for becoming a qualified teaching candidate. I have done this by connecting my

experiences and teaching philosophy to theorists, and best practices in the field of education. I

have placed a large emphasis on the major teaching competencies such as planning, instruction,

assessment, and technology by including artifacts that highlight my ability to succeed in all of

these. Following curriculum and professional standards is connected throughout each of the

artifacts presented and will continue to be connected in Section Four Alignment to Curriculum &

Professional Standards. Section Three has allowed me to give you the reader a look into the

artifacts that showcase my abilities towards becoming a qualified educator. I will continue to

highlight my experiences in the coming sections.

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