Teaching Portfolio

Every child has an important perspective and infinite potential.

Children are always learning, and everything they are exposed to has an impact on the way they understand the world. Knowledge is dynamic, and constructing meaning and understanding is an active, continuous process. Recognizing this, my classroom is a space for honoring the knowledge students have and encouraging them to make connections to new ideas, new questions, and a variety of strategies for investigating and drawing new conclusions. Students in my classroom are encouraged to aim high and take risks. Each one of them is capable of learning, creating, and succeeding.

My goal is to help students deepen and enrich their understanding of concepts and to develop their capacity to learn and grow. To be motivated, students must be invested in their own learning and have opportunities to make decisions about their learning. Ultimately, I want each of my students to be in my classroom, and I want them to show up each day knowing how important they are to me and to their peers.

Erica Schrenker surrounded by students, celebrating the end of the school year.

Pedagogy

Find out more about my instructional practices and teaching methods.

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Qualifications

See details about my professional qualifications and educational background.

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Endorsements

Read what others have to say about my strengths and teaching expertise.

Go to Endorsements
Questions?

Contact me if you would like to know more about about my experience.

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Pedagogy

A student plays the cello for his classmates.

Student-Centered Instruction and a Positive, Supportive Environment

My job as a teacher is to emphasize the role of each student in their own learning and to facilitate their being active participants in the classroom. I take pride in expertly identifying student needs and providing them with appropriate extensions and supports to help them reach their potential. As a perfectionist myself, I understand well that many of us would rather get praised for doing an easy task well than challenge ourselves and struggle. Knowing this, I always praise the effort and personal growth of individual students over achievement relative to others. Making mistakes and experiencing challenges are essential to acquiring new knowledge and skills. We all learn by reflecting on errors, investigating conflicting ideas, and discovering relationships or explanations.

Students work together to record an instructional video using Flipgrid.

Students check on their robot before a competition.

Students used Google Earth to identify landmarks and record distances.

Redefining What It Means to Teach and Learn with Technology

I believe in the transformative power of technology, especially for student learning. Technology provides students with vast resources and opportunities to create, innovate, collaborate, and explore the world outside of their local sphere. Technology gives students infinite access to information and ideas. By modifying our teaching practices to embrace and promote the use of technology in the classroom, we enhance our students' educational opportunities to give them skills that they will utilize for the rest of their lives.

A student uses a multiplication chart to help support completing a math assignment on a laptop.

Mathematics and STEM

Students already possess intuitive mathematical thinking. I use cognitively guided instructional methods to connect students' strategies to powerful mathematical concepts and help them learn math with true understanding. Rather than conflate learning with finding and reporting correct answers, my students engage in inquiry, discovery, and sense making. In addition to mathematical inquiry, they learn to employ science and engineering practices and develop strong problem-solving abilities. Students are able to construct explanations for mathematical investigations, propose answers to scientific questions, and design solutions for engineering problems, utilizing technology to aid them in their research and discovery.

In the very doing of math, students have naturally occurring opportunities to learn and notice mathematical ways of making sense and talking about ideas and the world. It is our responsibility as educators to structure, highlight, and bolster these opportunities, making explicit the many different ways that mathematical ideas are communicated, rather than acting as the "keepers" or "the givers" of language. A commitment to help students develop their own command of the "mathematical register" is therefore not an additional burden on teachers, but already embedded in a commitment to supporting students to become powerful mathematical thinkers and "do-ers."
Lee, Quinn, & Valdes, 2013

Language Arts

Access to academic language is imperative to student success. Students must develop strong reading, writing, and speaking skills so that they can both access and articulate information across content areas. I provide my students with rich, grade-level texts and activities with appropriate supports to help them access and utilize the language demands.

In order to be able to use language effectively, students must be given as many chances to read and write as possible. There is no such thing as "just reading." Countless research tells us that reading helps students build knowledge, increase vocabulary, improve their motivation and achievement, develop background knowledge, and even helps them develop empathy and their own personal identity (Beers & Probst, 2017).

Likewise, writing is a powerful tool not only for communication, but for organizing information and demonstrating learning. Students can explore and experiment with different sentence structures and word choices. They can use writing to synthesize what they are learning, convey their own knowledge, and express their creativity. I love getting my students excited about writing!

University of California, Irvine 2019
Master’s Inquiry Thesis: All Students Can Do Math: Using Daily Activities to Develop Fluency in Multiplication and Division Math Facts.
California Multiple Subject Teaching Clear Credential with English Learner Authorization
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
Childhood Education Initial Teaching Certification (Grades 1-6)
New York State Department of Education Office of Teaching Initiatives

Qualifications

ENDORSEMENTS

“I observed and experienced firsthand Erica’s exceptional instructional ability… As a teacher, she intentionally brought proven instructional practices to her classroom: effective classroom management, activities that include collaboration and communication strategies, and utilizing technology to engage students... She has remained positive, flexible, and professional while working with our various service providers, attending meetings, and it is evident that she goes above and beyond to know her students.”

— Corinna Hathuc, Principal
“Erica is humble, hard-working and tirelessly works to give her students the best education possible. She is committed, dedicated and reliable. Erica thoroughly understands how children develop and learn and creates her lesson plans to reflect that while tapping into student background and preferences. She uses positive reinforcement and naturally motivates her students. Erica's students want to learn more and work to their fullest potential because of her.”

— Lisa Madera, Principal
“My first interaction with Ms. Schrenker was during a classroom walkthrough on the 10th day of the school year, my first day as the new Assistant Principal of Country Springs Elementary. Within minutes of observing Ms. Schrenker, it was evident that she was a passionate educator who was well-versed in first-best practices."

— Lani Davies, Assistant Principal
"Ms. Schrenker’s classroom management style was reflective of a quick learner and that of a veteran teacher. She understands the more we know about who we teach, the more effective one can be in the standards we teach."

— Taryn Flamson, Mentor Teacher
"Her classroom is a safe place where it is OK to take a risk, make a mistake, and learn together. Erica knows her students well and considers their prior knowledge, experiences, and interests to design meaningful learning experiences. "

— Jane Holm, Graduate Supervisor
"Her driving purpose of impacting children has been clear since her first day on the job. Her passion for improving the lives of students, colleagues and parents is clearly evident."

— George Knights, Director
"Collaborative, creative, and energetic are all traits that Erica possess in spades. She would incorporate ideas found from her colleagues as well as ideas gleaned from her professional learning network to customize the learning experience for all students. Erica understood the process of differentiation and provided ample opportunities for students who needed enrichment to enhance their learning with various applications, which allowed her to spend more time providing extra time and support to students who needed it."

— Todd Schmidt, Principal