The College of Idaho Education Department
The Portfolio Process
The Role of the Portfolio in the ACI Education Program
All students in the Education Program at ACI are expected to complete a portfolio. The portfolio you present to the Department at various times in your program provides us with additional information about how well you are progressing in your effort to become a teacher. Creating the portfolio provides you with a valuable learning experience; it gives you an opportunity to set your own educational goals, to evaluate how you are doing in your effort to reach these goals, to see how your personal professional goals match the goals of ACI's Teacher Education Program, and to develop a professional portfolio for future use.
Portfolios
A portfolio is a collection of materials assembled to demonstrate to others what you have done and/or are able to do. The portfolio is drawn from a larger collection of artifacts (records, papers, letters, pictures, class assignments, student work, graphics, audio or video clips) called a folio. The teaching profession has identified a base of knowledge, a set of teaching skills and abilities, and a framework of attitudes and dispositions that prospective teachers must possess in order to be successful as beginning teachers. The selections from the folio that you choose to include in your portfolio serve to document for others that you have these understandings, abilities, and dispositions. Sometimes the artifact you choose will be a record of your performance when you successfully complete a teaching task. Sometimes it will be a class paper or assignment that demonstrates an understanding or attitude important for effective teaching. In any case, think of your portfolio as a set of materials especially assembled to "showcase" your knowledge, skills and abilities.
Portfolios as appropriate learning and assessment tools
American education is in the midst of a dramatic era of reform. At the forefront of this reform is a rethinking of the processes involved in preparing teachers. An important thrust of the reform effort is that now teachers (and future teachers) will be expected to give evidence of their ability to perform in authentic teaching/learning settings. Teachers and prospective teachers will need to show evidence of their ability to apply what they know about teaching and to demonstrate the ability to reflect on their practice in ways that allow for professional growth and development. Unlike traditional assessment tools, portfolios provide the Education Department (or future employers) with important evidence of your ability to apply your knowledge in practice and to reflect on that practice.
Items to be included in your portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of materials chosen and displayed with a specific purpose in mind. It is imperative that you know what the "reviewers" of your portfolio expect; portfolios are assembled and reassembled from your larger folio each time you have the need to prove a different point about yourself. A professor may ask you to prepare a portfolio based upon the expectations of a particular class, for example. Eventually you will want to create a professional portfolio subdivided into ten sections based upon the ten entry-level teaching standards.
The portfolio process is one of collection, selection, and reflection. Begin by collecting samples of your work to be included in your folio. Next, select certain of these that best demonstrate the standard or class outcome you are working on. If you choose more than one artifact, try to select ones that show growth or progress. Finally, you will reflect upon what you have done. This reflection will help you see what you have accomplished, and what you want to continue to work on as a practicing professional. As you reflect, the portfolio serves as (a) a record of your accomplishments and (b) a guide for your continuing learning efforts.
Your goal, when selecting items for placement in your portfolio, should be to show the reviewers (a) what you have done, (b) what you can do, and (c) how you have been improving. This normally does not take a large number of items. Between one and three items for any one section will generally suffice. Choose them carefully. Try to select items that show the progress you have made and how you have learned from your experiences. Remember, learning never ends. Your instructors and your future employers want to know if you are someone who will continue to learn. A good place to begin is with the document you believe best portrays your ability to perform in the area being assessed. Then, before you add another item, ask, "What will this second item add to what the reviewer has already learned from the first item?" Add only those items that provide new or different insights regarding your performance. This "value added" principle will not only help you decide what to add but will also keep your portfolio from becoming too large.
Portfolio Format
Initially, we suggest a three-ring notebook, one with a zippered section or pockets, is probably best since you may sometime want to include items like a tape or disk. Since most of the documents you will choose for your portfolio are one-of-a-kind original documents, you will want to protect them and insure that they are not folded, creased or stapled. The best way to do this is to purchase acetate sleeves that can hold 8 1/2 by 11 sheets of paper. This way you will avoid the need to punch holes in valuable originals. Buy a generous supply so you don't have to keep inserting and removing documents from the sleeves. If you include items that do not have obvious meaning, be sure to include notes so you can recall the document’s importance once you write your reflection.
As you develop multi-media computer skills, you will want to create an electronic, digitized portfolio. This will demand that you create digital versions of the items you include in the portfolio. Word processing files, data bases, spreadsheets, scanned materials, digitized photos, presentations, audio and video clips can all be included. We recommend the portfolio be organized as HTML documents so that reviewers can access and navigate it using a web browser like Microsoft Explorer, Firefox or Safari.
For each item included in your portfolio, you should include a reflective statement. The purposes of this statement are:
to inform the reviewers about the context of the item. What were the circumstances and setting? Why was it chosen?
to indicate to the reviewers how the item meets the entry level teaching standard or the outcome specifically required by a particular course.
to share with the reviewers what the item tells you about yourself as a teacher.
You should do all of this in a "reflective" manner. This means that you should offer your explanation of what these documented experiences or artifacts have meant to you. This gives the reviewer added insight into your perspective and point of view. Remember, it is this statement that helps you show how you are unique and how you are different from others--create your own unique reflection. See Appendix A for an example of a student reflection.
Portfolio Assessment
You will normally be asked to submit your portfolio at four different times in your Teacher Education Program. The first two will be Student Portfolios: those designed to learn and practice the process as well as assess your preparation for the teaching profession. Many times, in a Student Portfolio, you may want to show that "you are making progress toward a standard" rather than that "you have met a standard." The third and fourth will be versions of your Professional Portfolio. The Professional Portfolio is intended to be used in your job search and in beginning to track your professional career.
The first time your portfolio will be evaluated is when you take either Educational Psychology or Introduction to Teaching and are applying for admission to the program.
The last evaluation of your Student Portfolio will occur at the end of your junior year.
Prior to graduation, you will submit the first version of your Professional Portfolio when you apply for the internship year.
Your final Professional Portfolio will be constructed during your internship
Facilitating the Portfolio Process
Although the ultimate responsibility for constructing your portfolio falls to you, cohort faculty and mentors will help you throughout the process. The Education Department has prepared this document for portfolio preparation. It should serve you throughout your five years in the program. No one will tell you what to include in your portfolio; faculty and mentors will be happy to help you think about your choices, give you helpful feedback, provide general guidance and suggest possible ways to evidence your performance, however.
Starting Out
The first step for you is to adopt an attitude. Embrace the idea that you will, throughout your lifetime, be the one and only person who is truly interested in and capable of reflecting upon and improving your skills and abilities as a teacher. Take charge of your own career--determine what you can do and what you need to continue to work on. Then begin collecting items, which document what you have done and what you can do. When you engage in an activity, which contributes, to your career goals, try to keep some tangible record of the experience and/or your contribution. Often others involved in the activity will be happy to write letters commending you for your participation and contribution. Learn to ask for a record of your experience and set up a filing system for saving the documents--a folio, the focus of the next section.
The Folio
The folio is simply a collection of materials, documents, papers, pictures, certificates, letters, work samples, and audio/video taped performances. The items (artifacts) relate to and give evidence of your efforts to reach the educational and career goals you have established for yourself. It is from the folio collection that you construct your Portfolio.
To start your folio, select a convenient but safe place to organize and store your materials. A file drawer would be great but a sturdy box will serve well, too. You'll need something like manila file folders to organize and file the materials so they can be easily retrieved when you begin to build your portfolio. Get into the habit of labeling every artifact with the name of the artifact, date, where it came from, a short description and the standard it will address.
The next step is to organize your materials so that you can find what you need when you want it. You should organize your portfolio based upon the 10 Idaho Entry Level Teaching Standards.
The Idaho Entry Level Teaching Standards
"What teachers know and can do makes the most difference in what children learn."
~ Linda Darling-Hammond
The Idaho Entry Level Teaching Standards. reflect the requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for teachers starting their career.
1. Content Pedagogy (Knowledge of Subject Matter)
The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
2. Student Development (Knowledge of Human Development and Learning)
The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support a child’s intellectual, social, and personal development.
3. Diverse Learners (Adapting Instruction for Individual Needs)
The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
4. Multiple Instructional Strategies
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
5. Motivation and Management
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
6. Communication and Technology
The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
7. Planning
The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
8. Assessment
The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social, and physical development of the learner.
9. Reflective Practice: Professional Growth
The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his or her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.
10. School and Community Involvement
The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students' learning and well being.
Creating and Presenting Student Portfolios 1 & 2
The first two times you will be asked to submit a portfolio at Albertson College, the portfolio will be used as an assessment tool by the Education Department and other selected reviewers.
Student Portfolio #1:
Due upon completion of EDU223 Educational Psychology or EDU202 Introduction to Teaching
Because this Portfolio will be part of the process of application and acceptance into the Teacher Education Program, the central theme concerns your interest in and commitment to teaching and learning. Include materials providing evidence that you are a quality candidate for the Teacher Education Program. For example, you should show evidence of: a reflective attitude toward teaching and your emerging identity as a teacher as exemplified in your teaching metaphor. You should also include artifacts that demonstrate your understanding of the following Standards:
2. Student Development (Knowledge of Human Development and Learning)
The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support a child’s intellectual, social, and personal development.
3. Diverse Learners (Adapting Instruction for Individual Needs)
The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
4. Multiple Instructional Strategies
The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage student development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
5. Motivation and Management
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation.
7. Planning
The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
Student Portfolio #2
Due at the end of the Junior Year
In the second Student Portfolio you should include evidence of your knowledge all ten of the Standards with at least one artifact and reflection for each standard.
Professional Portfolio #1
Due when applying for the Internship Year
Your first Professional Portfolio should include at least three artifacts for each of the 10 entry level teaching standards. This portfolio can be either hard copy or digital.
Professional Portfolio #2:
During your internship year:
It is important to realize that the audience for this portfolio includes not just those involved in your preparation to teach, but perspective employers. You will need to include such things as your philosophy of teaching, a resume, and other items that would be helpful in attaining a teaching position. This portfolio will be digitized and burned to either a CD or a DVD.
In addition to the knowledge demonstrated in the 10 standards, you should include artifacts that give evidence of your ability to apply the ideas, understandings and theories learned earlier in the program. One important way to do this is to include work samples produced by your students. In this way, you can demonstrate not just what you know, but what you were able to teach.
Following are some other attributes you may want to demonstrate through artifacts you include in the portfolio:
q ability to involve the community in learning,
q ability to develop a positive rapport with students,
q ability to plan and manage instruction,
q initiative and independence as a life-long learner,
q ability to work cooperatively with others,
q ability to adapt instruction to meet individual needs,
q ability to develop effective curricular materials.
Appendix A: Sample Reflective Statement (Student Portfolio)
Reflection on Portfolio Entries
(Name) Mary Smith
(Standard being documented) Standard 10- School and Community Involvement
(Reflection: Describe your plan for gaining the knowledge/skills expected in this area. Reflect upon your personal growth in this area. Explain how you think these items demonstrate your abilities/qualities.)
(Sample reflection)
My community involvement in learning is evident through my volunteer work and my summer employment. I volunteered during Spring Break to tutor at Farmway Village near Notus. I am also volunteering at Jefferson Junior School in Caldwell on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Most of the time I help students with math. Last summer, I worked at Spokane Parks and Recreation as a director for a program that is for children age 6-12.
Because I think I want to teach math, my volunteering at Jefferson has helped me to get ideas for when I become an intern and has shown me ways to put these ideas into motion. During my time at the school I have had a couple of chances to work with small groups of the students and to try different teaching strategies with them. This gives me a chance to see what works and what does not work for me.
As a director for the playground at Spokane Parks and Recreation, I got to plan activities for the week, work with other directors, and spend time working with children. All of these activities that I have been involved in have helped me to continue learning ways to teach children and work on motivation and management strategies. They have also given me a chance to get involved with the community and the children's parents.
I realize that I need even more opportunities to work with young people. Teaching is so complex and there are so many decisions a teacher has to make. I know that the more experiences I have, the more confident I will be in my ability to teach. Although I am leaning to math as a subject to teach, I am still considering elementary because the younger kids are so lovable. I don’t look on the volunteering I have done as a burden because I find it really rewarding to help kids learn. My goal for the rest of the year is to work in an elementary school and, maybe, a high school, so that I can figure out what age group appeals to me the most.