Damla ATANA British Side English Language School Teacher

Damla ŞATANA British Side English Language School Teacher Trainer & Customer Services Manager

PORTFOLIO: A WORK OF ART Planning for learning: portfolio as a planning and reflection tool.

"If you aspire to one thing, let it be learning to learn. When you love to learn, nothing is unattainable for you. " “We promise you a Sean Mc. Cabe memorable day and cordially invite you to join us in this free event on 16 February 2019 at Wyndham Hotel at Kalamış. ” ELI-İBER Department of

ABOUT THE TRAINER

IMPORTANT NUMBERS IN MY LIFE 23 11 2 17 1995

“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think. ” Socrates

portare foglio “carry sheets”

Teachers and learners have been working with Language Portfolios since the mid 1990 s, and between 1998 and 2000 various ELP models were piloted in Europe. In the year 2001, which was also the European Year of Languages, The Council of Europe launched ELPs throughout Europe.

“A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’s efforts, progress, and achievements in one or more areas. The collection must include student participation in selecting contents, the criteria for selection, the criteria for judging merit, and evidence of student selfreflection. ” (Paulson et al. , 1991, p. 60)

Have you ever seen a designer or photographer carrying a folder with his/her drawings or photos? Have you ever asked yourself why? It is because that folder contains his/her best and most notable work. These pieces of work also narrate his/her “artistic story” and show the owner’s individual qualities and style to everyone else.

The Language Passport: -registers student’s personal data -registers student’s level of competence in a foreign language -registers the list of certifications and/or diplomas they get, not only in English, but in all other languages.

The Language Learning Biography: Like a real biography, it tells learner’s “language story” through their most meaningful experiences like language courses or contacts with native speakers, their thoughts and comments on the learning of a foreign language.

The dossier : This is a collection of course work which shows learners’ level of English. It may include corrected class or homework, tests and exams or any other piece of work which illustrates where the learner is at. In this part of an LP, a learner may include voice or video recordings or any part of project work which they have done.

Where will the portfolio pieces come from?

Research has shown that classes become more student-centered and teachers are more relaxed and informal with students, resulting in more risk-taking behavior from both students and teachers (Viechnicki et al. , 1993)

What about the teachers ?

With the Portfolio, the teacher will help students do the same activities they do to learn a foreign language but in a more organised way, recording their progress logically and efficiently!

The teacher won’t assess learners, he/ she will simply suggest what they should include or not: it might be an activity they have done and that has already been formally assessed. It is important in fact to be formally assessed but also to be able to self assess. The teacher will help learners compile their Portfolio and understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Different reasons why……. the teacher needs it to evaluate the learners’ learning progress by comparing early work to later work; the teacher may use it to review their work in order to determine whether they have met the established learning standards set for their grade-level or for graduation; to help them reflect on their academic goals and progress; to create an archive that compiles their most important school projects and academic work.

A couple of considerations when using LPs:

With large groups the storage of portfolios can be problematic. Of course, learners can look after themselves but this always means there are lots of students who forget or lose their portfolio. It is better to store them in class and only allow them home occasionally throughout the year. In this way it means they are readily at hand for parent interviews and of course class

As a teacher, portfolios involve the provision of the folder and the organisation of the contents, which can be quite time consuming. However, once you make templates for the three sections, find an attractive folder and decide on the topic to work on, learners can work at their own pace and the sessions run themselves.

Obviously not all children get so involved and by the end of the course there can be quite a difference in the contents of LPs. However, we can always make time in portfolio sessions to help individuals who have been absent or fallen behind in their work so that each LP is reflective of the level of its owner. Other learners can finish off pieces of work or start on new topics.

-Teachers might take portfolios as an extra burden. -Teachers have to teach and complete the course on time, check assignments, prepare and administer examinations, check and mark exam answer sheets – and portfolio might look like adding more to the work, demanding more time and effort. -However, by implementing portfolio as a tool for continuous assessment and also a part of the final assessment, teachers practically reduce their work pressure and save time.

Teacher training needed Students may not make good selections of which materials to include Parents find the portfolio difficult to understand

What is coming next ?

We change generations every 15 years. The alphabet is finished with the Z generation, now we start again with the Greek alphabet. Gen Alpha doesn't just use technology, they integrate it into their lives flawlessly.

-ACCESS TO INFORMATION IS EASY FOR THEM. . -THEY'RE USED TO DOING MORE THAN ONE JOB AT A TIME. -ATTENTION SPAN IS SHORTER. -RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY IS LESS.

• An e-portfolio is an evolving electronic/online resource that acts to record, store and archive the artefacts of learning and reflection for an individual learner. • The personal portfolio area is private to the student, and cannot be viewed by others until the student actively allows sharing or access to an individual portfolio in part or in whole.

The student's personal portfolio area functions like a webpage template, where students can add menu links, text, media and images, as well as apply any of the available style templates.

Students can create multiple types of portfolios, for example: academic learning, creative presentation, personal development, reflective and practical learning, collaborative projects, teamwork activities.

In A Digital Portfolio… - Showcase of best student work - Outline of extra-curricular and service learning activities - Approved content by teachers and parents - Record of learning and growth - Online diary Social Media Personal websites Networking Blogs or forums Casual Tone By Kinsley Montessori School

A sure-fire way to burn out as a teacher is to stick to the same ideas and techniques without trying something new.

For further information you can register to ELI on-line.