Portfolios Why use portfolios To encourage students to

Portfolios

Why use portfolios? • To encourage students to be reflective and responsible • To allow students to make choices • To give students evidence of their writing • To provide a larger sample for grading and assessment • To save time at the end of the semester • To contribute to program assessment and teaching portfolios

NCTE supports portfolios • In 1997 the National Council of Teachers of English issued a statement supporting the use of writing portfolios (The Council Chronicle, June 1997).

Some types of portfolios • A writing folder includes everything from doodles to final drafts. • A presentation or final portfolio contains finished and polished work. • An open portfolio allows the students to choose their submissions. • A closed portfolio gives the students guidance in what to submit.

How are portfolios evaluated? • A committee of teachers (including the course instructor) makes a pass/fail decision; the instructor assigns the grade. • The instructor grades the portfolio. • The instructor grades only the student’s reflective essay, which uses the portfolio for evidence.

How can I use portfolios this semester? • Open or closed, a low-stakes evidence portfolio with a reflective letter can 1. encourage student responsibility, 2. reinforce methods of argumentation, 3. give you a better idea of student abilities and improvement, and 4. give you a chance to assign ungraded writing.

Portfolios can reward revision • A writing folder, or a combination portfolio which includes some earlier drafts as well as finished products, will help prevent academic dishonesty and will encourage revision. • You can allow students to revise papers for the portfolio without giving them new grades on the papers.

What do I tell the students? • First of all, give them a chance to prepare: tell them at the start, and put it on the syllabus. • Prepare for common questions, which may come later. • Give guidelines, as with any other assignment. • Encourage students to keep copies (or submit electronically).

How do I start a teaching portfolio? • Teaching portfolios can be used to support an application for a new job or a promotion, to “practice what we preach, ” or to improve one’s teaching. • You might include a syllabus, handouts, and assignment sheets for each class taught, letters of recommendation written for students, thank-you notes from students.