WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PORTFOLIO Chris Reading

WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING PORTFOLIO? Chris Reading University of New England 22 February 2011

Overview What is a portfolio? (Remember 1 st Year!!) Why use a portfolio? Types of portfolios Purposes of portfolios Professional Learning Portfolio for Teaching Stages of a portfolio Electronic portfolios

What is a Portfolio? compilation of evidence which demonstrates the acquisition, development and exercise of knowledge and skills … (Retallick & Groundwater-Smith, 1996) structured collection of teacher and student work created across diverse contexts of time, framed by reflection and enriched through collaboration, . . . (Wolf, 2000) an e-portfolio is a purposeful aggregation of digital items – ideas, evidence, reflections, feedback etc. , which ‘presents’ a selected audience with evidence of a person’s learning and/or ability … (Gray, 2007)

Why use a Portfolio? …. to provide a richer picture than more conventional forms of assessment Campbell, Cignetti, Melenyzer, Nettles and Wyman (2001) How to develop a professional portfolio - A Manual for Teachers

Portfolios the goals of portfolios can vary greatly a diverse range of tools can be used to create a portfolio reflection is a critical element - an artifact (e. g. a photograph of a classroom activity) is of little use unless accompanied by critical reflection of what has been learned

Purposes and Tools PROMOTION EMPLOYMENT ACCREDITATION E-portfolios to present for different purposes PD PLAN DIGITAL CAMERA Tools to support processes JOURNAL Celebrating learning Personal planning Transition/entry to courses Employment applications Professional registration Capturing & storing evidence Reflecting Giving feedback Collaborating Presenting to an audience Space (local or remote) to store resources and an archive of evidence PERSONAL COMPUTER INTERNET PERSONAL WEBPAGE THUMB DRIVE CD/DVD R/RW Based on Elizabeth Hartnell-Young 2007 BECTA Report

Types of Portfolios process portfolio - to improve rather than prove - an ongoing formative process that focuses on the learning process product portfolio - to meet desired outcome(s) demonstrates that pre-determined standards have been met showcase portfolio - to celebrate achievement a collection of best work

Types of Portfolios (continued) Terminology can vary …. • working, growth, cumulative, learning (= process) • assessment, accountability, evaluation, status report (= product ) • display (= showcase) Try to focus on the purpose of your portfolio.

Artifacts WORK SAMPLES QUALIFICATIONS

Professional Learning Portfolio for Teaching So what type of portfolio will yours be? • you have to allow for the fact that your portfolio may in fact be a combination of portfolio types • what is the purpose? • you need to create a living-history of your preparation for teaching life • you also need to demonstrate your competence against teaching standards

Purposes of Portfolios for Teachers • assessment portfolio - provides information about a teacher’s effectiveness and is highly structured • employment portfolio - provides information about suitability for a particular position and is semi-structured • learning portfolio - allows for teacher reflection and is open-ended What is the purpose of your portfolio?

Portfolio Stages • portfolio planning - purpose, audience, process • working portfolio - standards, evidence, tools interject personality • reflective portfolio - for standards & artifacts portfolio turns professional • connected portfolio - organize, link • presentation portfolio - record, present, evaluate

Effective Practice with e. Portfolios culmination of outcomes from various projects learner perspective practitioner perspective institutional perspective www. jisc. ac. uk/publications/programmerelated/2008/effectiv epracticeeportfolios. aspx