Essential Elements of a Portfolio
Keep the following essential elements of a Portfolio in mind as you create your portfolio:
- It includes belief statements with every section.
These statements are only about a page in length, but together they accumulate to make your larger philosophy of education visible Ð both to you and to other people.
Your portfolio entries should be consistent with your belief statements. For instance, if you believe in teaching for social justice, there should be entries in the Classroom Management section that show how your approach to classroom management strives to support students from marginalized populations; in your Planning section, how your planning reflects understanding of the daily lives of students from marginalized populations; and in your Assessment & Evaluation section, how your assessment is inclusionary.
- It includes samples of student work wherever possible.
These will be reduced, either on a photocopier or through manipulation of images made on a scanner or with a digital camera.
Again, your reflections on the student work are essential. You should include a statement regarding why you have included this particular work, and include a range of student work wherever possible, speaking to what you have learned about your planning, implementation, classroom management, etc.
- You will synthesize your skills and knowledge wherever possible into a format that allows you and others to get an overview of those skills.
We have set up this site so that your entries often form tables.
We have found that a tabular format makes details become visible without being overwhelmed with too much prose. This is helpful to those looking at the portfolio, and to you during job interviews when you can use your portfolio to illustrate the points you are making.
Previous: Purposes of the Portfolio
Next: Structure of a Portfolio
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