Melanie Parker, Annie Watts and Jane Campbell-Baigrie Understanding Professional Development

This series of slides marks the third relating to the Understanding Professional Development Open Educational Resource and looks how to develop a reflective portfolio. It consolidates and builds upon ideas of reflective practice and writing that formed the focus of presentations 1 & 2. This resource can be used as a stand alone aid to your own personal and professional development or to support an accredited prior (experiential) learning (APEL) claim. Introduction

Developing a Reflective Portfolio In Presentation 2 we explored how reflective writing can provide us with new ways of understanding learning in the workplace. This presentation will explore how to use your reflections to compile a portfolio. This can be used to develop a portfolio of your work based learning and/or make an AP(E)L claim.

What is a Reflective Portfolio? A portfolio is a collection of work and information that has been compiled by the learner. What is included will vary due to its function and role. Some learners may be considering certification through accreditation of prior experiential or certificated learning (APE/CL), but whatever its function the portfolio will require close alignment to the learning outcomes of a specific module, and the tutor and learner will need to decide the focus and selection of work together.

What is a Reflective Portfolio? The portfolio will tell a story about a learner’s journey. It will document the processes of learning, development and any challenges encountered along the way. The learner will reflect upon their learning, identifying how their knowledge in a particular field has developed and clearly identify present and future challenges. The tutor’s role is to help learners bring the four steps of collection (of materials), selection (of evidence), reflection (on inclusion of events and materials) and connection (final part of the reflection process, which draws everything together in a meaningful way) together as these are rarely straightforward. The tutor is also required to check that the portfolio is an authentic and true account of the learner’s journey.

Why Develop a Reflective Portfolio? Provides an evidence base to your critical reflection and learning Promotes lifelong learning and personal growth Contributes to Personal Development Planning (PDP), which focuses on a learner’s employability. This explored in more detail in the Level 5 OER, Reflecting on Professional Practice To support an Accreditation of Prior and Experiential Learning (APEL) claim. This is a process by which formal certificated learning and informal non-certificated learning can be awarded credits. These credits can then be used towards complimentary modules within further and higher education and may save you from having to undertake all or part of a module.

Developing a Portfolio for Certification To develop a successful portfolio for certification, learners need to understand the role and importance of the portfolio in terms of the requirements of the module/course. From the learning outcomes it should be straightforward to choose the characteristic and activities that are most suitable. When the learner is ready to begin the tutor and/or APEL coordinator will start the accreditation process. It is vital that tutors/coordinators are able to spend time with the learner explaining the stages and progress. Note: Take a look at the following three case studies that provide an outline of the sorts of portfolios that can be constructed for certification.

Reflective Portfolio: Case Studies Case Study 1 A student developed a skills based portfolio to consider her learning on her degree pathway. She considered in depth the following skills: Leadership Teaching in Practice Promoting Health Service Improvements around particular projects She was able to show a deep understanding of her learning by the use of appropriate academic theory, reflection and supporting evidence that included course materials, assignments and practice based reports.

Case Study 2 A student had experience in their previous work in the Navy. They will be able to provide certificates to demonstrate the in-house courses they achieved and reflected upon how these had not only been of use in the Navy but the skills were transferrable into the work they were now undertaking. They were used the portfolio to evidence their personal and professional development. Reflective Portfolio: Case Studies

Reflective Portfolio Case Studies Case Study 3 A student volunteering with a local community group had attended various events with the group and had become increasingly aware of the impact of the reduction of funding on both this and similar groups in the local area. The student reflected upon the impact of the political change that had brought this change to the way funding was both prioritised and allocated and used a portfolio to capture their work with the community group and their broadening political and economic knowledge.

Reflection in the Portfolio The characteristic of your portfolio will be determined by way you present your reflections Adapted from Mansvelder-Longayroux et al (2007) there are three reflective approaches that can help characterise your portfolio: Deliberative approach – reflection is involved in weighing up different perspectives and theories in order to view practice from different angles *Example: Case Study 1 Narrative approach – reflection is focussed on developing personal practice based knowledge and developing. awareness of one’s identity, beliefs and development *Example: Case Study 2. Critical approach – reflection is focussed on critically examining the social, cultural, economic and political implications of the work based learning experience. *Example: Case Study 3. Note: Once you have determined the most appropriate reflective approach it is time to start selecting the relevant evidence.

What could be provided as evidence in a Portfolio? What could be included as evidence is vast and needs careful discussion with your tutor. What follows is an outline of the variety of resources that you could choose to draw upon: Written - reports (surveys, investigations, etc), letters, journal (entries), assignments Visual – pictures, posters, presentations, photographs, graphs Audio – commentaries, discussion, interviews

How is a Portfolio constructed? Front title sheet Contents/index Learning contract (if appropriate) Note: a learning contract provides a way of structuring your learning. It exists between the workplace, academic institution and yourself; and documents expectations, desired learning outcomes, assessment and time frames. Learning contracts are covered in more detail in the OER, Reflecting on Professional Practice Introduction – outlining the characteristic of your portfolio Reflective section with evidence, theory and academic references Concluding section – presenting an overarching summary of the portfolio, linking your portfolio with your personal and professional learning and identifying any developments and new knowledge that has arisen as a result of the reflective portfolio process Reference list Appendices and evidence

Building Your Portfolio Review and describe the activities you have undertaken throughout this OER, what do they tell you about: Your professional role? Your organisation? Your strengths and weaknesses? Identifying any further development? Personal aspiration? How the current political and social context has an impact upon the workplace and your learning. How does this review inform the overall characteristic of your portfolio (deliberative; narrative; or critical)?

Portfolio & Personal Development Planning Your portfolio can contribute to Personal Development Planning (PDP). Personal Development Planning (PDP) is defined as 'a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development'. (Higher Education Academy, 2011). PDP is increasingly used in higher education to support learners with their on-going educational and professional development. This process is considered further in the OER, Reflecting on Professional Practice.

Summary This presentation has considered what a reflective portfolio is, how it can be used in certificated learning and Personal Development Planning (PDP). It has started the necessary process to enable you to start developing and building your own portfolio with the guidance of a tutor/APEL coordinator.

References Higher Education Academy (2011) Personal Development Planning Available at: Downloaded on: 12 August 2011 Mansvelder-Longayroux, D.D., Beijaard, D. & Verloop, N. (2007) The Portfolio as a tool for Stimulating reflection by Student Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education, Vol 23, p.47-62

This resource was created by the University of Plymouth, Learning from WOeRK project. This project is funded by HEFCE as part of the HEA/JISC OER release programme.Learning from WOeRK This resource is licensed under the terms of the Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales license ( The resource, where specified below, contains other 3 rd party materials under their own licenses. The licenses and attributions are outlined below: The name of the University of Plymouth and its logos are unregistered trade marks of the University. The University reserves all rights to these items beyond their inclusion in these CC resources. The Higher Education Academy and JISC logos are licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution -non-commercial- No Derivative Works 2.0 UK England & Wales license. All reproductions must comply with the terms of that license. Author Melanie Parker, Annie Watts and Jane Campbell-Baigrie Title Developing a reflective portfolio Date Created 25/08/11 Educational Level 4 Keywords UKOER, LFWOER, Learning from WOeRK, UOPCPDWBL, CPD, WBL, Work-Based- Learning, Continuing Professional Development, Portfolio, Reflection Back page originally developed by the OER phase 1 C-Change project ©University of Plymouth, 2011, some rights reserved