ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO GUIDELINES

What is a portfolio? “an organized set of documents that provide evidence of a teacher’s knowledge, dispositions, and skills in the complex art of teaching.” (Bird, 1990) “a purposeful collection of any aspect of a teacher’s work that tells the story of the teacher’s efforts, skills, abilities, achievement, and contributions to his or her students, colleagues, institution, academic discipline or community.” (Brown and Wolfe-Quintero, 1997) “an evolving collection of carefully selected or composed professional thoughts, goals, and experiences that are threaded with reflection and self-assessment. It represents who you are, what you do, why you do it, where you have been, where you are, where you want to go, and how you plan on getting there.” (Evans, 1995)

What are the purposes of a portfolio? Provide authentic evidence of a teacher’s work and/or preparation. Encourages teacher reflection on teaching practices. Fosters self-assessment. Provides a holistic approach to assessment.

Portfolio Development Issues UAH Indicators of Candidate Competencies Relate to other educational standards such as PEPE, ALSDE, NBPTS, INTASC. Link to standard alignment table Link to Dr. Piersma’s portfolio guidelines document. Selection of at least 2 pieces of evidence (artifacts) that address each competency.

Electronic Portfolio Guidelines Use Weebly create your webpage. Set up a Weebly Pro Account. http://www.weebly.com

Electronic Portfolio Requirements Page 1—Introduction Introductions are narratives that are usually found at the beginning of the portfolio. The introduction section should include the following: Introduction to you (Provide a link to a short 2-3 paragraph paper) Resume (Provide a hyperlink to your resume) A picture of yourself. Description of your placements (school & classroom context)—This will be completed during student teaching. Teaching philosophy (provide a link to a document that contains this) Personal Goals for Student Teaching Matrix or cross-reference table of the competencies and standards (provide a link to this document) Links to each of the competency pages—Uses a frame page setup or drop down menus to accomplish this goal.. These pages can be created using Microsoft Word. Save the pages as webpages and insert them into Weebly.

Example Standards and Artifacts Cross-Reference Matrix Performance Standard/Out come Artifacts LIVE LINKS Critical Thinker: EDUCATE ALABAMA Standard: _______ INTASC: _______ Teaching Philosophy* Hands-on Science Lesson Student Reading Logs Content Expert Research Paper Lesson/Unit Plan Teaching Field Exit Exam Pedagogical Expert EDUCATE ALABAMA Standard: ______ Lesson/Unit Plans Graph showing student learning Teacher Work Sample with Student Work Diversity Video Tape of Lesson Journal Entries Student Work Classroom Management Plan

Electronic Portfolio Guidelines Use Microsoft Excel to create your cross reference matrix or use the linked table: Link to Blank Cross Reference Table Provide a link to this document in the Introduction section of your portfolio.

Body of the Portfolio The body of the portfolio will consist of six pages. One page will be devoted to each of the UAH Teacher Candidate Competencies. Each page should include: A graphic of some type. The name of the competency centered as a heading for the page. The competency description. For example, for the “Content Expert” standard include the actual text of the standard: “The candidate knows the subject and structure of the discipline, organizes and creates learning opportunities that link the subject with other disciplines, and engages the learner in construction of meaning within the discipline. Evidence for each competency –multiple pieces from each teaching assignment A detailed discussion of the following: A rationale for selection of this artifact. A detailed description of the artifact and how it was used An analysis and reflection on the artifact.

Artifacts Artifacts may include: Brief clips from video taped lessons in your unit with analysis. Lesson plans/Unit plans that include strategies and differentiation of instruction. If you use a lesson plan, be sure to include additional information such as: student work samples, powerpoint, rubrics, graphic organizers, photos, etc. YOUR EVIDENCE MUST CLEARLY SHOW WHY THIS IS THE BEST EVIDENCE FOR EACH COMPETENCY. Assessments used to measure, monitor, and evaluate student work. INCLUDE THE TEST OR WORKSHEET USED FOR ASSESSING LEARNING Graphic representation showing student learning (graphs, tables, etc.) Products or samples of student work showing student learning Evidence of technology use Journal entries Looking Back, Looking Forward reflection paper. Evaluations from supervisors. THESE PIECES OF EVIDENCE DO NOT STAND ALONE; THEY NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, EVIDENCE, DISCUSSION

Description of Artifacts Artifacts (Selected from your teaching units) Each piece of evidence should have an explanation or introduction that provides information about the artifact presented. The explanations provide better understanding of each document that cannot be captured in the artifact alone. THE DISCUSSION IS KEY TO DOCUMENTING YOUR LEARNING. For each piece of evidence provide the following: Rationale for selection of the document Why? Why is it the best piece of evidence? How does it address this competency ? Be sure to use language of the indicators to show why this evidence was chosen or exactly what it shows in that competency area Description of the event/document Intended to provide the reader with a better understanding of the document that cannot be captured in the artifact alone

Artifacts Analysis of the event/document, such as teacher/student outcomes resulting from the experience (length will vary) What does this show about student learning or your use of teaching or assessment strategies? Reflections on the piece of evidence. The intent of reflection is to develop the ongoing awareness of a teacher’s own thoughts, feelings, teaching decisions, and student reactions. It should lead to insightful change of behavior toward the improvement of instruction and the increased probability of student learning. Analysis of thoughts, feelings, and learning related to your goal that provide reviewers more information to understand the impact of the activity, project, experience or intervention, and how it contributed to your professional growth and student learning.

Reflections—Helpful Phrases I know that my teaching has increased student learning because . . . What I have learned from this experience is . . . After observing my students, I realized . . . What I think I will do differently is . . . When I considered what happened, I . . . As a result of this activity, I now . . . A real eye opener for me is . . . The most significant learning for me was . . . After carefully considering . . ., I think . . . This experience has helped me to understand . . . I have noticed that . . . Since I have . . ., I feel . . . I have gained significant growth in the areas of . . . due to . . . Some of the areas that I need to continue to gain experience are . . . because . . . I have gained considerable insight about . . . In assessing my own performance I . . . I strongly believe . . . When I think about . . ., I realize . . . A new learning for me . . . In order for me to continue to grow . . . I now understand the importance of . . . Some questions that still remain in my mind are . . . My goals for future professional growth are . . .

Sample Completed UAH Portfolios http://www.mystportfolio.weebly.com http://www.samanthahillgartner.weebly.com http://kristenbergeson.weebly.com http://eacoleportfolio.weebly.com

Sample Portfolios—The way the should appear at the end of ED350/520 http://msshirley17.weebly.com/index.html http://jennifergunter.weebly.com/ http://teresahodge.weebly.com/index.html