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What’s a portfolio?
Simply put, a portfolio is a group of products that prove a point.
The portfolio is usually presented to a decision maker, and the “point”
being proven is generally about a talent or skill.
For example:
- An artist submits sample drawings, paintings or sculptures to prove
ability in a given artistic field. The decision maker may be an individual
who desires a self-portrait, or a corporate facility manager who needs
to decorate a lobby.
- An architect submits drawings and plans to prove ability to create
effective environments and suitable buildings. The decision maker
may be a committee deciding on a new monument, or an individual client
who wants to build a house.
- An interior designer submits pictures of finished spaces to prove
the ability to create a desirable interior or exterior space and to
meet code requirements. Again, the decision makers may be corporate
or individual.
A teacher’s portfolio would contain evidence
of teaching skills and be presented to a certifying body, school
district or principal. As you progress through the alternative certification
process for teaching, you may find several certifying bodies that require
a portfolio as evidence that you can be, or have been, successful in
the classroom.
For the military person pursuing teaching as a second career, the portfolio
is a place where you can demonstrate that your military experience in
leadership and training can translate into classroom skills. It is also
a place where you can showcase any personal professional development
you undertake in preparation for the transition to teaching.
Why develop a portfolio?
A well-developed portfolio can serve you in several ways. First, it
can function as an attention gainer and show a recruiter your seriousness
of purpose, preparation efforts and knowledge of teaching. Second, your
portfolio may contain materials that can be used to fulfill requirements
for alternative certification programs.
Your Teaching Skills Assessment Program
(TSAP) results, including the Action Plan and the associated products
should be included in your portfolio to accomplish either of these objectives.
How to Develop Portfolio Products
Since all portfolios present evidence to convince a decision maker
of your ability in a given area, the first thing you need to do is understand
what the decision maker is looking for. Then you need to create the
products that will meet that expectation.
1. The
teacher’s portfolio would contain evidence of teaching skills
and be presented to a certifying body, school district or Principal.
Since you want to present evidence of your ability to be successful
in the classroom, the first thing you need to do is identify the competencies
that specifically indicate this ability.
- Most certifying bodies, including national organizations, state
boards of education and local school districts, will have a defined
set of teacher competencies that are used for both hiring and
evaluation purposes. You may directly access those specific Web sites
to find such lists. For example, the State of Florida has defined
a set of competencies known as the Educator Accomplished Practices.
They have further defined those practices at three levels: Pre-professional,
Professional and Accomplished. You can learn more about them at www.firn.edu/doe/dpe/publications/
- The Teaching Skills Assessment Program
(TSAP), which is available through this Web site, provides an
overview of common educator competencies and is based on the Florida
Educator Accomplished Practices. Because the TSAP provides comprehensive
coverage of teaching competencies, it is a good general framework
for you to use in developing a portfolio.
2. Once you know what competencies need to be proven, the next thing
you need to do is identify and create the
kinds of products (also called “artifacts”) that indicate
you have the desired competencies.
- Again, you will want to check the various Web sites to see if the
certifying organization has provided a list of products and/or experiences
they will accept as evidence of competence.
- You will also want to complete professional
development or training programs related to the various teacher
competencies. These programs should require you to complete tasks
that result in products that are a) evidence of one or more competencies;
and b) appropriate for use in a portfolio. Two such online programs
include the TSAP and YesTeach!
- It is also important that you consider your past
experience and how you can present that experience as evidence
of teaching competencies (see “Leaving
the Military-Skills Transfer" for more information). For
example:
One required competency is the ability to create an effective learning
environment. In the military, many of your assignments may have required
you to create a learning environment. Such experiences have taught
you skills that are transferable into the teaching environment. Or,
if you have successfully taught Sunday school, you too have created
an effective learning environment. In either example, if you conducted
a survey of learning, or enthusiasm and scored well – you’d
have evidence of being successful.
Another required competency is the ability to assess learning. If
you have been a manager and conducted criteria-based performance appraisals,
you have demonstrated this ability. Also, if you have been a military
officer who has lead, trained or evaluated others, you too have acquired
knowledge of the principles associated with assessment. You may be
able to present written evaluations as evidence of being able to assess
learning.
Remember, however, that each certifying organization will have its
own guidelines about what comprises a successful portfolio and what
evidence they will accept as proof of competence.
How to Organize Portfolio Products
Your portfolio should be:
- Based upon a generally recognized set of teacher competencies or
practices;
- Neat and logically organized; and
- Organized so that it is easy to find specific competencies and
associated evidence.
Specifically, you will want to:
- Include a cover page that provides clear identification and contact
information;
- Consider including a cover letter that indicates your interest
in teaching and why you believe you can be successful in the classroom
(if appropriate to the alternative certification process);
- Provide a Table of Contents that indicates which competencies you
are addressing and how;
- Use tabs to separate competencies and colored pages to separate
products within a competency;
- Provide sub-contents as needed whenever you provide more than one
product per competence;
- Follow the guidelines provided by an organization if you are preparing
materials specifically for its certification process.
Now What?
Remember that there are many alternative certification programs, each
with its own unique requirements.
Some of the common characteristics may include:
- Bachelor degree, or higher with a minimal grade point average;
- Acceptable scores on state teaching proficiency tests*;
- Acceptable scores on state subject matter tests*;
- Issuance of a Temporary Certificate and hired into a Teaching Position;
- Completion of a specific development plan; and
- A portfolio of products, which demonstrate teaching competence.
*It is important that you recognize the term “Praxis.”
Praxis is the required series of tests used by many, if not most, states
to verify general and subject matter knowledge.
Please remember that in some school districts, the portfolio items
result from the professional development plan and are created over the
period of temporary certification. However, you may be able to submit
your pre-developed portfolio products in lieu of one or more of those
requirements.
- Building your portfolio allows you to: a) check your own readiness
for a classroom teaching assignment and b) submit evidence to the
appropriate certifying organization upon request.
- You might also use the portfolio as an introduction to the hiring
personnel at a specific school district.
- Many educational institutions offer the Alternative Certification
for Teacher program. Your portfolio may help you meet certain of their
requirements.
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