Professional Competency #11
Background Orientation:
As the challenges of teaching have become more complex and as society’s expectations for schools have increased in recent years, it has become clearer that, when it comes to teaching, simple guidelines or formulas broadly and uniformly applied in all cases are not sufficient for responding effectively to the needs of a diverse class of children. (Such an approach to teaching has often been referred to as a “technical” approach, i.e., rigidly following the steps of a “technique”.) Rather, it has been recognized that effective teachers address these complex challenges by considering each case in light of all their professional knowledge and by reflecting as systematically and insightfully as possible in order to make their best professional judgment in as responsible and ethical a manner as possible. The term that has been most widely adopted to refer to this approach to teaching is “reflective practice”.
This term comes from the work of Donald Schon who has studied how—and to what a large extent—professionals in various fields construct their own knowledge in the “laboratory” of their workplace by reflecting on how well they are, or are not, achieving their goals, and continually hypothesizing better and better answers for themselves over time. He uses the example of someone trying to learn to throw a ball accurately to a target. Each try provides the learner with input about variables that affect the outcome, such as force, loft, and so on, allowing the learner to continually improve his or her “practice” of ball throwing, as the learner refines his or her understanding and ability. This example highlights how natural is this process for us as learners. We probably engage in it most of the time in our daily lives without even thinking much about it. It is a process of being our own teacher to a large extent and constructing much of our own knowledge in the process.
Many teacher education programs have tried to help prospective teachers adopt this general reflective learning stance in their preparation to teach through particular practices and structures. One key task that has emerged in many teacher education programs—and has also become increasingly expected as part of the process of interviewing for a teaching position—is the professional teaching portfolio. Several course readings explain the rationale and detailed suggestions for creating a teaching portfolio. My only brief orientation comment here is about the dual purpose of a portfolio. On the one hand, it is designed to create for others a portrait of yourself as a teacher— your beliefs and principles, your approaches and practices for teaching and management, evidence of your past accomplishments, plans for your future development, strengths and special interests, and so on—thus, allowing them to make evaluative decisions about hiring, tenure, etc. On the other hand, however, the process of creating this self-portrait also helps develop within us a reflective or “self-witnessing” ability, as we actually do some discovering and shaping of our professional identity through this task. Thus, it is a creative task and process.
Finally, this particular task simply reflects a larger trend in teacher education to enhance the professionalism of teachers as self-determining decision makers.
Readings:
EDEE 355, numbers 1-6.
Task:
In principle, your task is to create your own teaching portfolio over the term by gathering, creating, documenting, etc., the components that you would like to include in it. It is unlikely that your portfolio will be “finished” in any refined or polished way by the end of the term (you can do that over the holidays!), but by then you should have gathered and created a good deal of what you would like to have in it AND organized it all within an emerging structural framework (including layout and design). Most STs use a binder format, but digital versions are also possible.
Even though the goal is for your portfolio to be mostly completed by the end of term, it is necessary that you begin developing it quite early in the term and continue its development over the entire term. Not only will you have more time then, but that initial planning and organizing will help you determine what elements you will want to gather and create over the term to complete it. Thus, the first required step in creating your portfolio is a working outline or table of contents for it. This outline will obviously change during the semester as you get new ideas, change your mind, etc. However, it will provide a helpful starting point for developing your portfolio.
There is no set formula for a teaching portfolio, no magic list of required pieces, etc. In fact, there are many ways for a portfolio to be good and, ideally, the final version is a unique and creative expression, in both content and style, of who you are individually as a teacher. However, having said that, there are some basics about the nature and make-up of teaching portfolios.
Orientation
Most importantly, portfolios are oriented toward demonstrating your ability in regard to a range of key professional competencies as a teacher. Thus, the structure and organization of your portfolio as well as the material chosen to include in your portfolio need to fulfill that purpose. This orientation makes portfolios different from scrapbooks or albums.
Structure and Organization
Most portfolios begin with a small overview section that gives a nutshell view of the teacher. Typical contents include C.V., autobiographical statement, teaching philosophy, inspirational quotes, goals for self and learners, etc. Many portfolios wrap up with a section on one’s professional development— principles and values to live by as a professional learner, a current self-assessment of oneself as a teacher, an action plan for future growth and development, etc. In addition, because evaluations of one’s teaching and related ability by others is so important, they are usually placed in a separate section (student teaching evaluations, letters of reference, etc.). However, the bulk and body of the portfolio is devoted to demonstrating in some detail your ability in regard to a number of key professional competencies as a teacher.
While there are a number of different frameworks of competencies for teaching, we will use the framework provided by the Quebec Ministry of Education for evaluating your student teaching. Several competencies will be required content for your portfolio:
- Planning and Teaching, Competencies 3 and 4
- Assessment and Evaluation, Competency 5
- Classroom Management, Competency 6
- Professional Development and Identity, Competencies 11 and 12
Several other competencies are optional, but you are strongly encouraged to include at least two of them depending on your time and interest, but also on what your teaching context offers.
- Adapting for Special Needs Learners, Competency 7
- Integrating ICT, Competency 8
- Working effectively with parents, community partners, and students, Competency 9
- Working effectively with the teaching team, Competency 10
All these aspects, of course, reflect the kind of knowledge and ability upon which you will be interviewed for a teaching position and upon which you will be evaluated in your early years of teaching.
Content
In regard to content of these sections, teaching portfolios usually contain two kinds of information.
- One is a written statement that explains your understandings, approach, principles, beliefs, guidelines, etc. in regard to a particular competency. This statement is meant to be comprehensive, but is best written in a concise and easily accessible format for the reader. N.B. It may take some time and a number of revisions to arrive at such a concise and accessible format. Such writing is not easy or quick. (Mark Twain once apologized at the end of a long letter by saying, “I would have written you a shorter letter, but I didn’t have the time.”)
- The other kind of content is often called “artifacts”. These are concrete and specific examples from your teaching practice that will illustrate and bring to life the general points you make in your written statement. While most students lean toward lesson plans, learning materials, examples of student work, photos of the classroom, etc. the range and possibilities for artifacts is quite extensive. Several of the readings on portfolios in the course pack explore this wide range of artifact possibilities.
Finally, infusing your portfolio with colour, flair, creativity, and especially images is strongly recommended, particularly if you intend to apply for an elementary teaching position.
Means:
- Review the readings referred to above, for both rationale and specific suggestions.
- Discuss ideas, plans, formats, etc. with other STs.
- The instructor will be available for consultation, reaction, etc. at any time over the term.
- In-school seminar time will be devoted to discussing this central task, including review of several completed teaching portfolios. In the meantime, several examples of recent student portfolios are available in the Sample Teaching Portfolios section of this web site.
Date Due:
Various stages of the portfolio are due during the term. (See following sub-tasks for specifics.) N.B. You may revise any or all of your work at any point after submitting it. That is quite normal, in fact. However, it is important to jump in and do what you can by these due dates, even if you are not yet sure about what to include. These tasks are designed as means to think about and explore these important aspects of teaching in more formal and public ways during the term and to help with the development of your portfolio.
Week 1 (Aug. 28) a. Working outline or table of contents
Week 3 (Sept. 11) b. Classroom Management: Start of School Year
Week 4 (Sept. 18) c. Assessing Children within the QEP
Week 5 (Sept. 25) e. Planning for Teaching, part 1
Week 6 (Oct. 2) d. Classroom Management and Beyond
Week 7 Open
Week 8 (Oct. 16) e. Planning for Teaching, part 2
Week 9 Open
Week 10 (Oct. 30) f. Developing an Approach to Teaching
Week 11 Open
Week 12 (Nov. 13) g. Developing an Approach to Assessment and Evaluation
Week 13 Open
Week 14 (Nov. 27) l. Professional Identity and Development
Week 15 Evaluation of the term
Week 16 (Dec. 11) h, i, j. k—optional sections
Sub-tasks are submitted to the instructor by posting them in your folder in the Yahoo groups web site. Upload the written statement for the particular competency being targeted, plus a list and brief description of planned artifacts to complement the statement (you do not need to upload any of the artifacts themselves).
As a complement to observation visits to your classroom, the instructor will review the actual portfolio development with you on a regular basis over the term, doing a formative evaluation at approximately mid-term.
N.B. You are also expected to share your developing portfolio with your CTs and adjunct supervisors on a regular basis. It can help provide them with a fuller picture of you as an emerging teacher and they may be able to provide some helpful feedback for the development of your portfolio.
The relatively “completed” portfolio is due at the end of the term for summative evaluation for grades for courses based on the rubric in the term syllabus. This evaluation will be done during an interview with the instructor during the weeks of Dec. 5 and 12 on campus (unless a student has it ready earlier for final evaluation).
As a start, a working outline or table of contents for the portfolio—plus a list of any possible existing materials (e.g., resumes, documents, etc.)—is due by the end of Week 1 (August 28).