In continuing my development as a professional educator, it has become clear to me that this development will be ongoing and ever-changing. As newer opportunities to improve myself arise with each advancement in the education world, I will need to embrace such tools with the clear objective of always improving myself as an educator simply because complacency will only hinder the individual education of my own students.
According to a work on developing portfolios by Ann Adams Bullock and Parmalee P. Hawk titled, Developing a Teaching Portfolio: A guide for Preservice and Practicing Teachers, there are several components that help to make up any given portfolio. The first of these is that they have to have a “purpose”. This basically means that the simple objective of is to show what it is you can bring to the table that help you to stand out as an educator. The second is to develop the portfolio for a “specific audience”; meaning that it is something to be developed with a degree of subjectivity to the design depending on whom it is that will be viewing it.
The third piece is the fact that all portfolios must contain “evidence”. The purpose of this is obviously to show the recipient your experience. No employer would be eager to higher anyone without a certain amount of work experience. Lastly, all portfolios should have “reflections”. In other words, this is an opportunity to show one of the most important tools in education: the ability to look back at what has worked and what has not and to figure a way to always improve in those lacking areas (Bullock and Hawk, 2005).
With these four components the book also describes the tree different types of Portfolios. The first type is called a “Process Portfolio”. The main objective with this type is to “incorporate cooperative learning into [a] classroom over a school year” (Bullock and Hawk, 2005). It is intended to be for use by both the individual submitting it, as well as by the principal of the school. With this type, you are basically to prove that you have incorporated each of the learning standards into your classroom and your style.
The second of the three is the “Product Portfolio”. It is intended to use “specific, required evidence so developers can be compared consistently against the set criteria by assessors” (Bullock and Hawk, 2005). Finally, the last of the portfolio types is the “Showcase Portfolio.” Their purpose is for a teacher to “showcase his or her best work in one or more areas” (Bullock and Hawk, 2005).
With the first type, you would likely see pieces of evidence such as lesson plans, teacher and student reflections on particular lessons, lesson products, journal entries, observations, etc. The Product Portfolio, however, would include some slightly different pieces of evidence. For example, you might see some pieces that have less to do with the actual classroom and lesson plans and more to do with the bigger picture.
These items might include a list of rules and procedures, motivation incentives, disciplinary procedures, etc. Lastly, the Showcase Portfolio would likely include anything and everything that would make you as a candidate stand out above all others. However, you would only include those things that could help and avoid any items that may have any negative connotations whatsoever (Bullock and Hawk, 2005).
Whether or not my portfolio had anything to do with my hire three years ago is, in my eyes, is irrelevant. It very well could have given me the edge to be chosen, but it is for the unseen reasons that I attribute my selection. This is true simply because having a portfolio with me gave me the confidence that I needed to have a successful and impressive interview.
First of all, I felt I was as prepared for the interview as I could possibly be. Secondly, I was actually proud of what was contained in the portfolio because of all of the actual work that went into it. Finally, I felt it made me appear more prepared and professional, thus, allowing me to relax a great deal more and be able to field questions at a much more confident manner.
Looking at where I am at today, I see even more opportunities to “showcase” what I have accomplished than I had three years ago. For starters, I am a much better teacher today given that I have the experience. That knowledge has given me the ability to know what will and will not work in a lesson given the age group I am working with. In other words, my repeated practice with this age group has increased my familiarity with what it is they will grab onto and what it is they will disregard. With that said, I feel my reflections, student reflections, actual lesson plans and lesson plan products will be at a much improved level.
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