L/O/G/O

TEACHINGPORTFOLIO

By

SUTHAGAR NARASUMAN

What this talk is all about

• What is a teaching portfolio?• What does portfolio stand for?• What are the purposes of a teaching

portfolio?• Why is a teaching portfolio important?• What is the suggested teaching portfolio

structure?• Reflection

Two Approaches to Portfolio Creation

Portfolios for Self-Evaluation & Development:

• The Learning Portfolio (students)• The Course Portfolio (instructors)• The Teaching Portfolio (instructors)• The Academic Portfolio (faculty)

The Professional Portfolio (The “job market”)

Definition

“What is a teaching portfolio? It is a factual description of a professor’s teaching strengths and accomplishments. It includes documents and materials which collectively suggest the scope and quality of a professor’s teaching performance”

(Seldin P., 1997. The Teaching Portfolio, Anker Publishing)

• It may also be defined as a goal-driven collection of materials that document one’s teaching performance over time (Ohio State University; Available at http://www.osu.edu)

WHAT IS A TEACHING PORTFOLIO?

• Is it a showcase of your strengths and accomplishment?

• Is it a platform for you to reflect your teaching?

• Is it a proof that you understand what teaching effectiveness means?

• Is it a compilation of evidence stating that you are an effective teacher?

• Is it a collection of your best work?

• An extended teaching resume• Materials collected over an extended

period of time, showing the progression and full range of your abilities as a lecturer.

• A communication of your teaching experiences, goals, performances and effectiveness as a teacher- bound together by a critical reflection: the teaching philosophy.

• The container approach: throw everything imaginable about teaching into a box!

• A well crafted portfolio is a scholarly argument about the quality of teaching– Careful and honest collection of evidence– Use of that evidence to draw conclusions

about the nature of teaching

• Being a factual description of a professor's teaching accomplishments a teaching portfolio must be supported by relevant data and analyzed by the professor to show the thinking process behind the artifacts.

• Most portfolios are NOT collections of everything that the professor has done in the way of teaching over his or her entire career. Rather they are selected samples that illustrate how that individual's teaching is carried out in the various venues in which teaching occurs.

(http://www.utexas.edu/academic/cte/)

• Lecturers/researchers often talk about their research

• What about your teaching?• Why don’t we talk about that?• How do we communicate and

share our teaching experiences?

Basically, a teaching portfolio is a record of:

• the ideas and objectives that inform your teaching

• the courses you teach or are prepared to teach

• the methods you use• your effectiveness as an academic• how you assess and improve your teaching• your major contributions as an academic• your future career path as an academic

PORTFOLIO STANDS FOR:

• P= Profession• O=Obligatory• R=Reflection• T=Thoughts• F=Facts• O=Organization• L=Limelight• I=Identity• O=Odyssey

• FormatFile – a collection of reflections and

documentsElectronic Portfolio

• http://oklportfolio.wordpress.com/• http://jeremycrouthamel.wordpress.com/• http://

www.education.mcgill.ca/edu-e3ftoption/azortfolio.htm

• http://eduportfolio.org/3160

Electronic Portfolio

What are the purposes of TPF?

• As a developmental process for reflecting on and improving one’s teaching; and

• As an evaluative product for personnel decisions such as tenure, promotion, or teaching awards.

• Provides documented evidence of teaching that is connected to the specifics and contexts of what is being taught

• It goes beyond exclusive reliance on student ratings because they include a range of evidence from a variety of sources such as syllabi, samples of student work, self-reflections, reports on classroom research, and faculty development efforts.

Why is a teaching portfolio important?

• develop, clarify, and reflect on your teaching philosophy, methods, and approaches

• present teaching credentials for hiring and promotion in an academic position

• document professional development in teaching

• identify areas for improvement• promote collaborative work

• In the process of selecting and organizing their portfolio material, faculty think hard about their teaching, a practice which is likely to lead to improvement in practice

• In deciding what should go into a portfolio and how it should be evaluated, institutions necessarily must address the question of what is effective teaching and what standards should drive campus teaching practice.

• Portfolios are a step toward a more public, professional view of teaching.

• They reflect teaching as a scholarly activity.

Teaching portfolio comprises of:

• A statement that outlines your teaching philosophy, practice and performance

• A dossier of relevant material to support your claim in the summary statement.

Suggested Teaching Portfolio Structure

• A : Lecturer’s Profile

• B : Teaching Activities

• C : Evaluation and Recognition

A. Profile

AA : Curriculum Vitae

AB : Teaching Philosophy Statement

AC : Scope / Academic Responsibilities

AD : Advancement of Academic Expertise

AE : Academic Expertise Contribution

AA: Curriculum Vitae (CV)

• Basic Contact Information– Current mailing/email address and telephone number

• Education– College and university only– Thesis topic and thesis advisor

• Research Interests– Key areas of past or current investigation

• Publications– Journal articles– Book chapters– Conference proceedings manuscripts

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

• Presentations– Conferences– University

• Teaching Experience– Courses taught or assisted in– Special courses taken

• Service Activities– Student organizations and leadership positions– Professional organizations– Community service

http://www.cv-resume.org/

AB: Teaching Philosophy Statement

• It is not a document that is full of technical jargon

• Sometimes it is not even subject specific• Clichés/euphemisms! NO

AB: Teaching Philosophy Statement

• Why do you teach? Why are you drawn to the rewards

and challenges of teaching? What is it that you can accomplish in

teaching that you find particularly valuable and worthwhile?

• What do you teach? What are the specific subjects and

courses you are prepared to teach? What are your objectives for student

learning? Why are these objectives important? What should students gain from taking

your courses?

Teaching Philosophy Statement

• How do you teach? What teaching methods and strategies do you use

to meet your objectives? Do you prefer lecturing, leading discussions, or group work? Do you use a combination of these methods? Why and in what circumstances?

What kind of assignments and assessments do you use? Why?

How do you take into account different learning styles and the challenges of teaching students of varying aptitudes and levels of interest in the topic?

How do you approach teaching non-traditional students? Do you use instructional technology? If so, why and how?

Teaching Philosophy Statement

• How do you measure your effectiveness?How do you know whether you are meeting your

objectives? How can you tell if your students are learning?How do you use student evaluations to develop

new strategies for engaging student participation or to meet other objectives?

Has your teaching been observed by a faculty member or other evaluator? If so, how did you use the feedback provided to improve your teaching skills?

Have you had a class or teaching presentation videotaped? If so, what did you learn from this experience?

AC: Scope / Academic Responsibilities

• Significant achievements and development of teachingInnovation in teaching methodologyTeaching materialsDevelopment of new teaching materialsActions taken from students’ feedbackAdvisory/supervisory work

AD: Advancement of Academic Expertise

• List of seminars/conferences• List of research• List of projects/collaborations

AE: Academic Expertise Contribution

• List of articles/publications• List of textbooks/modules/manuals/

syllabus• List of committees that require your

academic expertise

B: Teaching Activities

BA : ATA (schedules/students’ name lists / syllabus)

BB : Sample of Students’ Academic

Work -Highest, Average, Lowest-

(marking scheme/comments / marks)

BC : Sample of Supervision Work / Duties (marking scheme/ comments/marks)

B: Teaching Activities

BD : Sample of Quizzes, Tests, projects (marking scheme / comments/ marks)

BE : Sample of Past Year Questions, Final Projects (marking

scheme / comments / marks)

C. Evaluation & Recognition

CA: Student Evaluation (SuFO)

CB : Observation Report (if any)

(Punctuality/Language/Presence)

CC: Peer Observation & Evaluation(Congeniality/ Collegiality)

C. Evaluation & Recognition

CD: Appreciation & Recognition (certificates/letters/awards)

CE : Professional Membership & Appointment

(professional bodies/posts held/guest lectures)

Reflection

• Are you now positive towards preparing a TPF?

• Are you excited in re-examining your TPF?• What are your biggest challenges in

preparing your TPF?