STUDENT PORTFOLIOS

© Dr. Douglas Gosse

Methods, Faculty of Education

Nipissing University

2

HOOK

• CD of portfolios from former Eddies

3

Definitions of Portfolio

• a portfolio is initially a collection of student work, which over time is reduced to a selection of work, which displays student growth. The student is then able to reflect on that growth and determine where improvements could occur. The student establishes goals for him/herself to explain how to make those improvements come about, a plan of action.

4

• “Portfolios are collections of student work that exemplify, through the inclusion of work samples, products, artifacts and reflections, what student shave accomplished and what they have learned during a specific time.” (Schwartz & Pollishuke, 2005c, p. 181)

5

• “Portfolios are a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits students’ efforts, progress, achievements and reflections. It is a comprehensive record of growth and development. It is a process where the student is involved in at all stages.” (Rolheiser & Ross, 2000)

6

General Observations about Portfolios

• Portfolios provide new perspectives on learning, which are difficult to observe through traditional assessment tools.

• Portfolios work for students of all ability levels in virtually all subject areas.

• Portfolios are not intended to be a replacement of other assessment systems.

• Portfolios encourage self-direct learning and self assessment.

• Portfolios foster learning about learning.• Portfolios demonstrate progress towards goals

7

Two Types of Portfolios

• Growth Portfolios demonstrate how students have grown in their learning process and should contain meaningful artifacts and reflections about what they have done and learned.

• Showcase/Best Work Portfolios contain reflections and demonstrations of only the students’ best work.

• Combination of Growth and Showcase/Best Work contains some of each of the types.

8

Teacher Steps in Creating Portfolios

• Decide on the type, growth, showcase or combination that your students will create.

• Decide on which subject(s) the portfolio will depict. • Determine the timeline for the portfolio.• Establish storage for the portfolio.• Create an organizational model for the portfolio. Types of

organizations could include: chronological, themes, topics, or categories, or according to specific criteria. Students could be involved in deciding the above. A table of contents should always be one of the pieces of the organizational model.

• Determine the elements of the portfolio. • Determine who will choose the materials to be placed in the

portfolio.

9

Tips on Student Portfoliosby Bob Kizlik (2009)

• “Electronic portfolios have largely replaced the more traditional bound paper type as the ability to present not just information, but sound, motion, and color has become the standard. Whether in the many varieties of digital format, such as DVDs, CDs, the Internet, personal websites, flash drives, or printed on paper, portfolios are used in almost every aspect of communicating personal information.”

10

• “Portfolios in classrooms today are derived from the visual and performing arts tradition in which they serve to showcase artists' accomplishments and personally favored works.”

11

• “A portfolio may be a folder containing a student's best pieces and the student's evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the pieces. It may also contain one or more works-in-progress that illustrate the creation of a product, such as an essay, evolving through various stages of conception, drafting, and revision.”

12

Why use student portfolios?

• Metacognition:– To emphasize student’s role in constructing knowledge– To record and be aware of activities undertaken over time in the

development of written products – To support cooperative teaming by offering an opportunity for

students to share and comment on each other's work – To assess student growth and learning by the student, peers,

teacher, and family

– To get students to take a second look and think about how they could improve future work

– To provide structure for involving students in developing and understanding criteria for good efforts

13

How do I start”

• “In building a portfolio of selected pieces and explaining the basis for their choices, students generate criteria for good work, with teacher and peer input.”

• “Students need specifics with clear guidelines and examples to get started on their work, so these discussions need to be well guided and structured.”

14

Examples

Don Smith, Marian Graham Collegiate Institute, Saskatoon, Grade 9 Math:

http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/RR/database/RR.09.96/smith1.html

15

Mrs. Gokturk's English Classhttp://www.freewebs.com/bwedeking/

• Brian’ - Major Works from Advanced Composition!!! Pre-Course Reflection– Significant Moment Essay: Simply Living Life– Biography Essay: When It Matters– Letter to Major Richard Winters– Book Review: Beyond Band Of Brothers– Multi-Genre Essay: Love And Indifference– Process Analysis Essay: Preparing A Light Show– Argument Essay:– Post-Course Reflection – Bonus Story From Trends In Literature: Everthing Is Alright

16

Science Portfolios

• An Introduction to Science Portfolios by Joseph Mahood: – http://www.accessexcellence.org/LC/TL/maho

od_port.php

17

Assessment & Evaluation

• Rubrics• Rating scales• Checklists (can be self and teacher assessed and evaluated)• Conferencing• Exhibitions• Personally, as a social studies, French & English teacher, I grade

assignments as they come in (self, peer and teacher evaluations using all 4 recording devices and many strategies) and students store them in their portfolio/binder:– E.g. English Grade 9, sections for (1) rough copies, (2) final

copies, (3) reflexive journal (4) tests, (5) essays (6) poetry (7) class notes & questions

– These are very useful for parent/guardian-teacher-student conferencing, after report cards, and for students at risk

18

References

• Kizlik, B. (2009). Student Portfolio Information. Retrieved January 11, 2009, from http://www.adprima.com/student_portfolios.htm

• Rolheiser, C., & Ross, J. (2000). Student Self-Evaluation-What Do We Know? Orbit, 30(4), 33-36.

• Schwartz, S., & Pollishuke, M. (2005). Creating the Dynamic Classroom, A Handbook for Teachers. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada Inc.

• Staff. (1993). Student Portfolios: Classroom Uses, Office of Education Research Consumer Guide: Office of Research, Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) of the U.S. Department of Education.

19

COVER LETTERS

• According to ETFO, a cover letter should do the following:– Have an engaging, brief introduction where you stipulate the

position applied for– Pinpoint some credentials– Elaborate on areas that pertain to the position– Be honest and positive– Include full contact info i.e. full name, address, fax, phone and

email– Conclude with a request for an interview or next steps– Be printed on good quality paper

20

DiversityCanada.com

• Go to the following website and download their Employers Want You handbook:– Staff. (2006). Resumes and Cover Letters.

Retrieved January 11, 2009, from http://diversitycanada.com/index2.html

21

Tidbits on punctuation and grammar in cover letters

• Consult the sample cover letter, bottom right hand corner, p. 15. What is missing from the sender’s address?

• What punctuation follows “Dear Mr. Flex”?• Should she begin with, “My name is Jane Doe…”?• Is her introduction effective otherwise?

• In the body, does she effectively elaborate on areas that pertain to the position?

• How does Jane Does conclude her letter?• Keep everything to the left margin.

22

Equity Policies

• Google the following (5-10 min.):

– “Equity Foundation Statement and Commitments to Equity Policy Implementation”

– Scan the information as you scroll down the page

– Download and save the Equity document to your Methods-Portfolio folder for later reading

• Which groups does the Toronto District School Board attest are “…treated inequitably because of individual and systemic biases…”?

• What does the TDSB say about their “…hiring and promotion practices…”?

• Would you feel comfortable self-identifying as an under-represented person with an application to the TDSB?

23

To Self-identify or Not to Self-identify: That is the Question?

• Check p. 13 of DiversityCanada’s handbook, “Should you self-identify?”

• There is debate over this so go with your gut feeling• However, as educators, we will represent a diverse

student population• If your identity is core to your value system and you wish

to be open, consider disclosing• Some school boards and principals will value this• Check out your school board’s policy and decide if you

wish to self-identify.

24

Sample Cover Letter

• Go to Resources-Portfolio:

– http://www.nipissingu.ca/faculty/douglasg/EDUC4315/resources.htm

– Let’s similarly analyze this letter, germane to education

• Next, go to Methods A-Z and find ‘RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS’

– Follow the steps to create your own resume

25

References• A Teacher’s Professional Portfolio: A Working Guide – ETFO from

http://www.etfo.ca/Resources/ForTeachers/Documents/Professionalism.pdf• Gosse, D. (2007, August 2008). Methods A-Z. Retrieved January 11, 2009,

from http://www.nipissingu.ca/faculty/douglasg/EDUC4315/methods_a-z.htm

• Staff. (2006). Resumes and Cover Letters. Retrieved January 11, 2009, from http://diversitycanada.com/index2.html

• Staff. (2000). Equity Foundation Statement and Commitments to Equity Policy Implementation. Retrieved January 11, 2009, from http://www.tdsb.on.ca/wwwdocuments/programs/Equity_in_Education/docs/Equity_Foundation_Statement.pdf