Developing a Teaching Portfolio: A Guide for Preservice and Practicing Teachers - Softcover

With a focus on using portfolios to show one’s work throughout a professional teaching career, this compact, easy-to-read volume provides prospective and current teachers both the foundation and the specifics to be successful in their portfolio building endeavors. A two-part organization serves a two-fold purpose: first, setting the stage for portfolio building for students and novice teachers who have yet to engage in this activity; and, second, presenting a menu of topics from which more experienced educators can choose to inform their creation of targeted, results-oriented portfolios for a variety of situations.

New to this edition:

• Integrated technology portfolio assignments
• More portfolio examples, included at the end of the book
• Digital portfolio examples
• Case studies following several teachers throughout their careers
• Additional examples of reflections, analyses, rubrics, and statewide assessment systems

These new features illustrate chapter concepts, and provide readers with quality examples and tools for reference. 

Preface

During the past two decades numerous national reports have provoked a wave of reform initiatives that have engulfed the education community. In turn, these initiatives spawn accountability efforts that have focused increased assessment actions upon students and teachers alike. One form of assessment that is enjoying increased popularity, particularly for assessing teacher competence, is the portfolio. Developing a Teaching Portfolio: A Guide for Preservice and Practicing Teachers speaks to this form of assessment and concentrates on how teachers can use the portfolio process to demonstrate their competence as professionals.

Developing a Teaching Portfolio can be used in teacher preparation programs, as staff development for practicing teachers to teach the portfolio development process, or for individuals interested in the portfolio process. The book focuses on using portfolios throughout one's professional career. Chapters 1 through 3 are required reading no matter what a teacher's career stage. Chapter 1 provides a brief overview of the accountability and the teacher assessment movements. Chapter 2 defines what a portfolio is and what types of portfolios teachers can develop. Because reflections are the very heart of the portfolio process, Chapter 3 is devoted to the "what, why, when, and how" of writing a reflection. This opening section also addresses legal issues involved with portfolios and with their assessment and scoring.

Chapters 4 through 8 are dedicated to what portfolios should include and how teaches go about developing a portfolio at different stages of their careers. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 center on development of portfolios during the years that teachers are novices. The focus of Chapter 4 is preservice teachers, and Chapter 5 spotlights using the portfolio to obtain employment. Chapter 6 concentrates on preparing a portfolio for continuing licensure. Chapters 7 and 8 are for use by experienced teachers. Chapter 7 suggests using the portfolio as an alternative evaluation process, and Chapter 8 hones in on the master teacher who goes forward for national board certification.

Chapter 9 provides instruction on the use of electronic portfolios at any stage of one's career. This chapter critiques the pros and cons of developing an electronic portfolio and makes suggestions concerning the hardware and software one would use. Our colleagues Drs. David Powers, Scott Thomson, and Kermit Buckner contributed their expertise to this chapter.