Term Paper on "Individual Growth in This Particular Portfolio"

Quoted Instructions for "Individual Growth in This Particular Portfolio" Assignment:

Please use info below and previous papers to complete this paper. T Lavinder wrote my first paper.

I need a 1050-1750-word Self-Assessment and Reflection Paper that conforms to APA format, in which I discuss my personal learning style, which assess my strengths and opportunities for growth, and I need to create an improvement strategy based on this assessment. I also need a minimum of two references (both within the paper and on a reference page). The references should be obtained from the a college Library NOT my attached readings.

It was three weeks into June, and there I was: still surrounded by portfolios. I was part of a Waterford (MI) School District team researching connections between our teaching, the Michigan English Language Arts Content Standards, and the district's new standards-based curriculum. I thumbed through the ten quality portfolios I had kept for in-depth analysis, coming back, once again, to Jenna's portfolio presentation. I remembered her saying,

As I grow, I learn that you need reading and writing skills all through life, you need to vine around it. I have learned a lot this past year, and this portfolio will show how I have grown and bloomed. This will show the evidence of how I vined around every chapter, every topic, every stick and branch I can reach to become the best I can.

When Jenna read her portfolio introduction, we all listened and watched. Peers, parents, and 1, as her language arts teacher, were tangled immediately in her metaphor and its vines of meaning. One of the class portfolio requirements was a self-selected metaphor with explanations of how the portfolio choices fit the symbol. Jenna's choice of the vine was an exquisite description of her fifth-grade learning. Her decision to use "vining" as a verb made it even more complete.

Jenna softly pointed to the spring greens her thin line marker had drawn to swirl and surround her introduction's title page with curls and loops. Yellow buds poked out of the swirls at intervals. The connection didn't stop with the introduction. Each portfolio chapter page held the same vine, but always with additions or growth. Strategies and Thinking had a multitude of yellow buds, not just poking out, but tangled in the vines, and "The vine's thicker," Jenna said. The Choices chapter showed blooming yellow flowers with bright red centers. "The buds are in bloom," Jenna explained. By the Turning Points chapter, her vines were displaying brown maturation surrounding the yellow which was now barely visible. In the last chapter on Quality Evidence, the mature green and brown swirls dominated the page in a thick tangle that almost touched the chapter's title. Jenna was talking about good stuff here. Not only was she drawing growth and change on her chapter title pages, she was showing growth and change with the evidence she chose to include within each chapter. I was thrilled to share in this celebration of Jenna's literacy.

I was reminded of Dorothea Lange, a photographer who documented displaced families and migrant workers during the Depression. During World War II, she photographed American Japanese neighborhoods, processing centers, and camp facilities. She said of her photographs, "You know there are moments such as these when time stands still and all you do is hold your breath and hope it will wait for you" (as cited in Rylant, 1994, p. 1). I felt the same way about the power of Jenna and her portfolio.

What made me keep coming back to Jenna's portfolio and presentation? For Jenna it was the culmination of her literate fifth-grade year. She told all of us a lot about what she had learned. Could Jenna also tell me something about myself and my teaching? Could Jenna's portfolio be the case study for assessment of what was going on in my classroom? Could I somehow use Jenna's portfolio to inform my practice, to see if indeed I had a handle on standards-based curriculum?

Throughout the year I had observed Jenna working hard. She always pushed herself to "write one more line" after the bell or to read "one more chapter" over the weekend. No more was that apparent than the June week before portfolio deadlines when she was at my classroom door every recess and lunch hour to use the computer to generate headings and descriptors. "She even called over the weekend to use my computer," her friend Allison reported the Monday of portfolio week.

Jenna is not "gifted." Her standardized test scores for reading are in the seventh stanine (average). She gave her fourth grade teacher "fits" because she "was slow to finish" any assignment, if she finished at all. Jenna's spelling on her daily work was below average. (Even in her journal she made common errors that most fifth graders catch: "frist," "senences," and "exiting" for exciting.) In September, Jenna came into my classroom reading R. L. Stine. Stine is often a choice of fifth-- grade boys and all fourth graders. I do not observe many fifth-- grade girls, even in September, reading much R. L. Stine. But Jenna did show signs of a *****'s gift for observation, even in September. She responded to Up North at the Cabin (Chall, 1992) in a September journal free write:

There is a small wooden bridge that goes over a small stream that leads to the lake, all of the leafs on the trees are all colored with red, orange, and yellow. When I look across the lake it's like a mirror the trees on the other side of the lake are upside down in the water the wind rustles the leafs and I go inside the cabin and the fire is going. I lay with my family and watch the wood burn. It makes us tired and drowsy."

Jenna was an average fifth grader with an outstanding portfolio. Her story could be the story of over two thirds of my students. I put aside the other nine portfolios and concentrated on Jenna's. Her portfolio and the transcribed recording of her portfolio presentation became my primary sources: a collection of artifacts detailing not only what had happened to Jenna's literacy during one school year, but what had happened to my own teaching. As Bissex and Bullock (1987) said,

The process of observing even a single individual sensitizes us that much more to other individuals ... case study research is directed largely toward understanding; such descriptive research requires us to suspend judgement and just look. Researching in this way can be transforming because it changes the way we see others and ourselves. (pp. 14-15)

In a teacher as researcher group I was part of, we had been studying Denny Taylor (1993) and her book, From the Child's Point of View. Taylor's (1993) work taught me to question my own practice as it is reflected in a child's learning. I was drawn to Taylor's view that when teachers question their own practice,

Teachers and children [can] work together, becoming coinformants as the reading writing strategies of the one inform those of the other. This approach enables teachers to rethink the ways in which they can provide realistic instruction in situations that make sense to the children and to themselves. It also enables children to become involved in personal evaluations of the ways in which they are becoming literate. (p. 43)

Hubbard and Power (1993) observe, "The most important tool you have as a researcher is your eye and your view of the classroom life. You need to look hard and deeply at yourself and students at work" (p. 10). That summer, looking first at my own teaching and how it was exemplified by Jenna, and second at the Michigan English Language Arts Content Standards and how they fit into my teaching, Jenna's portfolio became my eye and view back into the classroom.

When I had facilitated the students' portfolio preparation I had used my own teacher portfolio as a model. It had served students as they built their portfolios and helped them reflect upon their own learning. Now I planned to use student portfolios like they had used mine, only this time in reverse, as a model for my teaching and learning, as it was and as it could be. Thus, the double mirror image, reflecting backward, reflecting forward. This study was first initiated by my school district. As I dug deeply into the evidence for my own classroom, I needed to remember the district purpose to find ways to match student learning to a standards based curriculum and to the standards themselves. If I found a match how could I clarify and share my findings with an audience of teachers who wanted to know how the evidence occurred in the classroom, not just that it did? Good teachers can not merely teach, we must be practitioners who understand our craft enough to share it with others. To become a true artist we must draft, compose, revise, reflect, mold, observe, and remodel our classrooms continually Shelley Harwayne (1992) says:

Quality texts are nonnegotiable .... Reflective teachers are also nonnegotiable. They are always asking "Why?" They are always stepping back to ask, "What's working, that I can build on?" "What's not working that I can eliminate?" Our work will always bear the label . . . "to be continued." (pp. 337-338) The evidence in front of me was my invitation to study my craft . . . to reflect on Jenna's portfolio to understand my own teaching, and use that reflection to inform my own classroom of the role of standards.

THE PORTFOLIO PROCESS

My ideas about portfolios and how they can best inform student learning change yearly. Jenna's portfolio was part of my evolving concept of what portfolios should be for fifth graders. Three years before Jenna came to my classroom, it had been a collection of student work, written and published in *****s' Workshop. A growth narrative and a process paper as suggested by Rief (1992) was included. Whatever their shape, portfolios have always served as a "big picture" part of year-end evaluation. They need to help answer the questions of "who a student is becoming and who he or she might become-as a ***** and reader" (Atwell, 1998, p. 314). But portfolios must also do more. Atwell (1998) suggests that "our responsibilities as evaluators involve collecting and sifting through the evidence that reveals what a student can do and can't do, understand and doesn't understand, has accomplished and needs to accomplish" (p. 314). However, the student portfolios in my classroom focused on writing.

I wish I had shown them even more of my actual process of assembling the portfolio.

Last year, after observing my principal, Suzanne Antonazzo, evaluate new teachers who were required to have a portfolio, I enlarged my concept of portfolios. Each teacher portfolio showed authentic evidence of teacher growth and reflection and was a showcase of what the teacher practiced in her classroom. I extended my student portfolios beyond a focus on writing to include reading and drew on the concepts concerning authentic evidence I had observed in the new teacher evaluation.

Paralleling this change in focus was my own compilation of a professional portfolio as part of the teacher evaluation process. I drew on many models to assist in building my own personal portfolio. I remembered my experiences with student portfolios and my own observations of new teachers. I studied expert models and considered Graves' (1994) description of his own portfolio:

I begin with myself. I have to renew what it means to keep a portfolio constantly So I put in pieces, or artifacts, that I've written in class, letters, all different kinds of things to reflect my literacy Of course, I'm showing myself even more than the children. I'm going through the process of saying what is important to me. Although I share my portfolio with children, make no mistake, I'm keeping it for myself. I need to do that as the children do. And I need to write short three to four sentence statements about why I've selected the pieces I've put in. (p. 186)

The process was exhausting. I collected piles and piles of teaching materials that I thought might be appropriate for the ten required sections recognized on the formal teacher evaluation. The chapters included: instructional skills, classroom management, planning and preparation, content knowledge, human relations, understanding child development and growth, use of materials, lifelong learner, and goals. Sorting and organizing "all that stuff" was time consuming, but valuable for reflection upon my teaching. To help make a whole out of the different parts and highly varying data I organized each section into its own chapter and connected them with the theme of A Journey of a Lifelong Learner. Finally, I referred to my own process of portfolio building throughout the year as my students worked on their portfolios.

In September, I alerted students to their own portfolio requirements, outlining general criteria along with the changes. Students understood they were to throw nothing away-they would be keeping all drafts, student work, reading records, etc. in designated files. Journals were also viewed as living textbooks of their learning. I shared some of my own ongoing portfolio process: the collection, selection, reflection, and production. Toward the end of the year, we went through my finished portfolio, page by page. Now I wish I had shown them even more of my actual process of assembling the portfolio and not just the beautiful product. The mere weight of the volume suggested the hours of effort, however.

We then drew on our shared experiences. Many of the students had been in the fourth-grade section of Readers' and *****s' Workshop (not Jenna, however) the previous year and I had kept their portfolios for models. These portfolios were also used as a baseline for growth and reflection. After close observation and reflection upon all the available models, the students and I collaboratively set up the criteria and organization for this year's portfolio. The students and I labeled the portfolio sections or chapters: Strategies and Thinking, Choices, Turning Points for Me as a Reader and ***** and Quality Evidence.

PREPARING FOR PORTFOLIO PRESENTATIONS

Discussions and mini-lessons during the weeks before presentations centered on what a quality portfolio should look like. Student-generated focus questions helped target the collection and organization of evidence. Class time was used to set up a rubric with the criteria points we had decided would be evaluated. Students were given plenty of class time to use all their available resources: themselves, their peers, the school, the teacher. More time was spent on developing the logic and reasons for collecting evidence than the product appearance.

During this preparation one lesson reviewed metaphor selection for individual portfolios, drawing examples from the models of previous years. The portfolio metaphor used a student-selected symbol that could "grow" and would metaphorically connect literacy changes. We had studied metaphor in our readings and writings, but our poetry discussions, especially, offered many chances for indepth discussion of symbolism. Brooks and Brooks (1993) describe power of metaphors when they observe that "Metaphors help people to understand complex issues in a holistic way and to tinker mentally with the parts of the whole to determine whether the metaphor works" (p. 116). Another lesson involved small groups writing focus questions for each chapter in order to better guide selection and reflection. Peer conferences, both formal and spontaneous, were held during workshop time the week before scheduled portfolio presentations to rehearse for the presenting of portfolios. Peers used the focus questions and the rubric to center the discussions. Peers asked their partners about their collection of quality evidence which drew from saved student work, drafts and published pieces, reading records, and journals. They wanted to know how this evidence "fit" into the portfolio, how it demonstrated student learning and how the selected theme connected everything in the portfolio together.

Presentations were to happen in the classroom in front of peers, teachers, and invited guests. Guests included parents, administrators, teachers from our own and other schools and from other classrooms at our school. I especially wanted the middle school teachers who would "inherit" these kids to hear the presentations, but in most cases, scheduling could not be worked out. Students understood the expectations for portfolios. The portfolio was a large part of their final "grade" in language arts, as well as being a requirement for entering middle school. Each student would receive extensive feedback on the established criteria they had helped to create. Parents, teachers, peers, and presenting students all used the criteria to evaluate portfolios.

Parents were required to fill out a feedback form and listen to their child's presentation. A letter went home explaining this process. Parents could fill out the form at school if they attended the classroom presentation. If this was not possible, students took their portfolios home and held a student-led conference with their parents. There was never an expectation that parents wouldn't hear their child and respond in writing on the provided form. With a little pressure (and a few phone calls) I had 100% participation. The parent comments were wonderful, full of positive and affirming statements that truly showed they understood their child's learning.

Peers filled out feedback forms during and right after completion of each portfolio. Again, there was never an expectation that peers would not also evaluate each other, positively Active audience listening, questions, and comments, in the end, were purposeful and insightful. I too filled out a form as each student was presenting. I found that my comments were much more pertinent to the individual student if I made them "on site."

This was the context from which Jenna's portfolio emerged. I now turn to how I used Jenna portfolio to help me think about standards and my own teaching.

GETTING GRAPHIC ABOUT CONTENT STANDARDS

With Jenna's portfolio, a year's worth of lesson plans, and the Content Standards in front of me, I knew I first needed to organize my data. I started asking myself questions. When I was confused on how to explain ideas in the classroom, what had I done to clarify simplify, and make sense out of the muddle? If my students didn't understand a concept or were having trouble gaining depth, what did I do that helped? I followed the steps outlined in Figure 1 to design a chart that would help me reflect on all the data.

I began my chart on the computer and the first decision I had to make was labelling the columns. What were the main ideas I wanted to see on my chart? Jenna's Portfolio, Content Standards and Benchmarks, and Classroom Lessons, these were the three concepts I wanted to connect. These became my columns. (See Figure 2)

But where could I start for the horizontal rows? I needed a basis, an anchoring framework. By completely unpacking Jenna's portfolio I realized that I would have the data for the first column, the first set of rows. Everything she included in her portfolio, I included in my chart. Her written words and oral description explaining the inclusions were quoted. The actual physical evidence she included was printed in bold.

In the second column, I matched Jenna's portfolio comments and contents with the Michigan English Language Arts Standards, going back and forth, and back and forth, identifying which was best shown or demonstrated with the evidence I had before me. I found there was much overlapping of content within the standards themselves and I had to be selective on which standards or benchmarks were mostly shown. The chart development process gave me the opportunity to dig deep into content standards. I learned much more about the content standards, what they meant, how they were shown, and which way they could be demonstrated best. Because I mapped the standards onto Jenna's portfolio, the ordering of the standards on the chart resulted in a re-ordering of the sequence of the standards (In Figure 2, I have preserved the original numbering of the standards).

Many school districts are using professional portfolios as part of their hiring, retention, evaluation, and promotion process. This article provides educators with guidelines and resources for developing professional portfolios that reflect their experiences, training, and achievements as educators. Although the guidelines are presented in the context of educators entering the profession, they can be adapted by educators who have been teaching for several years. You applied for a teaching position in a local school district by sending a letter of interest, a resume, and a completed employment application. A week later, the superintendent's office contacts you and asks you to come in for an interview and to bring your professional portfolio. How would you feel? What would you do? Like the district in this vignette, many school districts are increasingly using professional portfolios as part of their hiring, retention, evaluation, and promotion processes (Green & Smyser, 1995). If you attended one of the growing number of universities that require their teacher education students to complete a professional portfolio representing their teaching experiences and training (Bloom & Bacon, 1995; McCrea, 1998; Pleasants, Johnson, & *****, 1998), you would probably respond to this request by happily, and perhaps a little nervously, scheduling the interview and reviewing your portfolio. You may realize that sharing your portfolio with others at the interview will help you make a favorable impression and allow you to feel more comfortable as you support your oral responses with visual evidence of your skills and experiences, such as successful reading and content area lessons you have taught (Guillaume & Yopp, 1995). However, if you completed a teacher training program that did not require you to develop a professional portfolio, your excitement about being called for an interview may be combined with a bit of panic and confusion. Once you overcome your panic, you start to work on putting together your portfolio, asking yourself such questions as · What is a professional portfolio for teachers?; · When and how should I start to develop my portfolio?; · What items should I include in my portfolio, and how should I organize them?; and · How can I package my portfolio? This article is designed to help preservice and inservice teachers and other professionals address these questions and provide them with guidelines for developing professional portfolios that reflect their experiences, training, and achievements as educators. Although the guidelines are presented in the context of educators entering the profession, these guidelines and resources can be adapted by inservice educators who want to develop professional portfolios that allow them to apply for new positions, document teaching effectiveness and professional competence as part of the teacher evaluation process, foster reflection and self-assessment, and identify and address professional development needs. The guidelines also can be used to assist teacher educators in implementing professional portfolios as part of their teacher education programs and in helping their programs move toward performance-based licensing (see the sidebar "Benefits of a Professional Portfolio"). What Is a Professional Teaching Portfolio? A professional portfolio is a thoughtful, organized, and continuous collection of a variety of authentic products that document a professional's progress, goals, efforts, attitudes, pedagogical practices, achievements, talents, interests, and development over time (Winsor & Ellefson, 1995). Portfolios are both product- and process-***** and involve educators in the purposeful, collaborative, and reflective process of selecting and compiling multiple sources of information that reveal their beliefs, skills, knowledge, accomplishments, unique characteristics, and commitments with respect to a variety of teaching and learning experiences (Guillaume & Yopp, 1995). Through the development of professional portfolios, prospective and practicing teaching professionals can document their development and reflections as educators and can showcase their knowledge, skills, and accomplishments (Antonek, McCormick, & Donato, 1997). Dietz (1994) delineated three types of professional portfolios: a presentation portfolio, a working portfolio, and a learner portfolio. A presentation portfolio is one that documents and showcases a teacher's achievements, strengths, and areas of expertise. A working portfolio is one that contains items that are selected to conform to a set of prescribed competencies and standards to meet requirements for licensure or to certify the achievements of educators seeking national certifications such as the National Board of Professional Teaching standards or the Council for Exceptional Children's Professionally Recognized Special Educator. A learner portfolio offers a framework for reflecting on and providing evidence related to a set of learning outcomes. When and How Should I Start to Develop My Portfolio? The earlier you begin to collect items for your portfolio, the better (Heskett, 1998; May, 1997). The professional portfolio may be assembled near the completion of your teacher education program; however, you can start to select and collect items for inclusion in your portfolio each semester. Therefore, during each semester, it is recommended that you identify and save potential portfolio items by storing them in a box or folder and dating and annotating them so that you will remember their significance when putting your portfolio together (Wolf, 1996). If you are unsure about which items to store for possible inclusion in your portfolio, you may want to speak to your *****, advisor, and peers to help identify potential portfolio items. What Items Should I Include, and How Should I Organize Them? The items included in and the organization of a professional portfolio will vary from individual to individual and will depend on the purpose(s) and context for developing the portfolio (Wolf, Whinery, & Hagerty, 1995). Although others may offer guidance to assist you in identifying potential items, it is your portfolio and therefore your responsibility to select the items to be included. When making these decisions, you must choose from a wide range of potential items that you have produced during your training program. Where appropriate, it is recommended that you include authentic items such as actual products you developed and implemented; work samples from your students; and photographs, recordings, and videos of classrooms and classroom activities. When including photos, video, audio recordings, and samples of students' work, make sure you have the necessary permissions, maintain confidentiality, and use caption statements to provide the reader with a context for understanding the item. In selecting items, carefully examine each potential item and consider what it reveals about your teaching ability, philosophy, strengths, growth, self-reflection, unique characteristics and experiences, as well as who will be looking at your portfolio and for what reasons they will be examining it (Giuliano, 1997). Briefly, in choosing portfolio items, it may be helpful to ask yourself several questions: 1. What does the item reveal about my skills, knowledge, growth, experiences, self-reflections, and attitudes? 2. Is the item consistent with my educational philosophy and best practices? 3. Does the item demonstrate my best work? 4. Is the item free of grammatical and other errors? 5. Is the item authentic, and does it showcase my skills and experiences in working with students, families, and other professionals? 6. What processes and experiences did I engage in to produce the item? 7. What does the item reveal about me on a personal level? Another factor affecting the selection of items is the organization of the portfolio. The organizational structure of the portfolio has a reciprocal relationship with the items selected for inclusion in the portfolio. This means that the items you select may help you determine the ways to organize your portfolio, and the ways you organize your portfolio also may guide you in selecting items to include. Although your portfolio should be structured so that it is easy for others to follow, it can be organized in a variety of ways. Some educators organize their portfolios according to the chronological order in which items were produced; others develop theme-based portfolios (Dollase, 1996). For example, a portfolio of a special educator might be organized around the theme of the actual roles and tasks special educators perform in schools. We propose several potential categories for organizing a professional portfolio and offer a variety of potential portfolio items that relate to these categories. Introductory Information To assist the reader in understanding the organization and value of the portfolio, it is suggested that you include a table of contents (Heskett, 1998). The table of contents also orients the reader to the range of items included in the portfolio as well as assists them in locating specific items of interest. Some individuals supplement the table of contents by including a letter of introduction that provides a summary of the artifacts in the portfolio and states their career goals (Heskett, 1998). This section should also include a title or cover page that provides the reader with your name, address, and telephone number. Background Information The portfolio should include a section that provides background information about yourself. This section offers the reader an overview of some of your professional experiences and achievements. Potential items relating to this section include · an up-to-date resume; · transcripts, national and statewide examination results, certification documents, awards, honors, fellowships, and letters of recognition; · a narrative about yourself or an educational autobiography of your experiences as a learner and a teacher; and · letters of recommendation. Because many school districts are looking for staff members who can lead extracurricular clubs, teams, and activities, this section of your portfolio can also include a listing of your hobbies, interests, and special talents. In addition, because many school districts are serving students and families from linguistically diverse backgrounds, an indication of the languages you speak can also increase your chances of being hired. Educational Philosophy and Teaching Goals Potential employers will be particularly interested in your educational philosophy and teaching goals as these provide an understanding of the principles that guide you as an educator as well as offer insights into your personality. Because an understanding of your educational philosophy can also help you and the school district determine if you are compatible, an important part of your portfolio should be a narrative statement outlining your teaching goals and your core beliefs about education, teaching, learning, curriculum, assessment, classroom management, diversity, family involvement, technology, and collaboration. The statement can also address how you arrived at these beliefs and include the theorists, theories, and experiences that have shaped your goals and beliefs, as well as the implications of these goals and principles for teaching, learning, curriculum, assessment, classroom management, family involvement, technology, and schools. The educational philosophy section of your portfolio can also be supplemented by relevant papers you have written and assignments you have completed that are consistent with or that expand on your educational philosophy and teaching goals. Fieldwork Experiences Potential employers also will be very interested in your experiences working with a range of students and professionals and in a variety of educational settings; for this reason, I suggest that your portfolio include a section that not only lists the number of fieldwork experiences you have had but also summarizes the nature of these experiences. The section should describe each of your fieldwork experiences, your responsibilities, and the types of students and professionals with whom you worked. This section can also present your observations and reflections regarding these experiences and outline the projects and activities you completed during each fieldwork or practicum experience. The narrative summary of your fieldwork experiences can be supplemented by use of accompanying photographs, recordings, and videos of the settings in which you worked; the students, professionals, and family members with whom you worked; and the products you developed. Educational Assessment Skills Special educators are asked to use their educational assessment skills to participate in many important educational decisions regarding students, including determining students' educational placement and need for related services, identifying teaching and Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals and objectives, assessing students' mastery of skills, and evaluating the effectiveness of the educational programs of their students. Because of the importance of educational assessment, school districts want information displayed in your portfolio about your ability to employ a variety of formal and informal assessment techniques to identify students' needs, develop instructional programs that address these needs, and monitor students' progress on a continuous basis. Your skills at using assessment techniques that are typically part of the multidisciplinary team planning process can be documented in your portfolio by including the following: 1. a comprehensive assessment report you wrote including a school observation; family, teacher, and student interviews; and the administration of several standardized tests; 2. an IEP you developed; 3. products that reveal your participation in the process for identifying appropriate testing modifications, alternative testing techniques, and assistive technology for students; 4. examples of your use of nondiscriminatory assessment techniques with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; and 5. a summary of your experiences in differentiating cultural and linguistic differences from learning problems. Your skills at using informal assessment techniques to demonstrate evidence of student learning can be evidenced by inclusion of such portfolio items as authentic/ performance assessments and rubrics you have developed as well as copies of a curriculum-based assessment, a miscue analysis, a running record, and a functional assessment you have conducted. Including examples of a portfolio assessment performed with a student, self-evaluation questionnaires, think-aloud techniques, student journals, and learning logs also can document your ability to perform a variety of student-centered assessment techniques. Examples of teacher-made tests and testing modifications you have employed also can document your skill at designing procedures that provide students with the opportunity to perform at their optimal level. Your ability to employ a range of observational techniques such as anecdotal recording can be revealed through the inclusion of student observations, weekly progress notes on students, and summaries of student reactions to lessons. Because many school districts are using technology-based assessment techniques to evaluate their students, evidence to show your skill at using technology-based testing to tailor assessments to the skill levels of students also would be appropriate for inclusion in your portfolio. Instructional Skills School districts seek teachers who can link assessment and instruction and who can understand, develop, and implement developmentally appropriate instructional programs that promote student learning in a variety of content areas. They look for educators who are knowledgeable about curriculum, learning styles, and instructional resources, and skilled at using learning strategies, peer-mediated instruction, student-centered and culturally relevant instruction, and instructional adaptations. Potential items that can showcase your teaching effectiveness include · videocassettes or audiocassettes of your teaching; · evaluations of your teaching from students, instructors, cooperating teachers, peers, and employers; · samples of students' work as a result of instruction they received from you; · photographs and/or descriptions of materials, learning centers, and bulletin boards you developed; and · evaluations of curriculum materials or software programs that you have completed. Your instructional skills also can be demonstrated through the inclusion of product-based portfolio items such as sample lesson plans, units of instruction, instructional materials, cooperative learning activities, learning packets and IEPs you have developed, examples of your use of instructional technology (i.e., Web sites and Internet-based lessons you have developed), culturally relevant instruction, learning strategies, individualized instruction, multi-level instruction, and adapted materials for diverse learners. Classroom Management Skills When making hiring decisions regarding educational personnel, school districts place a high priority on a prospective educator's classroom management skills. In recognition of the importance of classroom management skills, your portfolio can provide evidence that shows you are able to create and manage effective, efficient, and appealing instructional environments that promote learning and foster appropriate behavior in all students. Your ability to design and manage effective learning environments can be demonstrated by such portfolio items as a copy of a behavior change project you conducted to increase an appropriate behavior or decrease an inappropriate behavior of a student or a group of students, graphs to demonstrate your success in helping students acquire new behaviors through use of self-management techniques, and a copy of a classroom management plan that you developed. The classroom management plan can include rules, routines, and procedures that students and teachers follow in your classroom as well as how you would organize space, time, materials, and furniture in your classroom and a drawing or photograph of a classroom you have designed. Other potential portfolio items that address your classroom management skills include self-reflections of your use of different classroom management techniques, examples of your use of student contracts, affective education strategies and peer-mediated techniques, and your analysis of a case study or incident involving classroom management issues. Collaborative Skills The ability to work collaboratively with families and other professionals is important for successful functioning as a special educator. While collaboration skills are employed in all types of special education positions, they are especially important when you are applying to work in inclusion and resource room programs. Therefore, your portfolio should include items that provide an indication of your ability to work collaboratively with families and other professionals, such as a summary of your interactions with families and your experiences teaching or working collaboratively with other professionals, samples of correspondence sent to families and other professionals (e.g., class newsletters and notes to parents), and examples of products you developed for families and products developed with other professionals. Your ability to work collaboratively with others can also be revealed in your portfolio by including items that address your community-based experiences and your involvement in extracurricular activities. For example, your involvement in community events and after-school activities can be documented by copies of thank-you letters you received from community organizations and groups and a summary of your involvement in community events and extracurricular activities. Commitment to Professional Development Education, particularly special education, is a field that is constantly changing and evolving to respond to new research, model programs, instructional strategies, and legislation. In light of these changes, school districts are looking for educators who keep abreast of new developments in the field and continue to develop their skills by engaging in professional development activities. Therefore, you want your portfolio to include items that serve to document your commitment to being a lifelong learner who takes advantage of opportunities to grow professionally. Potential items relating to this section include 1. a listing or summary of conferences and workshops attended, visits to model programs, observations of and meetings with master teachers, presentations you have given to others, and articles you have published; 2. a summary of your involvement in professional and community organizations (e.g., activities, leadership positions held, and memberships in professional organizations) and mentoring experiences; 3. an abstract of a research project you conducted; 4. copies or summaries of articles and books that inform your teaching; and 5. additional training you have received in specific areas (e.g., crisis intervention or peer-mediation training). In addition, your portfolio can include a professional growth plan that includes personal and professional goals and activities for professional development in the future. Reflective Thinking Skills An integral aspect of a professional portfolio is evidence of your reflective thinking, "a means of reliving and recapturing experience in order to make sense of it, and to develop new understandings and appreciations" (Wade & Yarbrough, 1996, p. 64). Through the inclusion of portfolio items that reveal your reflective thinking, you can demonstrate that you are an ethical practitioner who continually examines the impact of your decisions and actions on yourself and others. In addition, examples of your reflective thinking provide prospective employers with insights into how you learn from past experiences and dilemmas, analyze these experiences and dilemmas, view them from multiple perspectives, and apply new learning and perspectives to your future endeavors, goals, and professional development activities. A reflective thinking component of your portfolio also helps connect your experiences and the items included in your portfolio and offers the reader a context for understanding it better. You can build self-reflection into your portfolio in a variety of ways (McCrea, 1998). Each item that you select can include a caption statement reflecting on what the item reveals about your learning or growth as an educator (Wolf, 1996). For example, attached to each portfolio item, you can include such statements as · Why did I select this item? · What did I learn from this activity or experience? · Was this activity or experience successful? Why or why not? · What would I do differently? and · What does this show about my growth as a teacher? (Antonek et al., 1997) Your ability to be a thoughtful and inquiring professional can also be documented by including specific reflective thinking items in your portfolio such as reflective journal entries or self-reflective narratives examining lessons you taught, assessment and instructional strategies you implemented, interactions with others, problematic situations you encountered, reactions to case studies, and the impact of students' cultural backgrounds on learning (Dieker & Monda-Amaya, 1997). In addition to using caption statements and including specific reflective thinking items, you can write an essay that reflects on how your portfolio as a whole demonstrates growth and changes in your skills, viewpoints, commitments, and knowledge base. In writing your reflective essay, you can consider the following: · What is (are) the purpose(s) of your portfolio? · What principles guided you in developing your portfolio? · What does the portfolio reveal about you as a professional and as a person? · What does your portfolio reveal about your experiences in your teacher education program and the skills you have developed as a special educator? and · What does the portfolio reveal about your beliefs and attitudes about education? How Can I Package My Portfolio? Your portfolio should be neat and manageable in terms of size. It can be bound in a 2" to 3" three-ring binder or assembled using file folders, accordion file folders, and boxes with dividers. Binders are often preferable to folders because they allow you to add or delete items easily and limit the likelihood of items being lost (Stahle & Mitchell, 1993). In packaging your portfolio, consider your organizational framework and use dividers and pages with headings to delineate sections, and place things in sections using a logical sequence such as chronological order or thematic relevance (Giuliano, 1997). Your portfolio can be personalized, so be creative and use your imagination. For example, you may want to decorate your portfolio with photographs, logos, drawings, and other features that showcase your relevant interests, skills, and abilities. However, as you attempt to personalize your portfolio, remember to focus your displays around professionally related themes and features and avoid symbols that may be controversial or misinterpreted by others. You can also use technology and multimedia to create an electronic portfolio. In addition to having your portfolio readily available to others on diskette and CDROM, an electronic portfolio has the added advantage of allowing you to display and showcase your skills at employing technology. Electronic portfolios involve using software and hardware tools to create and record portfolio items and add sound and text. For example, you can use a digital camera to take pictures of a bulletin board you created and a videocassette recorder to record various classroom activities you directed. These recordings can then be scanned into your electronic portfolio. Resources are available to assist you in creating your own electronic portfolio. Several software-based portfolio programs are commercially available to assist you in creating your professional portfolio. These programs allow you to scan and organize portfolio items and enter sound, video clips, graphics, and text. A variety of resources on portfolios are also available through the World Wide Web. Summary Whether you are entering the profession or have been teaching for years, at some point you will probably be asked to develop a professional portfolio. The guidelines presented in this article are designed to assist you in developing your own professional portfolio, and you will want to adapt it to the unique skills and demands associated with your professional responsibilities. REFERENCES Antonek, J. L., McCormick, D. E., & Donato, R. (1997). The student teacher portfolio as autobiography: Developing a professional identity. The Modern Language Journal, 81, 15-27. Bloom, L., & Bacon, E. (1995). Using portfolios for individual learning and assessment. Teacher Education and Special Education, 18, 1-9. Dieker, L. A., & Monda-Amaya, L. E. (1997). Using problem solving and effective teaching frameworks to promote reflective thinking in preservice special educators. Teacher Education and Special Education, 20, 22-36. Dietz, M. E. (1994). Professional development portfolio. Boston: Sundance. Dollase, R. H. (1996). The Vermont experiment in state-mandated portfolio program approval. Journal of Teacher Education, 47(2), 85-98. Giuliano, F. J. (1997). Practical professional portfolios. Science Teacher, 64, 42-45. Green, J. E., & Smyser, S. O. (1995). Changing conceptions about teaching: The use of portfolios with pre-service teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 22, 43-53. Guillaume, A. M., & Yopp, H. K. (1995). Professional portfolios for student teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 22, 93-101. Heskett, M. (1998). Perfecting the professional portfolio. CEC Today, 4, 6. May, A. P. (1997). The professional performance portfolio. In American Association for Employment in Education (Ed.), 1997 job search handbook for educators (p. 18). Evanston, IL: American Association for Employment in Education. McCrea, L. D. (1998,April). Self-assessment tools: Reflective practices with preservice teachers. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Council for Exceptional Children, Minneapolis, MN. Pleasants, H. M., Johnson, C. B., & *****, S. C. (1998). Reflecting, reconceptualizing, and revising. The evolution of a portfolio assignment in a multicultural teacher education course. Remedial and Special Education, 19, 46-58. Stahle, D. L., & Mitchell, J. P. (1993). Portfolio assessment in college methods courses: Practicing what we preach. Journal of Reading, 36, 538-542. Wade, R. C., & Yarbrough, D. B. (1996). Portfolios: A tool for reflective thinking in teacher education? Teaching and Teacher Education, 12, 63-79. Wilcox, B. L. (1996). Smart portfolios for teachers in training. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 40, 172-179. Winsor, J. T., & Ellefson, B. A. (1995). Professional portfolios in teacher education: An exploration of their value and potential. The Teacher Educator; 31, 68-74. Wolf, K. (1991). The schoolteacher's portfolio: Issues in design, implementation and evaluation. Phi Delta Kappan, 73, 129-136. Wolf, K. (1996). Developing an effective teaching portfolio. Educational Leadership, 53, 34-37. Wolf, K., Whinery, B., & Hagerty, B. (1995). Teaching portfolios and portfolio conversations for teacher educators and teachers. Action in Teacher Education, 17, 30-39. ~~~~~~~~By Spencer J. Salend Spencer J. Salend, EdD, is a professor of special education in the Department of Educational Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz. His research interests relate to educating students with disabilities in general education classrooms and meeting the educational needs of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, including migrant students with disabilities. Address: Spencer J. Salend, Department of Educational Studies, SUNY at New Paltz, 75 South Manheim Blvd., New Paltz, NY 12561. BENEFITS OF A PROFESSIONAL PORTFOLIO In addition to providing a picture of your knowledge and skills to prospective employers, professional portfolios benefit educators and schools in a variety of ways. For example, professional portfolios assist educators in understanding the portfolio process and using portfolios to examine the growth and progress of their students (Guillaume & Yopp, 1995). Portfolios help prospective teachers reflect on the complexity and subtlety of the teaching and learning process and serve as a framework for engaging in self-assessment to identify your strengths and weaknesses; to share ideas about teaching, learning, and the profession with others (Wilcox, 1996); to plan for your professional development (Green & Smyser, 1995); and to structure mentoring and collaborative activities (Wolf, 1991). Professional portfolios can also be used to evaluate teacher education programs by offering feedback to validate successful aspects of training programs as well as areas in need of revision.

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