A teaching portfolio refers to an educator's portfolio. It offers a more dynamic view of a teacher's pedagogy, experience and skills; most teaching portfolios include not only a CV, but also a teaching philosophy, course descriptions, sample syllabi and assignments, classroom excercises, samples of student work before and after grading, a summary of student evaluations or a collection of student comments received, and possibly other evidence of classroom activities, such as photos, audio clips or video.
Higher Education Teaching Portfolios[]
A teaching portfolio is commonly used by teachers in higher education, but is a growing trend with primary and secondary teachers, as well. Portfolios are primarily for deans, chairs, and other teaching professionals to view, particularly when hiring a teaching candidate or reviewing an instructor for possible tenure. Many professors and instructors also link their portfolios to their class pages. This adds two more beneficial components: the student can choose a professor based on the instructor's previous work and hiring professionals can view syllabi, discussion questions and other materials the professor provides for his or her students.
Elementary and Secondary Teaching Portfolios[]
Teaching portfolios are becoming more common on the elementary and secondary levels as well, often for the same reasons. Elementary and secondary teachers should be cautious about posting photos or video of their students on a web portfolio, as many of these students are likely to be underage and must have parental consent. A common solution to this problem is a passsword protected portfolio site.
External Links[]
- Using Adobe Acrobat for Electronic Portfolio Development (pdf) A paper by U. of Alaska Professor Helen C. Barrett about creating PDF Portfolios for teachers.
- Developing a Teaching Portfolio by Department of Faculty and TA Development at Ohio State University.
- Preparing a Teaching Portfolio: A Guidebook by the Center for Teaching Effectiveness at the University of Texas at Austin.
- Developing a Teaching Portfolio by the Center for Instructional Development and Research at the University of Washington.