The following are things I learned about portfolios, the importance of my learning and how I will utilize this learning in my practice.

Portfolios are a new medium for me.  I admit I did not have a crystalized concept as to their use or relevance.  After our seminar on Tuesday, I have formed a working knowledge of the value of portfolios for teachers and students.

 

Portfolios serve as an effective way to gather, store and display learning.  In Ian’s district, they are using them in the stead of report cards.  I find this plan intriguing.  Often report cards are the summative product of mark gathering.  This method can be but a snapshot of a student’s learning rather than exemplify the student’s journey.  Summative means, often leave little understanding of micro-effects experienced by children which can skew results, (not eating breakfast, illness, trouble at home) while a living breathing document that gathers evidence and artifacts from a broad temporal paradigm avoids micro-effect-skews.

 

The portfolio’s availability to parents, student and teacher in real time, allows for a communication network readily available, that arguably has not existed.  The key to this is the ease of use and agency for access.  By bridging gaps in communication, the student, parent, teacher team that is required for best practice of student learning is dynamically linked and can thus endeavour in harmony towards the goal of optimal learning for a student in question.

 

Portfolios offer a wonderful resource for self-growth as a teacher.  The platform records (if one employs) efforts both positive and negative in one’s practice which can readily be reviewed and reflected on.  Although this practice is not a novel one the organisation structure of the portfolio allows for agency of access yet again for this enterprise.

 

I am excited to employ portfolios for both myself and my student’s learning.  I propose to employ a single student portfolio and a personal one during my first practicum this year.  This will be something of a test-drive.  I will use the experience to gauge the effectiveness and learn the system before I abstract out my scope.  I postulate that I will become comfortably familiar with the system while identifying the best and worst uses of the protocol.  Eventually I hope to be proficient enough to install the portfolio medium in my classroom as early as final practicum.

Cheers

Zak