The Portfolio Process: Questions for Implementation and Practice
The portfolio, a collection of a student's work over their course of study, has become a popular tool for college teaching. Portfolios have the distinct advantage of engaging the learner in reflection (Reis & Villaume, 2002; Willis & Davies, 2002) and self-assessment (Hill, 2002), while at the same time creating documentation useful for programmatic assessment and program review. As the portfolio movement grows, new questions arise regarding how to effectively integrate portfolios into teacher education programs. This article discusses best practice as it relates to portfolio implementation in teacher education. Major challenges for educators are highlighted. These include issues such as engaging the student learner, determining portfolio content, and assessment. ********** The portfolio, a collection of a student's work over their course of study, has become a popular tool for college teaching. Portfolios have the distinct advantage of engaging the learner in reflection (Reis & Villaume, 2002; Willis & Davies, 2002) and self-assessment (Hill, 2002), while at the same time creating documentation useful for programmatic assessment and program review. Yet as the portfolio movement grows, new questions arise regarding how to effectively integrate portfolios into teacher education programs. Perhaps the primary of these questions is what is best practice when it comes to portfolios? For example, what does "good" portfolio implementation look like? Does best practice differ by or within discipline? This article discusses best practice as it relates to portfolio implementation in teacher education. Major challenges for educators will be highlighted. Specifically, these include questions about best practice as it relates to engaging the student learner, determining portfolio content, and assessing student portfolios. Engaging the Student Learner Implementation of an effective portfolio program ultimately depends on students becoming invested in the process. Thus, one primary question centering around best practice is how to engage the student learner. Two issues are particularly relevant to engaging the student learner, that of 1) matching the student's stage of development to the portfolio task, and 2) creating meaningful and relevant portfolio templates. Developmental Stage Students come to higher education today with an increasingly diverse set of backgrounds and experiences. While most students are in their late teens or early twenties, an increasing number are in their mid-twenties or older. One question raised by age is whether, or at what point, students have developed the skills necessary to engage in meaningful self-reflection. This is the outcome of at least two processes: 1) The cognitive development of the student; and 2) Experience the student has had or gains by going through the program. With regard to cognitive development, students can be expected to vary according to age and maturity level. Questions as they relate to best practice, then, include how to gauge where a particular student is at in order to create a meaningful portfolio experience? Does the value of the portfolio assignment to the student vary by student age and maturity level? How does this happen? What are ways in which we can assist students for whom portfolio development is a challenging task? Will the student be able to identify his/her own weaknesses? Similarly, does best practice mean we start with the students earlier or later in their program? Maturity level helps the student see the value of his/her own investment, as well as the value of the finished work. How can we best utilize differences in maturity level? Should older students be matched with younger students as part of the peer review process? Students are intrinsically motivated by tasks they find meaningful. What is the best way to implement portfolios to get at this motivation? …