Enhanced student learning is the ultimate goal of improving teacher performance, Georgea Sparks Langer suggested in a session designed, in part, to show how teachers can use the process of creating teacher portfolios as a self-assessment tool, and improve their instruction. "We usually find out about our weaknesses as teachers through student performance," said Langer, an assistant professor at Eastern Michigan University. When teachers create professional development portfolios, she explained, they use a "classroom-based problem" to lead them through a "systematic reflection process, where they frame the problem, set some goals, and pursue them."
Teachers start this self-assessment process by identifying an issue that's been "bugging" them. It's critical that teachers take time to properly frame the issue because it steers the action plan, Langer noted. For example, a teacher might think his students can't problem solve, but when he takes a closer look, he notices that his students simply give up when asked to solve complex problems. "So the issue is really about perseverance," said Langer. "And an action plan to address perseverance is a lot different than an action plan designed to help kids who can't problem solve."
Once teachers have clearly framed their issue, they determine a reasonable goal and identify their professional development needs. "The teachers says, 'Okay, I need to learn A, B, and C for the situation to improve,'" Langer explained. Teachers can then "design a rubric that defines how the situation improves." The teacher with the perseverance issue, for example, could decide that his evidence of improvement will be when his students try something three times before asking for help.
Collecting such evidence is a trial for some teachers, Langer noted. Caught up in the "change process," these teachers need to be reminded that they must document their ability to "tackle a problem and make progress at the student level and at the teacher level." Artifacts that demonstrate such progress could include journal entries, samples of student work, and notes about what they learned at professional development workshops—any items that show professional growth.
Finally, teachers need to "pull all the pieces together," said Langer, and describe what they learned from the process and how their professional practice has improved as a result.
The reflective component of a professional development portfolio is what distinguishes it from others, according to Langer. Often, teachers create "presentation portfolios," which include evidence of teaching accomplishments, but no reflective pieces. "A presentation portfolio may be a good place for beginning teachers to start," she said, but veteran teachers should be encouraged to use the portfolio development process as an opportunity to self-assess and improve their teaching. Creating a professional development portfolio, Langer concluded, offers teachers a much more powerful learning experience.
Creating Professional Development Portfolios
Creating Professional Development Portfolios
According to Georgea Sparks Langer, the process teachers follow to develop a professional development portfolio is very similar to the action research process.
In "five simple, commonsense stages," teachers
Define the problem
Specify a target goal
Make a plan to reach that goal
Implement the plan and collect data
Reflect upon the results