Teachers whose classrooms reflect the best practices in education need innovative ways to document their performance. Administrators who support these best practices need a more meaningful evaluation process. Asking teachers to construct portfolios meets both these needs, said Shirley Beck, a professor of education at Southwest Texas State University.
Gone are the days, Beck told her standing-room-only audience, when administrators could simply observe teacher-directed lectures—lessons often prepared specifically for evaluation purposes—to evaluate teacher performance. In today's student-centered, inquiry-based classrooms, she said, evidence of teacher effectiveness is best reflected in student work, work that is documented in a professional portfolio.
Through portfolios, administrators "can see what [teachers] can do." And, said Beck, a 30-year veteran teacher who recently completed her own portfolio, administrators can also see what teachers can't do. "A weak teacher cannot document effective teaching performance," Beck pointed out. If, for example, a school embraces performance assessment and all a teacher can include in his portfolio are worksheets, then an administrator would know that "that teacher isn't doing interesting things" for his students.
That administrator would also have a better idea of how to help that weak teacher improve his performance. In this way, Beck said, portfolios are perfect tools for staff development. Through the process of collecting, selecting, and reflecting upon material chosen for a portfolio, teachers learn a lot about their teaching "because they better understand why they do the things they do" in the classroom. "You can become a better teacher," she concluded, "by going through this process."
A portfolio should not be a mishmash of material collected in a binder or box. According to Beck, all professional portfolios should include:
- A "Philosophy of Teaching" statement. All materials selected for the portfolio should support and document that philosophy.
- A vita and a summary of teaching responsibilities. "Don't just say 'I teach 6th grade,'" Beck advised. "Instead, be specific about what you're responsible for."
- Examples of student work. These samples should clearly support the teaching philosophy and can include everything from KWL charts to samples of student writing.
- Information from others. Include any awards, Beck suggested, any letters from parents or students, as well as documents, such as newspaper articles, that report on student progress.
It's also important, Beck said, for teachers to explain how and why each item in the portfolio illustrates good teaching. "We know we're good teachers. We just haven't documented our success well." Portfolios, she concluded, give teachers a way to "blow their own horn."