Teaching Competency Portfolio

Teaching Competency Portfolio
for Preservice Teachers

John D. Marvelle, Ed. D.

Department of Elementary & Early Childhood Education
Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA

Introduction

As the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and other states move toward performance-based teacher certification, it is becoming necessary for preservice teachers to learn how to create portfolios that go beyond the typical "job-search" design to provide evidence of teaching competencies.

A Teaching Competency Portfolio is a collection of selected artifacts and evidence and accompanying commentaries and reflections that are organized to document your experiences, content and "teaching" knowledge and skills as an educator.

The purpose of this publication is to help students in Bridgewater State College's teacher certification programs to develop Teaching Competency Portfolios, that display evidence of their content knowledge and teaching competencies and that help them gain insight into their teaching practices.

What is a Teaching Competency Portfolio?

It is an organized collection of artifacts that presents the many dimensions of your work as a teaching professional including: planning, teaching, dialoguing, creating, and reflecting. It is a display of artifacts selected from your Working Portfolio and accompanying commentary and reflection about each of the items. It is a collection of artifacts that provides evidence that you have attained specific teaching competencies.

Why Create a Competency Portfolio?

The preparation of a Teaching Competency Portfolio gives you an opportunity to reflect on your teaching practices and your growth as a professional educator. A Teaching Competency Portfolio is a valuable "tool" that you can use to share your competencies with teaching certification boards, with those writing references for you, and even prospective employers.

How do I begin?

To create a Teaching Competency Portfolio you must first keep a Working Portfolio. The most common portfolio used in higher education is the "Working" Portfolio. A Working Portfolio typically has an informal look, often simply a file folder or box, containing assignments and other artifacts.

Step 1: Identify the Required Competencies

You should become familiar with the Principles for Effective Teaching and the examples of descriptors. For the most current list, visit the Massachusetts Department of Education's web page at www.doe.mass.edu/

The Principle of Effective Teaching should become the framework on which you should build your "personal" curriculum.

Your personal curriculum should influence everything you do from the books you read, the experiences in which you get involved, to the questions you ask in class. All of your actions should be directed toward helping you achieve the competencies required of a highly skilled teacher.

Of course, the goal of your personal curriculum should not be to simply meet the Principles, but to go beyond them. Good teachers don't just meet the standards--they strive to exceed them. Good teachers don't simply check off competencies--they seek to deepen their understanding of learning and teaching.

Interns should build their Competency Portfolios on the Principles of Effective Teaching and their school's goals.

Step 2: Collect Everything; Sift Later

Collecting is a critical step in creating a portfolio. Without "stuff," it is difficult to provide tangible evidence.

Immediately designate a box for your "stuff".

Locate old artifacts (i.e., papers you wrote, photographs from previous teaching experiences) and put them into your newly created Working Portfolio box.

During your daily teaching, save artifacts (i.e., lesson plans), gather evidence (i.e., videotapes of a lesson in action and samples of student work) and attach dated reflections to each piece of evidence.

Save award certificates or congratulatory notes that you receive and news items that feature you or a project that you worked on.

In other words, gather and save anything that you might use to document your progress and, eventually, your accomplishments. By the time you are ready to create your Teaching Competency Portfolio your Working Portfolio should have many artifacts that you will use to provide evidence of your content knowledge and teaching skills. A quality Working Portfolio gathers three types of items: artifacts, evidence, and ideas that will support your teaching competencies.

Working Portfolio: The Artifacts

Continuously gather samples of your work and keep them in your Working Portfolio. Examples of things to save are: A lesson you designed (that reflects your teaching philosophy) An "assessment" procedure you constructed and used A teaching artifact you created, i.e., a game or "adaptive" device A piece of software you developed A newspaper article about you or a class project Award certificates A "pre-referral" plan for a student in need of class modifications Membership certificates Artifacts from education-related experiences, such as, camp photographs or a speech you gave at Toastmasters Published works or communication pieces you wrote Hobby artifacts or artifacts from unique experiences, such as, photographs of an unusual or educational trip

Working Portfolio: Evidence

Continuously gather samples of evidence of your teaching skills and keep them in your Working Portfolio. Some "evidence" gathering techniques include: "Selected verbatim" [a word-for-word transcript of an aspect of a specific lesson] "Verbal Flow" [a technique that documents the "flow" of the dialogue between you and your students during a specific lesson] An audiotape demonstrating your skill with a second language Samples of children's work that you have stimulated Action-research projects focusing on a specific teaching strategy A "case" description of a problem you faced and your solution Results from a student and/or parent survey about your classroom A tape (audio or video) of a lesson Photographs of a lesson in action Supervisor's Evaluations Parent and student thank-you notes or commendations

Working Portfolio: Ideas

Continuously write down your ideas, date them, and include them in your Working Portfolio. Some examples are: A page of "I believe children learn best when..." statements Yearly Update of Goals & Objectives Your notes and thoughts on a workshop you attended Your thoughts on an article you read A statement of your discipline philosophy A diagram and description of classroom environment A daily journal reflecting on your teaching A written self-evaluation on a particular lesson you taught

Step 3: Reflect on Your Work

Periodically, take some time to organize the stuff in your Working Portfolio box and reflect on your teaching practices and your progress.

You may find it helpful to start a file folder for each Principle (paste the Principle and its Examples on the outside of the folder). Keep the folders in the Working Portfolio box.

As often as you can, write "running" notes to yourself about things you are doing to achieve each competency and place them in the appropriate folder. Refer to specific artifacts (i.e., a "verbal flow") in your notes; however, keep the artifacts/evidence in the Working Portfolio box so that you can refer to them when documenting other competencies.

By reflecting on your practices and progress, your Working Portfolio becomes more than a scrapbook or a box of stuff.

Step 4: Turn Your Working Portfolio into a Teaching Competency Portfolio

The second most common type of portfolio in higher education is the "Showcase".

A Showcase Portfolio typically has a formal look, often a 3-ring binder, containing selected artifacts and reflections.

Preservice teachers typically create Showcase Portfolios to use during job interviews. These portfolios typically contain a resume; a statement of educational philosophy; lesson plans, and pictures of teaching experiences.

A Teaching Competency Portfolio is a Showcase Portfolio that provides evidence of your teaching competencies.

A Competency Portfolio is designed to stand alone as proof of your teaching competencies.

A Competency Portfolio must document your competencies. Your challenge is to convince readers of your knowledge and skills, but not overwhelm them with unnecessary words or artifacts. Present each competency and your evidence in an understandable, concise manner.

The best way to prove your competencies is to provide evidence. Sometimes evidence is hard to gather. In these cases, your words will serve as your evidence.

The Teaching Competency Portfolio Structure

Table of Contents [with page numbers and dividers]

Introductory Statement The purpose of the Introductory Statement is to inform readers of the purpose of the portfolio (i.e., to provide evidence that would qualify you for initial teacher certification) and to describe how it is organized.

Presentation of Evidence [Organized by competency] In this section state each Principle for Effective Teaching and follow each statement with a discussion of how you attained it. Select evidence and artifacts from your Working Portfolio that best support your claim and make commentaries/reflections as to how that piece of evidence shows that you have attained a competency. Throughout this discussion refer to evidence and artifacts presented in your Appendix. In other words, make your claim that you have achieved each competency while providing the evidence in the Appendix.

Appendix In the Appendix you will organize and present your artifacts. Your Appendix may be the final section of your 3-ring binder or a collection of file folders in a separate Appendix box. Most artifacts should be organized as separate appendices; however, artifacts that go together may be clustered into one appendix. Each artifact should have a statement "posted" on it. This statement should describe the artifact and offer a commentary/reflection about it. These "post-it" sized comments guide readers through your Appendix explaining artifacts and providing written evidence of your thinking.

Use the following format to make your case:

· Principle Title: State the title of the Principle

· Principle of Effective Teaching: State the Principle.

· Examples of Descriptors: State the examples of descriptors. Note that each of Principles has sample descriptors. These descriptors are offer ways to show evidence that a standard has been met. Descriptors are not standards in and of themselves.

· Achievement Strategy: Write a short narrative that shares your understanding of the Principle (and its importance) and discusses actions you took to develop associated competency. This should be about one page in length.

· Evidence of Achievement: In a bulleted list/short-explanation format, present evidence that documents your attainment of this specific Principle. Refer to the artifacts in the Appendix (i.e., see Appendix C: Verbal Flow) instead of including the actual evidence within this section. This narrative should be 1-2 pages in length. Be concise, but also be sure that you explain each artifact or piece of evidence.

You should present each of the required Principles in this fashion.

Step 5: Enhancing the Content!

It is important to know your messages and present them throughout your portfolio - in your philosophy, through your visuals, and in your reflections. Be up-to-date: Make sure that the ideas that you express are consistent with latest research and current best practices Arrange your artifacts and evidence in a thoughtful manner Only include artifacts that provide evidence of your skills or insight into your teaching ideas. Explain each artifact and share your thinking through the post-it-sized comments Proof read and have several "critical" friends proof read.

Step 6: Enhancing the Look!

A good-looking portfolio will help show off your evidence. Organize your portfolio into a 3-ring binder and Appendix box. Use a binder that allows you to insert a personalized cover Use a Table of Contents, sections dividers, and page numbers Word-process all text Use photographs and computer graphics to add color Emphasize key points with bullets, text styles, color, and sizes

Step 7: Evaluate Your Portfolio

· Ask yourself the following questions:

· Is my learning/teaching philosophy expressed in my portfolio consistent with best practices? Review the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks at www.doe.mass.edu

· Did I place a "Post-it” sized comment on each artifact and do they explain the artifact and offer a refection of my learning/teaching philosophy?

· Do the photographs provide visual evidence of my beliefs in action rather than fluff?

· Does my portfolio show my growth as a professional and my belief in life-long learning?

· Is my portfolio attractive: neat, organized, free of errors, and inviting?

10 Teaching Competency Portfolio Do's

· Remember why you are creating a Teaching Competency Portfolio.

· Work with a critical, constructive friend.

· Organize your portfolio by required teaching competencies.

· Be selective with your artifacts! It's quality, not quantity.

· Use "post-it” sized comments to help readers understand each artifact and to "hear" your thinking.

· Use photographs to help readers "see" your beliefs in action.

· Find ways to show how you have grown as a professional.

· Have a good proofreader review your Teaching Competency Portfolio.

· Keep an active Working Portfolio even after you've finished your Teaching Competency Portfolio.

· Start collecting today!

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.

Written requests to distribute this text should be sent to Dr. John Marvelle, Department of Elementary & Early Childhood Education, Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA 02325. E-mail requests may be sent to: jmarvelle@bridgew.edu

Bridgewater State College professors may photocopy this document for use in their courses.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the many educators who shared their insights and experiences with portfolios and offered suggestions for this publication. This list includes: Kelly Buxton, Sarah Crowley, Jennifer Dort, Beth King, Kristie Lambalot, Elise Marvelle, Erica Morrill, Dr. Joanne Newcombe, Dr. Charles Robinson, Barbara Watts, Laurie White, and Jamie Vient.

The research behind this publication was made possible because of a generous grant from CART, the Center for the Advancement of Research & Teaching at Bridgewater State College and as a result of the support and encouragement of the Eisenhower-supported B3 Collaborative.