This document discusses teaching portfolios and their uses. It defines a teaching portfolio as a living document created by teachers for reflection, critique of their work, and evaluation of lesson effectiveness. Portfolios can be used formatively to provide feedback and help teachers improve, or summatively to evaluate teacher effectiveness for decisions like contract renewal. The document recommends including reflections, lesson plans, student work samples, and evaluations in a portfolio. It also outlines the portfolio requirements and purposes from the perspectives of both university management and teaching faculty.

1. LET ME THINK ABOUT
IT:
A TEACHER’S
PORTFOLIO
Ida.Dolci@zu.ac.ae

2. Outline of the presentation
 “Teaching effectiveness" and "effective
teaching"
 What is a professional teaching portfolio and
how is it used?
 What should be included in it ?
 ABP Faculty and Management’s perspectives
of the assessment portfolio used at Zayed
University
 Final thoughts
 Reflection and Questions

3. Teacher Effectiveness and Effective Teaching
 Are you an effective teacher? How do you
know?
 Would you like to be a better teacher? How can
you achieve that?
 Peter Doolittle (1994): certification
 Linda Darling-Hammond (1998): rigorous
standards
 How do we as teachers, provide evidence of
our effectiveness ?

4. What is a professional teaching
portfolio?
Is it…..
simply a folder laden with teaching artifacts
and evaluations?

5. It should be….
 a living document created by the teacher ….
 a means of reflection….
 an opportunity for critiquing our work …..
 a chance to evaluate the effectiveness of
lessons, or interactions with students and
peers……
 a means for management to make decisions
regarding faculty performance over an extended
period of time…

6. How is a portfolio used?
First, portfolios are used as a  Probationary/ new
FORMATIVE evaluation process
faculty
The review is FORMATIVE
 to increase reflection and provide
an ongoing record of a teacher's
growth. ………AND
 Mid contract
 to provide feedback to teachers
so that they may improve their The review is
teaching and level of DEVELOPMENTAL
professionalism.
 Contract renewal
Second, teacher portfolios can be
SUMMATIVE and be used The review is SUMMATIVE
 as a means of authentic
assessment in evaluating the
effectiveness of a teacher for
promotion and/or employment

7. Zayed University ABP program
Probationary/ new faculty Mid contract
the review is FORMATIVE The review is
Focus based on: DEVELOPMENTAL
establishing developmental Focus on :
goals and settling into the Instructor’s performance to date
program Instructors contribution to the
developing a strong rapport with dept and university
both students and faculty Incorporating technology
incorporating technology into the Professional development
teaching/learning mix activities undertaken
Review of goal planning and any
other future goals.

8. Contract renewal
The review is SUMMATIVE
Focus on:
• the instructor’s performance to date
in the classroom
• the instructor's contribution to the
development of the ABP and Zayed
University
• incorporating technology into the
teaching/learning mix and ability to
use technology in carrying out their
responsibilities in the ABP
• any professional development
activities undertaken
• achievement of past goals and an
indication of future short and long term
goals

9. What should be included in a professional
portfolio?
Background information-Teaching reflections-Professional
information
 Resume and teacher background
 A personal statement of teaching philosophy and goals
 Lessons plans, class descriptions , assessments
 Video/audio tape of class lessons
 Colleague observation records
 Written reflections on teaching
 Samples of students’ work and assessments
 List of professional activities and seminars attended/given
 Formal evaluations

10. What documentation is required by Zayed
University ABP ?
 resume and professional development
 General section
 peer and management feedback
 Teaching
effectiveness  reflection & periodic self-review
section
 Service  faculty review of student performance at
Contribution the end of each course
Section
 student feedback at the end of a course
 Scholarly and
creative
 teaching materials produced, used and
activities peer reviewed
 student pass rates

11. Management vs. Faculty perspectives
What is the aim of a portfolio?
Management’s
Faculty’s perspectives
perspectives
 Provides a starting point for  Makes teachers reflect on what they
discussion with management on are doing/need to do and set goals
attainment of professional standards  Gives managers data about how
as laid down by the workplace. /what teachers are thinking
 Gives management insight  Gives teachers an opportunity to
 Used as an assessment of faculty talk about their teaching groups
teaching, performance and and to compare their perception with
evaluation against defined standards that reflected in the good or bad
 Allows faculty to reflect on their SELEs.
teaching practice and to set teaching  Pointless, time consuming and
and personal development goals required by management
 Provides objective data via Seles  To collate evidence of and reflect on
(student evaluation of learning teaching and development activities
environment), Sedona, courses during an academic year.
taught and reflection.  To observe probationary teachers
and for contract renewal purposes

12. Final thoughts
Portfolio should help us to:
 have an understanding of how students learn
and a concern for their intellectual
development
 want to work with and learn from colleagues
 reflect continually on our own professional
practice
 use research on teaching in our discipline

13. Reflection and questions for discussion
 What do I know about portfolios now that I
didn’t know before?
 What are the advantages of creating a
portfolio?
 How can a portfolio help me develop as a
teacher?
 Do I have any reservations about portfolios?

14. References and websites
 Christison, M., & Murray, D.E., Eds. ( 2009). Leadership in English Language
Education: Theoretical Foundations and Practical Skills for Changing Times, New
York: Routledge.
 Coombe, C. et al Eds. (2008) Leadership in English Language Teaching and
Learning, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press.
 Doolittle, Peter. 2002. http://ericae/net/db/edp/ED384608
 Knapper, Christopher K. 1995. "The Origins of Teaching Portfolios." Journal on
Excellence in Teaching 6 (1): 45-56.
 Nolan, J., & Hoover, L.A., (2004). Teacher Supervision and Evaluation: Theory into
Practice. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
 The Reflective Practitioner: How profession … in Action. Basic Books. New York
 Seldin, Peter. 1993. Successful Use of Teaching Portfolios. Bolton, MA: Anker
Publishing.
 Wolf, Kenneth. (1996) Developing an effective teaching portfolio. Educational
Leadership 53
 http://www.teachervision.fen.com/pro-dev/teaching-
methods/20155.html#ixzz1rHPiWLDF
 http://www.cs.tufts.edu/~ablumer/portfolio.html#What