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UNPACKING STRATEGY 7

Portfolios

Using portfolios allows students to reflect on learning, develop internal feedback loops, and understand themselves better as learners. A portfolio is not the pile of student work that accumulates over a semester or year. Rather, a portfolio contains a purposefully selected subset of student work.

When we think of portfolios we come up with a mental model. Those models are very different to each of us. We want to keep in mind today that there are different types of portfolios depending upon how they will be used. “Purposefully” selecting student work means deciding what type of story you want the portfolio to tell. We will explore each in detail as we proceed with the content (Mueller, 2016).

Portfolios can highlight or celebrate the progress a student has made. Then, the portfolio might contain samples of earlier and later work, often with the student commenting upon or assessing the growth. Do you want the portfolio to capture the process of learning and growth? Then, the student and/or teacher might select items that illustrate the development of one or more skills with reflection upon the process that led to that development.

Or, do you want the portfolio to showcase the final products or best work of a student? In that case, the portfolio would likely contain samples that best exemplify the student’s current ability to apply relevant knowledge and skills. All decisions about a portfolio assignment begin with the type of story or purpose for the portfolio.

The particular purpose(s) served, the number and type of items included, the process for selecting the items to be included, how and whether students respond to the items selected, and other decisions vary from portfolio to portfolio and serve to define what each portfolio looks like (Barrett, 2016).

Determine the Purpose

What is the purpose(s) of the portfolio? It is critical that the purpose(s) is clear throughout the process to student, teacher and any other pertinent audience. Teachers may choose to use a combination of these three types.

Growth Portfolios

  1. To show growth or change over time
  2. To help develop process skills such as self-evaluation and goal-setting
  3. To identify strengths and weaknesses
  4. To track the development of one or more products/performance

Showcase Portfolios

  1. To showcase end-of-year/semester accomplishments
  2. To prepare a sample of best work for employment or college admission
  3. To showcase student perceptions of favorite, best or most important work
  4. To communicate a student’s current aptitudes to future teachers

Evaluation Portfolios

  1. To document achievement for grading purposes
  2. To document progress towards standards
  3. To place students appropriately

Student-Led Conferences

Another method to encourage students to self-assess, track their learning, and share their learning is student-led conferences.

What has been your experience with student-led conferences?

If you are implementing student-led conferences currently, what are your successes? If you are not using student-led conferences now, would you like to use them?

What coaching or technical assistance does your team/school need to use student-led conferences effectively?