Introduction
A professional portfolio is not merely a file of course
projects and assignments or a scrapbook of teaching memorabilia. It is an
organized, goal-driven documentation of one’s professional growth and achieved
competences in teaching. Although it is a collection of documents, these
documents are at times self-selected, reflecting one’s individuality and
autonomy as well as providing tangible evidence of the wide range of knowledge,
skills, and dispositions that one has developed and achieved as a growing
professional. There are many types of professional portfolios that can be
developed. One type of portfolio is organized around standards and contains artifacts
that demonstrate evidence of an achieved goal or the attainment of particular
knowledge and skills. This is the type of portfolio developed in the MSED 2000
course.
Because
MSED 2000 is one of the first education classes you will take, you will begin
the process of developing a professional portfolio in an electronic format
during the course. The electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) at this level of
development is known as a working portfolio in which you will be required
to complete portfolio assignments (artifacts). As you continue to progress
through your teacher education program at VSU you will most likely be required
to add assignments (artifacts) and narratives to your e-portfolio. Several
programs in VSU’s College of Education require students to add artifacts
(assigned and/or self-selected) and narratives as they progress through their
program and have an e-portfolio by the end of the student teaching experience.
Your e-portfolio will be revised and expanded as you grow professionally and
will document what you will know and be able to do upon completion of your
teacher education program. You may also want to revise and expand your portfolio
from a working portfolio to a teaching portfolio as you become a professional
educator. Many school systems are now requiring teachers to have teaching
portfolios.
The INTASC
Standards
The standards used to develop your e-portfolio are the principles established by
the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) which can
be accessed at: http://www.ccsso.org/intasc.html
These
standards were chosen because they serve as the basis of the College of
Education’s Conceptual Framework. The standards are generally applicable for
teachers of all disciplines and all levels and are aligned with National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The NBPTS can be accessed at:
http://www.nbpts.org/
Developing
a portfolio organized around a set of standards greatly facilitates your
understanding, growth, and achievement of identified goals. The COE Conceptual
Framework Principles (INTASC Standards) are already in a template in FrontPage
2002 that you will be able to access during lab times.
Today
many professional organizations are setting goals for the teachers of the
twenty-first century. The professional goals established by these organizations
are called by a variety of names, including standards, principles, performance
domains, outcomes, and competencies. Regardless of what they are called, they
all attempt to reflect the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that define
excellent teachers, and therefore are goals for you, as a preservice teacher, to
strive to achieve. You should become familiar with these documents that outline
sets of standards for your discipline, your state, and your university and
reflect upon them as you set your own personal educational goals.
For the MSED 2000 course, the following components and artifacts are required
for your electronic professional portfolio:
