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The Portfolio Process

The process employed in completing activity 1 is the same one used in developing the portfolio:

First you COLLECT artifacts. This means saving - electronically if possible - lesson plans, examples of student work, telephone logs, photographs, documentation of attendance at workshops/conferences, seating charts, notes from parents or students, observations/evaluations, etc. It is important to begin this process as soon as possible or many excellent artifacts will be lost-you often can't go back and find copies of student work several months after it has been completed and returned. (We suggest getting a large crate or box and dropping a hard copy of possible artifacts in this container on a regular basis. Additionally, you should keep a disk of possible portfolio artifacts-and/or a folder on your hard drive-to allow you to store electronic versions of your work.) Students can also submit papers to you electronically by emailing you a copy. Scanning student work prior to returning it provides a record that can easily be used in an Electronic Portfolio.

Next, you need to REFLECT upon what you have gathered. What kinds of things do you have? Which pieces best represent your abilities and skills in addressing the identified standard or goal? This step is a mental process but should include jotting down a few notes about what you have and the initial step in categorizing your artifacts. Examples of student work on an essay test-with your comments included-can be filed in an assessment folder. A list of artifacts collected and notations as to where they have been filed allows you to cross-reference them since many artifacts can successfully address several standards or goals.
Once you have viewed and reviewed the artifacts in your collection, you will SELECT artifacts to meet specific standards or goals. File these artifacts and any additional, supporting evidence in a folder and label it with the standard or goal.

*NOTE: An artifact can include multiple items. For example, if you are seeking to illustrate your ability to adapt instruction to meet student needs you might include an example of student work that is of low quality, along with your written comments (or a journal reflection) about this piece of work, a lesson plan you developed to meet this students needs, and another example of student work that shows improvement. Together these pieces could be considered a single artifact.