How and Why to Build A Professional Portfolio. More geared toward educators, but relevant to other fields.

2.  TEACHERS: Many school districts
require probationary teachers to
develop a portfolio before being
recommended for tenure.
 Shows your content knowledge and
expertise in a field in a quick
snapshot.
 Makes you stand out from other
applicants to a job.

3.  Purpose is to collect evidence that
demonstrates your effective work
(classroom, school, District, field)
 Analyzes progress over the year(s)
 Records and tracks your professional
development experiences and how they
effect your work
 A working document

4.  Demonstrates your skills.
 Meaningful collections of artifacts based
on a set of professional growth goals.
 A timeline for sampling work & reflection
statements.
 TWO MAIN PARTS: Evidence & Reflection

5.  Help you articulate your professional
goals and the work you have been
doing to achieve them.
 to record your professional
accomplishments.
 to help you have materials ready for a
job search.

6.  Organize goals and experience prior to
an interview.
 Communicate your professional
experience and accomplishments to a
potential employer.
 Expand on your one-page resume by
providing a fuller, richer portrayal of your
abilities and experience.

7.  Portfolios may be either hardcopy or
electronic.
 Each year, you should have a
professional development goal.
 Select artifacts that demonstrate how
this professional development goal has
impacted your work.
 Develop goals and plans for future
professional growth.

8.  Statement of professional goals and philosophy
 Resume or Curriculum Vitae
 Narrative description of experiences you want to highlight; for
example:
› Academic Work
› Research
› Teaching
› Leadership
› Service
› Publications
› Conference Participation
› Work Experience and Skills
› Performance Reviews
› Recognition and Awards
 Appendices:
› Annotated materials and examples to illustrate or elaborate on your
statement of goals, philosophy, and the experiences referred to in your
narrative description

9.  For the purposes of this
demonstration, we will
focus on a teacher’s
portfolio.
 WHY?
› Closest to the work you
have been doing.
› May be altered to fit into
any desired profession.

10. Content Knowledge
1. How have you increased capacity to determine
which instructional techniques are most
appropriate for building students’ understanding
of varying forms of content?
2. What aspects of content knowledge continue to
shift and evolve, and how have you worked to
keep pace with these changes?
3. How do you work to enhance your knowledge of
content related to curricula prior to and beyond
the grade level of the students you serve?

11.  Possible Artifacts/Exemplars:
› Evidence of ongoing professional
development and continuing education.
› Involvement in Professional Organizations.
› Professional and academic publications.
› Excerpts from classroom observation reports.
› AmeriCorps Director and/or Site Supervisor
Progress Reports.

12. Preparation
1. Describe the process you utilize to plan or map
out your curriculum or academic interventions.
2. What process do you use to ensure appropriate
differentiation of instruction during your planning
process? What data do you use to make these
decisions?
3. What strategies have you found most effective for
establishing a rationale for how your students best
learn? What strategies do you find most effective
for implementing lesson plans with your students?

13.  Possible Artifacts/Exemplars:
› Sample standards-based unit of study
› Excerpts from classroom observation report
› Sample of student work as outcome of your
teaching

14. Instructional Delivery
1. Consider the instructional strategies you have
found to be consistently effective in increasing
student involvement in discussions, linking learning
with prior knowledge, and fostering engagement.
2. Consider instructional methods you have
experimented with and chosen to discard. What
data, observations, and other indicators led you
to discontinue those methods?
3. Describe an example lesson plan which initially
failed to meet your anticipated goals, but
succeeded after you revised it.

15.  Possible Artifacts/Exemplars:
› Lesson Plans/Unit Plans
› Samples of student work
› Video of instructional delivery
› Photographs of student-centered
instructional process

16. Classroom Management
1. What systems have you established to provide
smooth and efficient transitions in your classroom
or after school program?
2. Describe how you monitor student behavior and
respond to student misbehavior in an appropriate
manner.
3. Describe your process for establishing effective
routines and systems for handling materials and
supplies.

17.  Possible Artifacts/Exemplars:
› Classroom procedures and expectations.
› Management contracts.
› Parent communications.
› Videos of you in action.

18.  Student Development
 Student Assessment
 Collaboration
 Reflective and Responsive Practice
 Record Keeping and Communication
 Teacher Professionalism

19.  Start as early as possible
 Work collaboratively with supervisors in
building your portfolio to make it part of
your annual review process. You can
work with your supervisor to focus on
your goals and objectives for each year
and discuss how you are reaching your
goals.

20.  Building your portfolio should be an
integral part of your professional growth.
It should help you and your supervisor
focus on your strengths and areas for
growth and development.
 It should be a powerful tool for self-
reflection and development.

21.  Make it RELEVANT:
› Include your goals
› Make sure it’s tied to criteria for evaluating
effective teachers
› Include supportive examples of student work
and performance that reflect those criteria.

22.  Organize your portfolio
› Clearly labeled sections.
› Professional and high quality.
› If you can incorporate technology it will
make you that give you an added edge
over competition.

23.  Develop the practice of collecting
materials that represent your skills and
achievements.
 Know your audience: Study job
announcements and learn what
professionals in your field value when
hiring.
 Select an organizing principle that best
reflects your work; for
example, chronological, functional, or
thematic

24.  Association of American Geographers:
http://www.aag.org/Careers/UW/Profportfolios.html
 Colorado State:
http://www.biz.colostate.edu/career/portfolio.htm
 Florida State:
http://www.career.fsu.edu/ccis/guides/port.html
 Michigan State:
http://www.csp.msu.edu/cdc/explore/proport.htm
 Northwestern University:
http://www.northwestern.edu/careers/STUDENTS/job-
skills/portfolio.htm
 RLS Career Center:
http://www.rlscareercenter.org/portfolio.htm

25.  www.professionalportfolio.net

26. •What do you
think about this
ePortfolio?
•Is it appropriate
for the career
goals of this
person?
•What would
you change
about it?

27. •What do you
think about this
ePortfolio?
•Is it appropriate
for the career
goals of this
person?
•What would
you change
about it?

28. •What do you
think about this
ePortfolio?
•Is it appropriate
for the career
goals of this
person?
•What would
you change
about it?

29. •What do you
think about this
ePortfolio?
•Is it appropriate
for the career
goals of this
person?
•What would
you change
about it?