Portfolios in the ELA Classroom

1. Portfolios in the ELA Classroom
Honor Moorman

2. Agenda
• Part One: What is a portfolio? What is the
purpose of a portfolio? What does the
portfolio process look like?
• Part Two: What are the affordances of digital
portfolios?
• Part Three: How will you implement writing
portfolios in your classroom?

3. What is a portfolio?

4. A special case

6. Anartist’sportfolio

7. A collection of artifacts

8. What is an academic
portfolio?

9. A purposeful collection of student
work that exhibits the student’s
efforts, progress, and achievements
[over time]
Northwest Evaluation Association

10. A portfolio is a collection of
evidence that is gathered together
to show a person’s learning journey
over time and to demonstrate their
abilities
Philippa Butler

11. A collection of student work that
demonstrates achievement or
improvement
Richard Stiggins, Student-Centered Classroom
Assessment

12. What is the purpose of a
portfolio?

13. Please take the Purpose of
Portfolio Survey

14. Portfolio as a
Process/Workspace
• Main activity: learning &
collaboration
• Organization:
chronological
• Documenting growth
over time for both
internal and external
audiences
• Primary purpose: learning
or reflection
• Reflection: immediate
• Main activity: showcasing
achievement
• Organization: thematic
• Documenting
achievement of
standards, goals, learning
outcomes for primarily
external audiences
• Primary purpose:
accountability
• Reflection: retrospective
Portfolio as
a Product/Showcase

15. Portfolio as a
Process/Workspace
• Focus on artifact or
learning experience
• Assessment FOR
Learning
• Formative Assessment
(feedback)
• Portfolio as journey
• Reflection leads to
interactivity, and
feedback
• Focus on standards,
goals or learning
outcomes
• Assessment OF Learning
• Summative Assessment
(evaluation)
• Portfolio as destination
• Reflection leads to
presentation and
evaluation
Portfolio as
a Product/Showcase

16. A portfolio is both
a process and a product.

17. Process Product

18. Workspace Showcase

19. What’s your metaphor for a
portfolio?

20. What does the portfolio process
look like?

21. The Portfolio Process
Collect Select Reflect Present Share

25. Present Share

26. We do not learn
from
experience.
We learn from
reflecting on
experience.
~John Dewey

27. Reflection Questions
• What do you want to remember about
this learning experience?
• What was challenging about this
learning experience?
• What was interesting about this learning
experience?
• How did this learning experience help you
grow as a learner?

29. What are the affordances of
digital portfolios?

33. Web 2.0 is becoming the Personal Learning
Environment of the “Net Generation”
Learning that is . . .
• Social and Participatory
• Lifelong and Life Wide
• Increasingly Self-Directed
• Motivating and Engaging
• . . . and Online!
Web 2.0
• Access from Anywhere
• Interactivity
• Engagement
• Lifelong Skills
• Mostly FREE

34. A digital portfolio is a tool for:
• assessing a students work and progression
• structuring learning and teaching
• enhancing communication and collaboration
• sharing experiences and resources
• supporting the construction of a “community
of practice”
Hakon Tolsby, Digital Portfolio: A Tool for Learning, Self-Reflection,
Sharing and Collaboration

35. An e-Portfolio is an electronic collection of
evidence that shows your learning journey
over time. … Evidence may include writing
samples, photos, videos, research projects,
observations by mentors and peers, and/or
reflective thinking. The key aspect of an e-
portfolio is your reflection on the evidence,
such as why it was chosen and what you
learned from the process of developing your
e-portfolio.
Philippa Butler

37. Portfolio processes and
value-added benefit of technology
Traditional portfolio processes
include
 Collecting
 Selecting
 Reflecting
 Presenting
 Sharing
 Celebrating
Adding technology allows
enhancement through
 Archiving
 Linking
 Storytelling
 Collaborating
 Connecting
 Publishing
Adapted from Helen Barrett, “Researching electronic portfolios and learner
engagement,” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, March 2007

39. Technology provides a variety of tools
to support
• Capturing and storing evidence
• Reflecting
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Planning and setting goals
• Collaborating
• Presenting to an audience

40. Digital Workspace/Learning Portfolio
• Space for document/artifact storage (collection)
• Space for reflection connected to individual
artifacts
• Facilitate collaboration on artifact development
• Facilitate feedback/dialogue on documents (by
peers or teachers)
• Privacy Protection/Security
• Track participation on group-developed artifacts
(optional)
• Facilitate evaluation of artifacts (optional)

41. Digital Showcase/Presentation Portfolio
• Hyperlink to select specific documents in collection
• Organize presentation by themes (outcomes, goals,
standards) with reflections
• Personalize presentation
• Publish online to selected audiences (privacy/security)
• Create archive of presentation portfolio with artifacts
• Facilitate evaluation of portfolio as a whole (optional)

43. Select a Quotation and Connect to
• Archiving
• Linking
• Storytelling
• Collaborating
• Connecting
• Publishing
• Capturing and storing
evidence
• Reflecting
• Giving and receiving
feedback
• Planning and setting goals
• Collaborating
• Presenting to an audience

54. What will writing portfolios look
like in your classroom?

55. Design Questions to Consider
• Purpose? (to demonstrate best work, growth, proficiency,
readiness, etc.)
• Collect and Select
– What will be Included? Who will decide?
– How will it be organized? (create a Table of Contents)
• Reflect
– Which pieces will students reflect on and when?
– What kinds of reflection questions will they address?
– What format? (short response, reflective essay, letter, etc.)
• Present and Share
– How and when will this happen?
– When and with whom will the portfolio be shared?
• Assessment
– What to evaluate? When to evaluate?
– How to assess? (rubrics, checklists, etc.) Who will assess?

56. Looking at Portfolio Design
• Do students choose their own topics?
• Do students get peer and instructor response to
drafts before a piece of writing is graded?
• Do students write to different audiences?
• Do students reflect on their own writing
processes?
• Do students determine which pieces of their
work will be published?
• Is the class given the responsibility, the time, and
the resources for publishing?

57. All Images CC via Flickr
• Portfolio Case by Streetfly JZ
• Investment Portfolio by Iscan
• Abstract Photo collection by catchesthelight
• Puertas de Cartagena by Luz Adriana Villa
• pottery in the making by dave~
• 3 pots by cobalt 123
• guiding touch by pangalactic

58. All Images CC via Flickr
• Pottery Factory by user.c
• Notebook Collection by Dvortygirl
• One Done by Daniel 1977
• Digital Portfolio Reflection Points langwitches
• Soph Board Intro Ken Robinson by Talia
Howard
• OZ 318 by torres21
• Roof Reflection CC sharkbait

59. References
• Helen Barrett, “Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios,”
electronicportfolios.org/balance
• Helen Barrett, “Metaphors for Portfolios,”
electronicportfolios.org/metaphors.html
• Helen Barrett, “Researching electronic portfolios and learner engagement:
The REFLECT Initiative,” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, March
2007
• Philippa Butler, “Review of the Literature on Portfolios and Eportfolios,”
2006
• Northwest Evaluation Association, quoted in Paulson, Paulson, and Meyer,
“What Makes a Portfolio a Portfolio?” Educational Leadership, Feb. 1991
• F. Leon Paulson and Pearl R. Paulson, “What Makes a Portfolio a
Portfolio?” Educational Leadership, Feb. 1991
• Geoff Rebbeck, quoted in Effective Practice with e-Portfolios: Supporting
21st Century Learning, JISC, Sept. 2008

60. Sample 10th Grade Student Portfolios
 Look at examples
 Click around
 Make notes
I notice . . . I like . . . I wonder . . .