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Emma - Tonight we are going to talk about developing a professional portfolio. Dyan, my teaching partner and I are hosting this chat! We are here to answer any questions you have about portfolios.
Emma - Does anyone have any questions about developing your professional portfolio for interviews, etc.?
dyan - Portfolios are tricky! You want them to be complete and detailed, but not too long that no one will want to look through the whole thing! We'd love to provide the information that should be included in a portfolio, anyone interested?
Emma - Sometimes an interviewer does have time to look through the portfolio. However, if it is too long they will only glance at parts of it. You want to make sure to include items that say the most about you as a teacher.
dyan - Every portfolio should include a statement of your beliefs - like a teaching platform. Starting off with something like this: I believe that all subject areas have the potential to contribute to the intellectual and social development of a learner. As teachers, we have the responsibility to be positive role models for our students. It is also important to make connections for students between subjects areas and with thier surroundings (real world). As a teacher, I want to influence the lives of my students by raising their levels of academic performance....
Mohoganee - Hey Dyan: That was dynamic. Bravo Bravo !!!!
Tom - I've heard to include a lot of student work samples from our student teaching, is this true?
Emma - My professional portfolio is a 3-ring binder. It is divided into sections with colored tab dividers. This makes it easier for the interviewer to flip to the sections that catch their interest.
dyan - Also included in a portfolio should be a resume, a biographical sketch, some sample lessons that you have done in students teaching, an explanation of a project that you did with your students, and yes, Tom, some student work samples!
J.P. - Some students have Electronic Portfolios
Randy/TN - Great! I had been substitute teaching while I was going to school. I got the job because I had substitued for them just before I started student teaching.
Emma - Tom: You don't want to overdo it.
Tom - What do you mean a biographical sketch?
Lauren - What is an electronic portfolio?
Emma - Another good thing to include in your portfolio are any letters of recommendation by other teachers, thank-you notes from parents (of students), and possibly observation notes from the principal.
dyan - Tom, a biographical sketch is highlighting your life, of course, the interviewer is interested in what you have done in your life, You especially want to include anything you have done that was related to students/children! Worked for a summer camp, etc....
Jill - Should you bring your professional portfolio to a student teacher interview?
Tom - Okay, I know what you mean. I have a lot of that on my resume.
dyan - HOw would you have a professional portfolio if you are a student teacher?
J.P. - Electronic Portfolio - a multimedia presentation of all of the paper materials that you might include - but in word processed or presentation software form
sharon - I don't know if I kept everything
Jill - We had to create one for a class-It includes resume..teaching philosophy...bio..
sharon - I was told thatit wouldn't hurt to add a video tape of yourself teaching
dyan - Sharon, you don't need everything, just a few really impressive pieces. YOu don't want to overwhelm your interviewer!
J.P. - Jill - that was a valuable class assignment
Mohoganee - The state of Massachusetts requires a video tape!
Emma - Sharon: that is a great idea! In fact, NY is now requiring a video of a sample lesson.
Randy/TN - That is why I think teaching programs should have students start their protfolio as soon as they start their teacher ed program.
J.P. - Video is based on the NBPTS model
dyan - Then yes, a person interviewing student teachers would love to see that you have already developed somewhat of a teaching philosophy, although it will probably change once you get into a classroom situation!
Tom - A lot of people have told me not to include too many appers we've written in college courses. I was told by my principal during student teaching that "anything that;s in a paper can be asked during an interview."
dyan - Randy, I agree!
sharon - That is a great idea Randy-my school is now doing that but it is too late for me because now I'm graduating
Emma - That is so true Randy. It is also important to keep it organized and easy to look through. An interviewer doesn't have a lot of time to look through a collection of papers.
Jill - Yes, it was very valuable for me..it made me formulate my thoughts on education into words
sharon - We have a seminar class right now and my teacher is bringing in principals and superintendents from our area to do mock interviews
dyan - Also, another great idea for your portfolio is to include pictures of bulliten boards you put together, and pictures of you working on "hands on" projects with your kids during student teaching!
marisa - I've been told by both principals and others, that a portfolio should not have more than 10 components. Principals do not have the time to look at them.
J.P. - Check out http://www.mnsfld.edu/~mlambert/prosem/portfolio.htmlfor good information on the portfolio
sharon - heard that you should include lots of pictures-that principals love them
Emma - Mock interviews are a great way to practice.
Randy/TN - I have also kept all the detailed lesson plans I ever wrote for class in a three ring binder.
marisa - PIctures are the best thing about a portfolio. One principal told me that just a small photo album would be great!
dyan - Yes, pictures are important, They are quick and easy for principals to glance through and see what you have done!
Jill - J.P-that is a good sight-I have checked it out a couple of times
Lauren - What kind of lesson plans do interviewers like to see?
Emma - Educators tend to be visual. Anything that is colorful, bright, and easy to read will be readily accepted.
marisa - Although I also think that it would be best not to be too cute-sy
sharon - Have any of the student teachers here written a letter home to the parents - if so what did you include in it?
dyan - Interviewers like to see lesson plans with objectives! Make sure they can understand what your purpose of the lesson was!
Emma - Interviewers want to see the style of lesson planning that you use, the lesson flow, are you organized and prepared, etc.
Jill - Sharon - I plan to - as long as my cooperating teacher approves - I will tell them about me and my goals
angela - sharon, i sent several letters home to the parents. are you wanting to know about an introduction letter? or update letters?
marisa - I had to write a letter at the beginning of the student teaching telling the parents about myself and what I was going to be doing with their children. I made it very easy to read and only one page long.
Emma - These days many elementary principals are interested in thematic or integrated units. This type of unit would be good to include in your portfolio.
Randy/TN - Before you take photos in of students in the classroom, you need to check on school and/or district policy concerning it.
Tom - I wrote a "Thank you" letter home to the parents in my student teaching class. It was very well received, I recommend it.
sharon - Is there a specific type of binder to use for your portfolio
Emma - Good advice Randy! Many schools have permission letters that go out to parents at the beginning of the year regarding photos, but others send them out on an as needed basis.
Cindy - Where and when did portfolios begin?
Emma - Sharon: I use a 3-ring binder. It makes it easier to organize and to add to it as you continue in the profession.
marisa - At the end of my internship, I did an evaluation letter to the parents asking them to evaluate me on the various things we did while I was there. I did a simple type of survey using numbers (1 being the worst, 5 being the best) Parents really liked it and I used some of the good ones in my portfolio!
dyan - You can use whatever you feel more comfortable with. I used a leather binder with three rings, tabbed sections, and it was able to be zipped all the way around, so it looked like a kind of brief case. It looks professional when you are all dressed up.
sharon - I was told to make the letter short but sweet-I was told if it was too long the parents wouldn't read it
marisa - Sharon, a leather-like 3 ring binder looks very professional.
Emma - Marisa: An evaluation letter like that would be a great addition to your portfolio and would express to the interviewer the type of relationship you established with the parents.
marisa - Definetly make the letter short!
Randy/TN - I used a 1 inch 3 ring leather binder.
dyan - Let's not assume that all parents are idiots! Many parents of my students LOVED our parent newsletters, which were very long and detailed! They really appreciated our effort and our principal loved it too!
Jill - I have a letter of recommendation from a professor - should I include that
dyan - Jill, yes! Include any letters of recommendation!
Tom - I've got a great letter of recommendation from my student teaching supervisor. I'd like to highlight it in my portfolio so I know it's noticed, but how would I do this correctly?
marisa - I'm not assuming that parents are idiots, I'm assuming they are busy!
angela - dyan, i meant an intro letter . i wrote bi-weekily update letters. mine too were longer and they too loved them. when i left that was one thing they said they appreciated.
Man here - Use what ever will help you.
Jill - Should your resume be the first thing the interviewer sees?
sharon - dyan-when my method teacher told me to keep it short and sweet she wasn't talking about news letters she was talking about introductory letters home-I don't think she was saying that parents are idiots just busy people and that we should respect that
Emma - Jill: I'd create a section labeled "Letters of Recommendation". This will help the interviewer to see it more easily.
dyan - Parents love to be kept informed! Your principal will really appreciate the effort as well!
marisa - I did a section in my portfolio called "Evaluations and Parent Communications" I included all the letters that I wrote home and the best evaluations.
Lauren - I was told that letters of recommendation from principals or teachers were given more weight than from professors.
Man here - Yes, news letters home are money in the bank.
Emma - The resume, like the portfolio, will probably not be looked at until after the interview is over. If you know the interview date far enough in advance, you may want to mail it to the principal so that they will have enough time to look through it.
angela - lauren that is true because they are the ones that see you work with chidlren.
marisa - I was told the same thing Lauren. THey want to see letters from people who have actually seen you teach.
Emma - Has anyone here asked their principal to informally observe them? It is good practice and will look fantastic in a portfolio if the observation is a good one.
sharon - My seminar teacher said that if you go on an interview and the interviewer wants to keep your portfolio because he/she doesn't have time to look at it right then that you should let them
dyan - I'd make sure that you put your favorite letters of recommendation FIRST! They will always read what is first and take less notice as they go through.
marisa - I have heard of a "Resume' Book" Basically, its a portfolio that you have copied and bound and send it in prior to an interview.
Emma - Definitely Sharon! There is not enough time in an interview to look through the whole thing!
angela - sharon, but what if you have another interview scheduled?
Emma - Marisa: That is a fantastic idea!
sharon - My principal said that he is going to come see me also my cooperating teacher is going to take me to meet the superintendent
Lauren - I guess I better keep a copy of my porfolio! Yikes!
dyan - Principals love to see observations from other principals and mentor teachers! It is also a good idea to write your own reflection of the lesson and what you learned during that evaluation- just a short paragraph.
Emma - Sharon: Wow! That is a fantastic opportunity!
angela - sharon, meet as many people at the school as possible.
sharon - angela- hopefully they are not in the same day-whenever it is needed back by you just say sure you can have it will it be alright if I pick up on whatever date
Emma - Dyan: I couldn't agree with you more. Principals love to see that you can reflect on your own work and make necessary changes to improve your teaching.
Jill - Would you include official documents or make copies of them. For example, would you put your actual teaching certificate in or a xerox
Tom - I agree, one of the best things I did while student teaching was to make an effort to get to know as much of hte staff as possible.
marisa - Another idea is to tab your portfolio so that if asked you can turn directly to a certain part.
marisa - Make copies!!!
Emma - I wouldn't include the teaching certificate in your portfolio. Principals are assuming that you have the certification or will have it. It is not something that will interest them in an interview.
sharon - I was told to include copies-you are not always going tohave the real thing-when I first graduate I won't have my certifiacte yet to take on interviews only a letter that says i'm certified
angela - marisa, i agree. you would look more organized. Sometimes principals only have time to ask you to point out two or three things that represent you the best. it wouldn't look right if yuo had to thumb through it.
Randy/TN - I keep a teaching log. Every afternoon when I got home I would write an entry about what happened in class that day. Should I include excerts from it in my portfolio?
dyan - Make copies of everything immediately and store them in a safe place! However, it would look really nice to have the original letters of recommendation, certificates, etc... in your portfolio.
marisa - I did, however, include real samples of student work!
Brutus - If you are going to leave your portfolio, be very careful. I would not put originals (certification/diploma) in it if you are going to leave it. I have a friend who left hers and it was lost by the principal.
Emma - Tabs in a portfolio definitely make it easier to use.
marisa - As far as letters of recommendations go, I asked for 3 or 4 original copies so that I could include an original in everything.
Jill - good idea Marisa
sharon - Is it alright to put a lesson plan in there that you taught but borrowed the idea from some one else
Emma - Yes.
Tom - Did your friend get the job at the school?
Brutus - Tom - yes.
Emma - Good teachers are always borrowing ideas from other teachers. It helps us improve ourselves and makes us better teachers.
dyan - Randy, your teaching log sounds great! What a great way to reflect on your learning process! However, probably your teaching log would be a bit lengthy to inlcude in your portfolio. Try to think of a way to bring it up in an interview to impress the principal and let them know that you are very interested in improving your techniques - self reflection is important.
marisa - Almost all of my lessons are borrowed!
sharon - yes I know that borrowing ideas is good but can you include these ideas in your portfolio
marisa - I think you could include them. (I did!)
dyan - The new copy machines now-a-days are so clear, they look like originals! I don't think you need to ask for several originals! Principals understand!
Tom - During student teaching I kept a notebook that I jotted down ideas in. So if I saw another teacher or classroom doing something that I liked then I could possibly use the idea in the future.
Randy/TN - I wasn't going to include everyday. Just two or three maybe.
dyan - Tom - excellent! I did the same thing, and it made my first year of teaching sooo much easier! I already had a "bag of tricks and ideas"
dyan - Randy, that would be great!
marisa - How did you guys keep track of all those ideas? What is your filing system like?
Tom - Dyan- this wouldn't be soemthing I wouuld include in my portfolio though, would it?
angela - tom, i planned on dong it, but as time went by and the busier i got, the less i filled it in.
Randy/TN - I included any ideas in my teaching log.
dyan - I often kept track by subject area, also by bulletin board ideas, and by procedurs/classroom management. Make different file folders for all of these!
Tom - Angela- I know what you mean. I enentually just wrote them down througout the day and then at the end of the week I would copy all of my little scribbled notes into the notebook.
Emma - Everyone, It is important to remember that your portfolio needs to be a concise representation of you. The portfolio should be a way to show off what you have done in the classroom. It should compliment your interview, not take it over. Keep it to a minimum. One or two letters each from parents, fellow teachers & professors should do it, one overview of a unit plan and a few choice lesson plans should be sufficient, copies of any observations done by professors and principals is also great and then photos and samples of student work.
dyan - Tom, no you don't include this in your portfolio - this is for your reference! It doesn't even have to be neat, just organized for your future use!
marisa - A good idea is to leave an open "square" in your lesson plan book for observations of the day.
angela - emma, i agree. we were told to keep it simple, maybe 15 pages/ 10 items.
Tom - Trust me, it's a total mess.
Emma - Tom, how are you going to find all of these great ideas next year when you have your own classroom?
dyan - Yes, everyone, keep it simple and colorful! Make it neat and professional looking!
marisa - That's what I was trying to figure out, Emma
Tom - I really didn't write down too many ideas. I'd say about 25-30 or so. I flipped through it the other day and found that i remember most of them. I'll organize it this summer probably if I need to.
Randy/TN - What do you think about puting parts of your portfolio on your personal web page?
dyan - Are there any other questions that anyone has - other than porfolio? This can be an open forum now!
Emma - Three ring binders are another great way to keep the ideas you learn during your student teaching. I organized them by subject and/or topic. For example: Discipline strategies, Assessment ideas, Social Studies ideas, Special Education ideas, Math ideas, etc. Then you can further organize by tabbing the individual notebooks into different sections.
marisa - It has been my experience that relying too much on technology is counter-productive in this field. Unless you are ed. tech., I think you should stick old fashioned paper!
angela - randy,the only question would be if principals have the means or time to log on to a computer. i know these are technological times but not eveyone is up to date.
Tom - How much of an edge does special education certification give a interviewee?
angela - randy, i have heard of people doing it though.
Emma - Tom, every principal in the world is looking for a good special education teacher!
dyan - School districts are crying for special education trained teachers! It definitely gives you and edge for getting a job!
Brutus - Tom - My first certification was K-8. I couldn't get a job, so I began sp. ed. classes. I got offered a job under temporary cerfication.
Yaakov - How do you get a temporary cert'n??
marisa - Special ed is also a field where you can get a Teacher Shortage Forgiveness for your student loans.
Randy/TN - I'm special ed certified. That is another reason I was able to get a job in the middle of the school year.
Tom - I'm certified in special ed. when I graduate in May, and I really liked all my teaching experiences there, but I think I want to start out in regular education.
Brutus - The district went to the state and got me certified. In OH, you need 9 quarter hours toward sp.ed. to get temp. cert.
Emma - Yaakov, if you get hired for a job then the school district helps you get a temporary certification. This happens to most teachers who get a job in a different state than where they went to school.
dyan - Special Educaton training will also come in very handy in the regular ed classroom, because you will have several special ed students in you classroom for a good part of the day!
Tom - Is there a part of the country that's more or less difficult to get teaching jobs in?
Brutus - I taught MH for 2 years under temp. Now I am teaching SLD/DH under a temp. I am taking my last class now for certification.
dyan - I have heard that it is very difficult to get teaching jobs in New York, and that area. California is crying for teachers!
Yaakov - I have 3 bach. 2 masters, and 1 doc. 26 years experience in computers, and don't quilify to teach, so I sub. I want to teach!!
Tom - How about Massachusetts and New england. I know it was really competitive a few years ago, but I've heard it's getting better for new graduates.
angela - Maryland also needs teaches. they are going to start allowing retired teachers teach again without losing their pensions.
Yaakov - I need a TN temporary or alternative certification--how??
dyan - Yaakov, there is a website out there that is strictly for answering question of new/students teachers! www.inspiringteachers.com is a great resource!
Sly - I am seriously thinking about adding special ed. to my el. edu. major!
Randy/TN - Watch the for it on the list of events.
Tom - Sly- Definitely do it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it, but now I'm about to graduate and I'm real glad I did.
Brutus - Sly - I don't know where you are from, but I would say that it would be a wise choice.
dyan - Adding special ed to your degree is a great idea, if you have the time to do it - it would be worth your while!
Emma - Yaakov: Go to the TN dept. of education web site. They should have the answers for you. The address is: http://www.state.tn.us/education/
Emma - Well, I've gotta go. You guys take care. We're going to have a student teacher chat once a month so tell all of your friends! Also, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask our mentor at: http://www.inspiringteachers.com ! Night!
