TEACHINGPORTFOLIO
By
SUTHAGAR NARASUMAN
L/O/G/O
What this talk is all about
• What is a teaching portfolio?
• What does portfolio stand for?
• What are the purposes of a teaching
portfolio?
• Why is a teaching portfolio important?
• What is the suggested teaching portfolio
structure?
• Reflection
Two Approaches to Portfolio
Creation
 Portfolios for Self-Evaluation & Development:
•
•
•
•
The Learning Portfolio (students)
The Course Portfolio (instructors)
The Teaching Portfolio (instructors)
The Academic Portfolio (faculty)
 The Professional Portfolio (The “job market”)
Definition
“What is a teaching portfolio? It is a factual
description of a professor’s teaching
strengths and accomplishments. It includes
documents and materials which collectively
suggest the scope and quality of a
professor’s teaching performance”
(Seldin P., 1997. The Teaching Portfolio, Anker Publishing)
• It may also be defined as a goal-driven
collection of materials that document one’s
teaching performance over time (Ohio
State University; Available at
http://www.osu.edu)
WHAT IS A TEACHING PORTFOLIO?
• Is it a showcase of your strengths and
accomplishment?
• Is it a platform for you to reflect your
teaching?
• Is it a proof that you understand what
teaching effectiveness means?
• Is it a compilation of evidence stating that
you are an effective teacher?
• Is it a collection of your best work?
• An extended teaching resume
• Materials collected over an extended
period of time, showing the progression
and full range of your abilities as a
lecturer.
• A communication of your teaching
experiences, goals, performances and
effectiveness as a teacher- bound together
by a critical reflection: the teaching
philosophy.
• The container approach: throw everything
imaginable about teaching into a box!
• A well crafted portfolio is a scholarly
argument about the quality of teaching
– Careful and honest collection of evidence
– Use of that evidence to draw conclusions
about the nature of teaching
• Being a factual description of a professor's
teaching accomplishments a teaching
portfolio must be supported by relevant
data and analyzed by the professor to
show the thinking process behind the
artifacts.
• Most portfolios are NOT collections of
everything that the professor has done in
the way of teaching over his or her entire
career. Rather they are selected samples
that illustrate how that individual's teaching
is carried out in the various venues in
which teaching occurs.
(http://www.utexas.edu/academic/cte/)
• Lecturers/researchers often
talk about their research
• What about your teaching?
• Why don’t we talk about that?
• How do we communicate and
share our teaching
experiences?
Basically, a teaching portfolio is a record
of:
• the ideas and objectives that inform your
teaching
• the courses you teach or are prepared to
teach
• the methods you use
• your effectiveness as an academic
• how you assess and improve your teaching
• your major contributions as an academic
• your future career path as an academic
PORTFOLIO STANDS FOR:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
P= Profession
O=Obligatory
R=Reflection
T=Thoughts
F=Facts
O=Organization
L=Limelight
I=Identity
O=Odyssey
• Format
– a collection of reflections and
documents
Electronic Portfolio
• http://oklportfolio.wordpress.com/
• http://jeremycrouthamel.wordpress.com/
• http://www.education.mcgill.ca/edue3ftoption/azortfolio.htm
• http://eduportfolio.org/3160
Electronic Portfolio
What are the purposes of TPF?
• As a developmental process for reflecting
on and improving one’s teaching; and
• As an evaluative product for personnel
decisions such as tenure, promotion, or
teaching awards.
• Provides documented evidence of
teaching that is connected to the specifics
and contexts of what is being taught
• It goes beyond exclusive reliance on
student ratings because they include a
range of evidence from a variety of
sources such as syllabi, samples of
student work, self-reflections, reports on
classroom research, and faculty
development efforts.
Why is a teaching portfolio important?
• develop, clarify, and reflect on your
teaching philosophy, methods, and
approaches
• present teaching credentials for hiring and
promotion in an academic position
• document professional development in
teaching
• identify areas for improvement
• promote collaborative work
• In the process of selecting and organizing
their portfolio material, faculty think hard
about their teaching, a practice which is
likely to lead to improvement in practice
• In deciding what should go into a portfolio
and how it should be evaluated, institutions
necessarily must address the question of
what is effective teaching and what
standards should drive campus teaching
practice.
• Portfolios are a step
toward a more public,
professional view of
teaching.
• They reflect teaching
as a scholarly activity.
Teaching portfolio comprises of:
• A statement that outlines your teaching
philosophy, practice and performance
• A dossier of relevant material to support
your claim in the summary statement.
Suggested Teaching Portfolio Structure
• A : Lecturer’s Profile
• B : Teaching Activities
• C : Evaluation and
Recognition
A. Profile
AA:
Curriculum Vitae
AB:
Teaching Philosophy Statement
AC:
Scope / Academic Responsibilities
AD:
Advancement of Academic Expertise
AE:
Academic Expertise Contribution
AA: Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Basic Contact Information
– Current mailing/email address and telephone number
• Education
– College and university only
– Thesis topic and thesis advisor
• Research Interests
– Key areas of past or current investigation
• Publications
– Journal articles
– Book chapters
– Conference proceedings manuscripts
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Presentations
– Conferences
– University
• Teaching Experience
– Courses taught or assisted in
– Special courses taken
• Service Activities
– Student organizations and leadership positions
– Professional organizations
– Community service
http://www.cv-resume.org/
AB: Teaching Philosophy Statement
• It is not a document that is full of technical
jargon
• Sometimes it is not even subject specific
• Clichés/euphemisms! NO
AB: Teaching Philosophy Statement
• Why do you teach?
 Why are you drawn to the rewards
and challenges of teaching?
 What is it that you can accomplish in
teaching that you find particularly
valuable and worthwhile?
• What do you teach?
 What are the specific subjects and
courses you are prepared to teach?
 What are your objectives for student
learning?
 Why are these objectives important?
 What should students gain from taking
your courses?
Teaching Philosophy Statement
• How do you teach?
 What teaching methods and strategies do you use
to meet your objectives? Do you prefer lecturing,
leading discussions, or group work? Do you use a
combination of these methods? Why and in what
circumstances?
 What kind of assignments and assessments do
you use? Why?
 How do you take into account different
learning styles and the challenges of teaching
students of varying aptitudes and levels of
interest in the topic?
 How do you approach teaching non-traditional
students? Do you use instructional
technology? If so, why and how?
Teaching Philosophy Statement
• How do you measure your
effectiveness?
How do you know whether you are meeting your
objectives?
How can you tell if your students are learning?
How do you use student evaluations to develop
new strategies for engaging student participation
or to meet other objectives?

Has your teaching been observed by a faculty
member or other evaluator? If so, how did you
use the feedback provided to improve your
teaching skills?
Have you had a class or teaching
presentation videotaped? If so, what did you
learn from this experience?
AC: Scope / Academic Responsibilities
• Significant achievements and
development of teaching
Innovation in teaching methodology
Teaching materials
Development of new teaching materials
Actions taken from students’ feedback
Advisory/supervisory work
AD: Advancement of Academic Expertise
• List of seminars/conferences
• List of research
• List of projects/collaborations
AE: Academic Expertise Contribution
• List of articles/publications
• List of textbooks/modules/manuals/
syllabus
• List of committees that require your
academic expertise
B: Teaching Activities
 BA :
ATA (schedules/students’ name lists /
syllabus)
 BB :
Sample of Students’ Academic
Work -Highest, Average, Lowest(marking scheme/comments / marks)
 BC :
Sample of Supervision Work /
Duties (marking scheme/
comments/marks)
B: Teaching Activities
BD:
Sample of Quizzes, Tests,
projects (marking scheme /
comments/ marks)
BE:
Sample of Past Year Questions,
Final Projects (marking scheme /
comments / marks)
C. Evaluation & Recognition
CA:
Student Evaluation (SuFO)
CB:
Observation Report (if any)
(Punctuality/Language/Presence)
CC:
Peer Observation & Evaluation
(Congeniality/ Collegiality)
C. Evaluation & Recognition
CD:
Appreciation & Recognition
(certificates/letters/awards)
CE:
Professional Membership &
Appointment
(professional bodies/posts held/guest
lectures)
Reflection
• Are you now positive towards preparing a
TPF?
• Are you excited in re-examining your TPF?
• What are your biggest challenges in
preparing your TPF?