The Teaching Portfolio:
What it is & Why you need one
NANCY G. ABNEY
INSTRUCTOR & PROGRAM MAN AGER
U A B G R A D U AT E S C H O O L
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
W W W. U AB . E D U / P R O F D E V
NABNEY@UAB.EDU
Goals
1. Overview of the Teaching Portfolio:
 What it is
 Why you need one
2. Getting started on your Philosophy of Teaching
Why do you need a portfolio? The benefits.
Balance evidence of your teaching &
research for a well-rounded CV
Teaching philosophy is required for most
faculty positions
Prepare for job talk
Reflect on & improve teaching
What should you put in yours?
What is your primary purpose for attending
this webinar?
Choose the best answer that describes your situation
 A) I’m entering the job market soon ( within 6 months)
 B) I want to improve and document my teaching
 C) I have a teaching portfolio and want to enhance it
 D) I’ve heard about teaching portfolios, but am not really
sure what they are, and am curious to learn more
Growth
Job
Is the basis for
Process Portfolio
Product Portfolio
Teaching Philosophy & methods
Presenting the Evidence
Document effectiveness
Snapshot
of Best
Self-evaluation
Reflect critically on your practices
Document your efforts
Evaluate the effects
Reflection over time
• Development of teaching
• Describe & track Innovations
What is your level of teaching experience?
 A) None
 B) Assist professor (some guest lectures/ grading)
 C) Teach laboratory sections
 D) Fully responsible for teaching course(s)
 E) Design and teach my own course(s)
What the experts say
 A coherent set of material that represents your teaching
practice as related to student learning (Mues & Sorcinelli)
 Description of effectiveness & accomplishments
 Documents & materials covering the scope and quality of a
professor’s performance (Seldin)
 <10 pages of organized narrative, plus appendix of
supporting material (8-15 pages)
Peter Seldin (2004) “The Teaching Portfolio” 3rd ed. San Francisdo: Jossey-Bass
 Fran Mues & Mary Sorcinelli (2000)“Preparing a Teaching Portfolio” The Center For
Teaching, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Elements of the Teaching Portfolio
Philosophy of Teaching
Values
Beliefs
Attitudes
Goals & Objectives
for self
for students
Content delivery method
Treatment of students
Growth in your field
Efficiency & evolution as a teacher
Learning objectives (knowledge & skills)
Professional development
Personal development of students
Evidence of Effectiveness
Student evaluations
Self reflection
Peer observation
Innovations
Teaching responsibilities
New course design
Video
Podcast
Web pages
Expressions of Teaching & Learning
Tests
Quizzes
Homework
Syllabi
Web use
Discussions
Interactive learning
Texts
Final papers
Group projects
Writing samples
Mid-term evaluations
Assignments
Other samples of student work
What constitutes a good philosophy?
 Include specific, personal examples
 Convey reflectiveness
 Communicate the value of teaching

Tone of enthusiasm, commitment
 Student- or learner-centered
Diversity & learning styles
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts.php
Rubric, Strategies, Examples
Process: Freewriting
Think of a specific time when you had to
teach (convey information , train, explain
something important to) someone else.
How did you do it?
The Teaching Philosophy
“Just because you have never written a statement of your teaching
philosophy, does not mean you do not have a philosophy”
What it is
 1-2 pages of first-person narrative
 Reflective & personal (not generic)
 Includes goals, methods, and assessments
How to write it
 Describe your disciplinary context
 Begin with the end in mind: What do your students learn?
 Tell a story: Give concrete, specific descriptions of your teaching
See “What Constitutes a Good Statement” in CRLT paper
Big Questions
 What is learning?
 How does learning happen?
 What are the outcomes of my teaching?
 How does a teacher facilitate learning?
 What are my goals for students?
 How do I know when I’ve met my goals?
(i.e., How do I evaluate learning?)
 How do my goals translate into ACTION?
Tips
 Take time to reflect regularly
 Keep a teaching journal
 Look at lots of examples, from a variety of fields
 Treat teaching as a research project
 Gather plenty of evidence—sometimes the evidence
can influence the writing of your philosophy
Evidence
Evidence
Your Students
Yourself
Course Evaluations
Syllabi
Letters & Emails
Class Materials
Success Stories
Assignments
Products of Learning
Innovations
- Examples of work
-Pre/Post scores
Reflections on how
you improved
Peers & Mentors
Letters/observations from
supervisors, peers,
mentors about your
teaching
Evaluations of teaching
materials from others
Teaching improvement
activities
Evidence from Yourself: Reflection
Think of a time you overcame a difficult
communication or training issue.
What did you do?
(Action/Method)
Why?
(Philosophy /Belief)
This is evidence that
You are a reflective practitioner
You are committed to improving your teaching
You are attentive to student learning
Basic Elements of a Portfolio
• Classes/guest
lectures
• Training &
mentoring
• Lab sessions
• Include detailed
description of role,
• Course credits,
hours
• Course description
Roles &
responsibilities
• How I teach & why I
do it that way
• Personal beliefs
about teaching &
learning
• Goals & objectives
• Unique stories that
reflect my context &
approach
• Formal evaluations
• Observations
• Letters
• Reflections
• Ongoing feedback
from classes
Philosophy
Evidence
• Syllabi
• Samples of
student work
• Assignments/
Homework/
Assessment tools
Appendix
The Teaching Portfolio:
What it is, Why you need one,
& How to get Started
N A N C Y G . A B N E Y, M A - T E S O L
INSTRUCTOR & PROGRAM MAN AGER
U A B G R A D U AT E S C H O O L
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
W W W. U AB . E D U / P R O F D E V
NABNEY@UAB.EDU
FAQs
 Should I include “negative” student comments?

http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/cat.html
 What if I don’t have much teaching experience?
 Should I send my portfolio unsolicited?

http://www.cirtl.net/files/Summer%202012CourseFlier.pdf