- Jun 2015
-
files.eric.ed.gov files.eric.ed.gov
-
there is a powerful impact on growth and self awareness when students can see their own development in speaking, in writing, in thinking and problem solving.
So it all comes back to self-directed learning again. As I've begun to think about this competency in our school, I've thought about how this might be something that is intertwined with all other competencies. In plain language, this might mean that students are always pulling back holding up a mirror (or taking a snapshot) of their learning/journey.
-
The kind of work assigned thus makes a big difference. If students have only been asked to write in one mode or to one type of audience (or no audience except the implied teacher as audience), their portfolios will provide less opportunity to find direction.
This is real, and perhaps, a bit understated. When students are doing worksheets, filling in blanks, how can we ask them use them for self-expression (sonnet), self-reflection (mirror) or for making a plan (map).
But then, does this mean that we have to spend more time on creating conditions and projects for meaningful work before working on portfolios? Probably not, but this does remind me of how much gets revealed because of portfolios.
Seeing what's not there yet -- in our own curriculum -- is a big reason why teachers resist student portfolios, I think.
-
Criteria for performance, such as the Alverno criteria for speaking across the curriculum guide the interaction between student and teacher.
The purpose of criteria is not about judgment or meeting standards, it's a precursor for conversation or interaction between teacher and student.
-
Using explicit criteria, the student develops the ability to look at her own work and determine the strengths and weaknesses evident in a particular performance or across a set of performances. She begins to set goals to address the areas she needs to develop and to deepen her areas of strength.
The obvious paradox here is that the more "explicit" and digestible (student friendly) our criteria, the more a student can be independent in assessing her own work. That's a wonderful tension between top-down criteria and bottom-up assessment.
-
That power is unleashed when teachers see the portfolio process as dependent upon the clarity of goals for student performance through their work in the liberal arts and professional education curriculum; when they attend to the quality of the assignments, projects and assessments that they provide for their students; and when they take the responsibility for teaching students the process of reflection and self assessment.
That's a lot to throw in here at the end. It does make me wonder about how focusing too much on assessment might become the tail wagging the dog, if you know what I mean. Because ultimately it gets back to working together to create quality assignments and teaching the process of self-directed learning.
-
- May 2015
-
files.eric.ed.gov files.eric.ed.gov
-
"What connections can I make between what I'm learning in one class with what rm learning in another?" ""What questions do I have about my learning?"
Versions of these questions would be good for us to consider in our portfolio panels.
-