Teaching Portfolio.

JOSE GUSTAVO ESPINOZA MORALES

Universidad Gerardo Barrios. Teaching Practice I Elmer Jorge Guardado. March 03rd, 2014.

Teaching Portfolio. II

My Teaching Portfolio. The job as a teacher in fundamental and important for a whole society, because teachers educate societies. Nowadays exist many schools, college where teachers are working for people in order to educate many people. Every year the population is growing up and here it is where we can see the importance of a teacher in real life. Without teacher could be impossible to educate people. In the following you are going to see some elements that as a teacher uses in other to give a class. This will be as a reflection of a work that a teacher does for a group in any school. The importance of this is to see that teachers not just spend time in the classroom and the work as a teacher is not easy. Maybe you have heard that being a teacher is easy because they just spend time in the classroom and they got a salary just for repeating something that already exist, but that is not correct and it is a lie. You will see in this teaching portfolio other thing that as a teacher we need to use and design. This paper it will be divided in different steps, so in this way we can know more about a teaching portfolio. This is not an essay process because a portfolio needs time because includes many elements that as teachers we do. What is a Teaching Portfolio? Self-Evaluation and Reflection. Why do I need a Teaching Portfolio? How should I structure my Teaching Portfolio? Teaching Responsibilities. Statement of Teaching Philosophy. Teaching Methodology, Strategies, Objectives.

The development above aspects it will be important and interesting for everyone that wants to know how a teaching portfolio is designed. And for knowing in a deeper way how a teacher works. What is a Teaching Portfolio? First of all, in order to understand the term of teaching portfolio we need to know what it is. According to: (Marolla, 2010) A teaching portfolio It is a factual description of a professors teaching strengths and accomplishments. It includes documents and materials, which collectively represents the scope, development and quality of a professors teaching performance. Think of the function behind portfolios kept by architects, designers, artists, etc.-to display their best work and the thought process behind their work. As it is mentioned a teaching portfolio is

Teaching Portfolio. III

back up that a teacher has in order to show evidence what he or she has done. This is the importance of a teaching portfolio because without this is really impossible to show up what he does and avoid bad critics about his/her work as a teacher. Every professional document has information about his work and this is the form how a teacher can demonstrate the things that he uses inside and out of the classroom. Self-Evaluation and Reflection. One of the purposes of a teaching portfolio is that the teacher can make a reflection about his work and to know how he can change the way he teaches knowing what methods, strategies, technique, he needs to improve or change. The teaching portfolio has two important functions one is as a mirror, because the teacher can see how he works, and the second function is as a map, everyone knows that the map serves as a guide in order to get one place, but in this case it serves as a map because every teachers can see where they are going in the teaching and learning process. (Lockhart, 1994). According to this author we can see those functions in the chapter seven called Teaching Portfolio. Other thing, in selfevaluation we can write how we have worked and the expectations that we want to achieve in our teaching process. Being a good teacher is not easy because maybe some students are going to see you as the best one and other not, remember that we are working with people and not all time we are going to be special as they want. As you read this paper you will conclude in what kind of teacher I am. Maybe at the beginning I was an unprepared teacher because I did not know everything about being a teacher. Sometimes I make a lot of mistakes with different student or even in my teaching process. The main problem that I have found is that I am not a good listener but I will try to improve with this. The kind of teacher that I want to be is a friendly teacher, always prepared and with a professional style. I know that this is not easy, but I am in the way and I want to give all for a good change as a teacher. Now the challenge is hard as I mentioned before being a good teacher is not easy. Why do I need a Teaching Portfolio? As it is mentioned before, in the teaching portfolio are the evidences that you have as a teacher and this one can help you to be better in your professionalism and not just as a tool in the classroom, a teaching portfolio can help you to move forward into another position in any educational place: colleges, private and public schools.

Teaching Portfolio. IV

As a teacher we pass many problems not just in the class but also out of the class. Just one example, maybe we have heard that someone says something about a teacher, for instance just one comment: that teacher does not work in the class. Now that you are in my example you can see why you and I as teachers need a teaching portfolio. Now I write some benefits having a teaching portfolio. Balance evidence of your teaching and researches. Prepare for job talk. Teaching philosophy is required for most faculty positions. Reflect on and improve teaching. (Abney, 2012). How should I structure my Teaching Portfolio? In order to create a teaching portfolio one of the important things that we need to know is the structure of it, because it is not just to save something in a folder or a paper that you have designed. (Center., 2013) As it is approached at the beginning, a teaching portfolio has two functions one is: Summative portfolios these are created for the purpose of applying for an academic job or for promotion and tenure within a department. And the other one: Formative portfolios, unlike these are created for the purpose of personal and professional development. So, knowing these kinds of portfolio you can start the structure of the teaching portfolio. In some points you are going to know that you will need both portfolio because as teachers we are changing not just our method, but rather, students and all that has to do with the teaching process. A structured portfolio should be organized, complete and creative in its presentation. Some questions for you to think about might be: Is my portfolio neat? Are the contents displayed in an organized fashion? Are the contents representative for the purpose that it is intended? (Center., 2013) Answering those question you can structure the TP. I write some examples that the contents that TP has to have according some authors: Evidence of your understanding of subject matter and current developments in language teaching. (Lockhart, 1994) Here there are some things that are included in this part. A copy of your qualifications. A list of courses you have taken related to the areas you teach.

Teaching Portfolio. V

Written comments from a supervisor. Evidence of your skills and competency as a language teacher. Here some examples of contents. Student evaluations. Lesson Plans. Self-evaluations of a lesson you have taught. Example of students work. (Lockhart, 1994)

Your approach to classroom management and organization. A description of your philosophy. Written comments on your management and organizational skills by a supervisor. (Lockhart, 1994) Documents showing your commitment to professional development. A professional development plan for yourself. A report on other teachers classes that you have observed. A list of courses and workshops you have taken in recent years. (Lockhart, 1994) Here I just presented some parts that a teaching portfolio includes but there are more things that a teacher does inside of his process. Now here we will see the organization of this paper, as it is mentioned before it is not just to recollect information about your work or just to present things that shows that you work and nobody can tell you something about it. This first thing that you will include is introduction, artifacts: those are things mentioned before. Explanation, if you see this paper is an example about it because every part is explained. Reflection about your works etc. And at the end the conclusion, this can be a reflections or analysis of teaching works. (Lockhart, 1994) Teaching Responsibilities. Teaching responsibilities are the whole things that you need to develop in a class or out, but always related with teaching. In this case I put some responsibilities that I have to develop as professional in language teaching. Classroom teaching. In the next course I will develop forty hours with teenager their level are basic.

Teaching Portfolio. VI

Preparation of teaching materials. Activities, lesson plans. Methodologies, teaching notes etc. Teaching about teaching. In this one I will take opportunities to help and ask help to my colleges as teachers. Supervising students. Their homework, activities, to evaluate them and so on. Statement of Teaching Philosophy

The work as teacher is not to teach but to educate. If I focus my work jut to teach I will be lost because I think if we try to educate we are going to have a better success, in this way I can be visible for my students, If I teach they are going to forget, but if I educate, this will be in them for the rest of their the life. Learning is my principle. This is my principle because learning is not focused in to read something or memorize. Learning is beyond of that, Learning is a change in a person. How can I see if my students have learnt? Through a change in their behavior. So this is my weapon to cooperate in my society. My goal as a teacher is to inspire life not to kill it. As a teacher this is my fundament if I inspire a life I will see my result not now, but I know that I will see it in the future. My philosophy is center in an active approach. Where my students can take an active role in their learning process. Using active techniques with active activities. Students need a meaningful learning with not passive vocabulary, but rather all in an active form, where they can participate and discuss using active vocabulary.

Methods, Methodology and Techniques. As I was studying the last year about teaching Method I will apply the method that I have been learning there are many methods that I can apply and this depends of students, purpose and what I want to achieve, remember that the techniques are inside of the methods, for example I can use the traditional method, and this depends in a brief explication about an issue in grammar and as a technique I use the translation of this sentences into the native language. Other important factor is the methodology, this is a set of method that I can use in a class.

Teaching Portfolio. VII

The direct method: this consists without translation maybe with the strategy of reading and the technique of reading loud, questions and answers etc. (Larsen, 2004) The audio Lingual Method: In this we can teach vocabulary through the technique of repletion drill. (Larsen, 2004) Desuggestopedia: This is one of the most used here in this country because there are many people that think that they are not capable to learn other language, the work of this method is to show that they can and take the limits away. (Larsen, 2004) Community Language Learning. Humanistic technique where they say what they want to learn and other things. Other technique question and self-reflection. (Larsen, 2004) Total Physical response: This is more physical where students learn vocabulary through movement gestures and pictures. Techniques: The use of pictures, videos etc. I am not going to write more about methods because there are many and this is not just focused in methods. Now I will write just an example of methodology that I will use in my teaching practice: I will use the audio lingual method because I can use the technique of repetition and they can learn many word through it, and then, total physical response because after they have learnt they can perform what the vocabulary says, and finally Desuggestopedia and in this way I can encourage students to learn without fear. Strategies. Strategies are action that we use in order to achieve a goal with our students I just punt some strategies here because my teaching practice is short: Lectures: In this I will use book, short paragraph, presentation where my student can develop the reading skill. Discussions: where they can share what they think and at the same time developing the speaking skill. Writing: With this my students will develop their writing skill with the use or grammar, exercises, and so on.

Teaching Portfolio. VIII

Group Projects: Working in group they are going to share knowledge each other and at the same time they are going to improve their speaking skill. Independent Student Projects: We say in other word individually.

Objective. Learning is the major objective. This sound obviously, but as a teacher sometimes in the class me forget this, and we fail in this objective. At the end of the course students will be able to communicate in some conversations using the target language. Students will be capable to write some simples sentences using the target language.

This is not the end of a teaching portfolio because a TP includes many things in order to create a good one. But as a conclusion of this part is really important to start this process as soon as possible. As we see the most difficult factor is time, and this will take at least six months. As a teacher I recommend always to save all thing that you do as a professional in the field of teaching because maybe you will forget what kind of things you have done, and in this way we can save any important tools that serves as an instrument. In the next part of this TP we will star with the description of the course and so on.

Teaching Portfolio. IX

REFERENCES:
Abney, N. (25 de April de 2012). SlideShare. Obtenido de SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/nancyabney/what-is-a-teaching-portfolio-amp-why-doyou-need-one Center., U. (20 de December de 2013). UCAT. Obtenido de UCAT: http://ucat.osu.edu/read/teaching-portfolio Larsen, D. (2004). Techinique and Principles of Language Teaching. New York: OXFORD. Lockhart, B. C. (1994). Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms. EE.UU.: Cambridge University Press. Marolla, D. J. (24 de JUNE de 2010). Developing a Teaching Portfolio . Obtenido de Developing a Teaching Portfolio : http://www.vcu.edu/cte/resources/nfrg/DevelopingaTeachingPortfolio.pdf