Teaching Portfolio Award for Graduate Students
Whether you already have a strong Teaching Portfolio or want to develop one, here’s a great opportunity for you. ITLAL’s Portfolio Award Program offers you the chance to get individualized feedback and consultation in the development of your portfolio.
What is a Teaching Portfolio?
A Teaching Portfolio is a purposeful collection of artifacts that demonstrates your accomplishments in the classroom, your growth and development as a teacher, and your reflections on your teaching experience. The foundation of a portfolio is the Philosophy of Teaching Statement, which is a brief narrative statement explaining your conception of teaching and learning. The other elements of a portfolio will vary according to discipline, but they might include sample course syllabi, sample assignments or projects from your classes, student evaluation data, samples of student work, or evidence of your efforts at improving your teaching. There are many other possibilities as well; a teaching portfolio is an individualized piece that demonstrates who you are as a teacher.
Why create a Teaching Portfolio?
Effectiveness in the classroom is increasingly important to getting that first faculty position, and a strong teaching portfolio is an important way to show this. A 2006 study showed that at least half of hiring institutions, including research institutions, requested that applicants submit at least a statement of teaching philosophy (an essential component of a teaching portfolio) at some point during the hiring process.1 A strong teaching portfolio lets a prospective employer learn who you are as a teacher and whether your values match with those of the institution. It can also provide the foundation of what will eventually be a tenure portfolio, so you have a head start once you land that first faculty job.
When should I create a Teaching Portfolio?
Given the importance of teaching in most academic positions, it’s never too early to begin assembling materials for your portfolio. Even before you teach, it can be useful to start developing a Statement of Teaching Philosophy. As you gain more experience, that philosophy will evolve, and you will have evidence to show how your teaching values materialize in your classroom practice. Most importantly, if you start assembling materials for your portfolio now, you will save yourself time once you start actively pursuing a faculty position.
What are the benefits of participating in ITLAL’s Teaching Portfolio Award Program?
Developing a teaching portfolio is a task best accomplished with feedback and guidance, and ITLAL’s Teaching Portfolio Award Program is designed to give you both. This program provides you access to consultations with ITLAL staff as you develop your portfolio. And all portfolios that are submitted for consideration will receive detailed feedback and suggestions for improvement. This gives you the opportunity to put your portfolio through a careful process of consideration before a job search committee sees it.
In addition, we are offering awards for the top portfolios submitted, including the following:
How do I participate in the program?
First, complete the intent to submit form by Friday, November 14, 2008.After we have received your information, an ITLAL staff member will contact you to set up an appointment so you can begin tailoring the consultation process to fit your needs. Then submit your portfolio for consideration by February 20, 2009.
If you do not wish to go through the consultation process but still want to submit a Portfolio, please contact Billie Bennett at bbennett@uamail.albany.edu or 442-4850 for more information.
What are the criteria for judging?
Because the specific components of a Teaching Portfolio may differ across disciplines, there will likely be a great deal of variation in the contents of your portfolio. Each portfolio, however, must contain elements of the following:
Where can I find out more about Teaching Portfolios?
Some guides to creating a Portfolio:
http://www.cs.tufts.edu/~ablumer/portfolio.html#Appendix%20C
http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Sheridan_Center/docs/teach_port.pdf
http://sunconference.utep.edu/CETaL/resources/portfolios/
http://www.utexas.edu/academic/cte/teachfolio.html
http://www.unh.edu/teaching-excellence/resources/pdf/Teachportfolio.pdf
Some sample portfolios:
http://orion.math.iastate.edu/wagner/Teaching_Portfolio.html
http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/NWS/NWS_Teaching.html
Please contact Billie Bennett at 442-4850 or bbennett@uamail.albany.edu for more information.
1Matthew Kaplan, Deborah S. Meizlish, Christopher O’Neal, and Mary C. Wright. “A Research-Based Rubric for Developing Statements of Teaching Philosophy.” To Improve the Academy 26 (2008): 245-46.
