Center for Teaching & Learning at The University of Georgia
Center for Teaching & Learning at The University of Georgia
TEACHING PORTFOLIO TO DOCUMENT TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS | ||
 |
The purpose in creating a teaching portfolio is to document the extent to which you have developed your teaching so that your current department, future employers and promotion and tenure committees can fairly evaluate this important aspect of university scholarship. In addition, the process of reflecting on your teaching by compiling a teaching portfolio will help you to identify areas of teaching which need to be developed helping you to become a better instructor. The time to start compiling a teaching portfolio is early in your graduate program so that you will have substantial documentation of your teaching philosophy and successes when you begin the interview process. Different institutions and disciplines lend themselves to different types of documentation; nevertheless, the parameters of teaching you should consider include: the kinds of courses you teach, your methodology, changes you have made to accommodate different kinds of students and learning objectives, your academic standards, student evaluations, peer evaluations and any special training or experiences that you have been able to use to improve your teaching. Many graduate students find that if they establish a file system when they begin their teaching career they can keep all possible artifacts for their teaching portfolio in one place so that it may be easily organized for use in documenting their teaching. Some teaching assistants find it useful to work collaboratively in creating a teaching portfolio. Try sharing your samples with TAs in your department and discuss your reason for including them as important indicators of your teaching. You might organize your portfolio around a theme or objective in your teaching such as motivational strategies or an important issue in your discipline such as critical thinking. It is also helpful to clarify what defines good teaching in your discipline and focus on how you have met those criteria. Keep in mind that you can not include everything in a teaching portfolio. You must be selective to create a manageable portfolio that will not overload a review committee or a potential employer but will give a clear picture of your teaching experiences and successes. Following are some suggestions for items that you might include in your portfolio to document your development as a teaching assistant. Summary of Teaching Philosophy One page describing how you view teaching in your discipline from a professional and personal point of view. What it means to you in your own professional development and what your learning and developmental objectives are in relationship to the students in your class. Comment on how you link your philosophy of teaching with pedagogy and how you strive to continually improve the teaching and learning in your class. Click here for examples of teaching philosophies written by TA Mentors. Description of Courses Taught * Relationship of course in the context of the whole program (e.g. introductory, capstone, required) Teaching Materials * Sample syllabi, lesson plans, study guides, text and reading lists, assignments, tests and handouts Students' Work * Graded papers, projects, publications on course related work Innovative Teaching Projects and Roles * Cases you have written Professional Activities Related to Teaching * Publications, monographs Special Training or Teaching Related Experiences * Classes Evaluation of Your Teaching * Quantitative data from all courses Sample teaching portfolios can be seen in the Center for Teaching and Learning, 542-6572. Teaching Portfolio Program
|
|
Text-Only Version |
||