Writing portfolios

Teaching Pre K-8, Mar 2000 by Manning, Maryann

How you can help kids keep track of their growth as writers.

Process writing teachers I know agree that the portfolio is the ideal way to stimulate growth and evaluate writing because it documents both the process and the product over time.

An important aspect of portfolios is the element of student choice that is an integral part of each phase of the process. Students choose which pieces to include in their portfolios and are also responsible for keeping the pieces organized so it does

n't appear that the portfolio was created inside a dump truck.

Although the teachers I know agree on the importance of the portfolio, I've never met a teacher who was completely satisfied with the way in which portfolios were handled in the classroom. The complaints vary, but most often they're related to a lack of time and the fact that many students simply cram the portfolio with a random collection of papers

Most teachers agree that if they had more time, they could help students develop portfolios that were more reflective. More time. Teacher friends of mine would like uninterrupted amounts of time to review the contents of the portfolio with students. That way, they'd be able to: 1) listen to the students' rationale for choosing each piece; 2) help students make decisions about the contents (what to include, how to balance the contents and how to purge redundant pieces); and 3) celebrate writing accomplishments.

Teachers also need time to sit alone and contemplate the growth of each student and to determine the minilessons that need to be taught, as revealed by the portfolios. Conferences. I especially like the way teachers in New Zealand and Australia schedule conferences with their students. I have observed them write clown the name ol one or two students in the daily blocks of a planbook. Within a month, they've focused on each student in the class by conferencing and collecting work samples. Since they concentrate on only one or two students a day, they don't feel overwhelmed. I often talk to teachers who express guilt about the amount of time they need to spend on individual portfolio conferences. However, we need to remind ourselves that we do some of our best teaching of writing when we are conferring with students. Teacher think-alouds. An effective way to demonstrate the development of a portfolio is to use yourself as an example. Spend time thinking aloud about how you make decisions about your own portfolio. Make statements like these: "Does this piece represent my best writing?" and "Could the reader of my portfolio follow my process from the draft to publication?" When you are reviewing portfolios, make notes on the problems your students are encountering in developing their portfolios.

I like to begin by telling students about how portfolios are used in different fields such as architecture and the visual arts. I tell them about my niece, Shelly Murphy, who is a professional model. I explain to them how Shelley adds and removes pictures of herself on a monthly basis because she uses the portfolio to market herself as a model. I then talk about how our writing portfolio tells others about ourselves as writers.

Some examples of mini-lessons are: "Picking my best pieces," "Documenting how I used suggestions from teacher and peer conferences" and "Including different genres of writing in my portfolio." Peer help. Peers can make suggestions to each other to improve themselves as portfolio reviewers. For students from second grade and up, hold a monthly portfolio peer review session. The older the students, the longer the session. Divide the time into segments so that each student has equal time to explain the portfolio. Before the session, conduct a group discussion about what constitutes a good portfolio.

Student Checklists Checklists can help students think about the contents of their portfolios. The checklists on this page can be modified to meet the needs of younger and older students. Maintaining portfolios is time-consuming and challenging. Remember that every teacher wants more time to help students develop their portfolios. Also, remember that all teachers have students who have well-caredfor portfolios and students who have portfolios resembling a dump truck fall of paper. 41

Maryann Manning is on the faculty of the School of Education, The University of Alabama at Birmingham and a Teaching Editor of Teaching K-8. Email: mmanning@uab.edu