What should go in a teaching portfolio

Teaching activities outside the classroom, such as advising undergraduate students, supervising students engaged in undergraduate research, and otherwise mentoring students also are important to include. By describing your teaching roles and responsibilities, you provide a context for the reader and set the stage for the main points you'll be making about your teaching. If you haven't taught much and don't have a collection of course materials from which you can choose, provide a list of three to five courses you anticipate teaching with a brief paragraph of each describing the nature of the course, your objectives for student learning, and perhaps some of the readings or assignments you would use.

Don't worry about being too exact or stress over whether you'd actually teach the course the way you described. You won't be held to these descriptions. The goal is to convey your overall approach to teaching and the processes you'd use to design an intro course or a seminar in your discipline. Simply put, your teaching statement is a concise description no more than a page of the central ideas behind your teaching.

When writing your teaching statement, make clear why, how, and what you teach. It should be one to two pages in length. It is not an article on teaching and learning but rather a statement that describes your teaching experiences and explains your teaching practices.

Keep in mind potential readers and the questions they're likely to have as they read your statement. Here are four components of your teaching that you'll want to address in your teaching statement:. Most institutions will request some "evidence of effective teaching" as part of the application package.

Although there are numerous ways you can document effective teaching, end-of-semester student evaluations are the most common source. When selecting, organizing, and presenting your student evaluations, synthesize the numeric quantitative. Again, the goal is to connect the "evidence" to the claims you've made about your teaching. Classroom management - This section is about everything that goes on in your classroom, not just how you deal with behavior.

Examples of collaborations with other educators are also valuable. Back up the effectiveness of your teaching by injecting test scores or other supporting data, where possible. HINT: Speaking of technology integration, consider creating a digital version of your teaching portfolio.

Letters of recommendation and evaluation forms can be helpful in showcasing your strengths. Including any glowing notes from colleagues, parents or students will also help to end things in a positive, personal way. You can use a WordPress site and keep it password protected, or you can create a site using Google or Adobe.

Make your portfolio organized so that it tells the story of your career, including where you want your career to go. When there is doubt, pare down. If you are an experienced teacher, your portfolio can quickly become overstuffed with information that could encourage hiring administrators to skim instead of thoroughly read. Skip your college lesson plans and experience, if possible. If you are coming right out of college, you will want to include your college experience and projects.

How to Make a Professional Portfolio Your professional portfolio should be easy to navigate so that administrators can find what they need easily and efficiently. Here are items you can include in your portfolio: Your teaching philosophy: keep it short and sweet. Also, use your philosophy as the foundation of your portfolio; include other items that support or enhance your philosophy statement.

Letters of recommendation : when possible, keep the letters recent and varied. Try to include a letter from a teammate as well as from a leader within your district. Remote learning example and reflection: online learning stormed onto the education scene due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it required teachers to be flexible and creative while still caring for their students. Highlight your experience here, including a few examples of how you met students online and take a moment to share your reflections on the experience.

Artifacts from your classroom: examples can include a unit or lesson plan, as well as student responses via photo, Flipgrid , or other source. A work-in-progress: consider showing what your planning and follow-through look like by including a current work-in-progress.