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NSW HSC Online Professional Development Node

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Should you use collaboration and mentoring in portfolio development?

Edgerton, Hutchings and Quinlan, 1991 suggest that teaching is a solitary activity and that collaboratively developed portfolios are an answer, at least in part, to the isolation of teaching and that it is a way of promoting exchange of information and ideas that are focused around the practice of teaching. A teacher attempting to develop a portfolio alone does not have the support needed to undertake a program of teaching improvement. This is not to suggest that a teacher cannot embark upon developing a professional portfolio without the collaboration of others, however it is useful to have others to discuss the issues that are raised during the process of reflection, learning and change. There is a great deal of valuable input that can be gained from regular conversation about the nature of teaching and learning and the development of the portfolio (Zubizarretta 1994). Furthermore the collaborative process ensures a critical perspective that encourages cohesion in the portfolio.

Who might be able to assist as a mentor and collaborator in the portfolio development?

Edgerton, Hutchings and Quinlan, 1991, outline the following three approaches to this question:

• two teachers pair up for a term to visit each others classes, to talk to students, to discuss the lessons, activities and assessment and to assist each other in the documenting of their respective portfolios;
• a more experienced teacher or mentor works directly with a less experienced teacher in assisting them as they work on their portfolio; and
• a school or teaching area undertakes a portfolio project in which discussions about teaching can be sharply focused as they are specifically directed at a particular subject area

Activity

• Decide if it is possible for you to undertake one of the approaches to collaboration or mentoring in portfolio development as outlined above. The mentor approach is often used and is a particularly useful approach for inexperienced teachers.
• If it is possible for you to have a collaborator or mentor then establish the contact and make the necessary plans for meeting and working on the portfolio/s. The following guidelines will assist in getting the process started. The collaboration/mentoring relationship will tend to develop as the process continues but is it helpful to establish some parameters around the relationship from the outset.
  

The portfolio development collaboration/mentoring plan

Establish the purpose of the collaboration or mentoring;

• review the portfolio development process, the purpose for portfolio development and what those developing a portfolio hope to achieve;
• determine what is required from the collaboration/mentoring;
• clarify and agree to the expectations, roles and processes that are to be a part of the collaboration/mentoring;
• determine if you will use a personal/professional journal or some sort of field notes to collect ideas and reflections on the process and the learning that is taking place as a part of the portfolio development. This aspect is particularly important if the portfolio is being developed primarily as a tool for reflection and learning.

Outline the collaboration/mentoring plan;

• Determine how often to meet and what will be the focus of the discussion. It may be useful to use the sections and information contained on this professional development node as a place to start. Follow through the steps as they are outlined and use this as the basis of meeting and discussion. Your planning may need to be somewhat loose at least initially as some of the sections will take longer to complete than others and it is difficult to predict what will occur during the portfolio development process. However it is a good idea to start with a plan, an estimated timeframe and distinct goals and tasks to be completed so that the portfolio development process doesn’t get lost in everything else that has to be done. You can use the following as a guide for your preliminary planning and goal setting. Determine the:
  • purpose of the portfolio, the audience and hold initial discussion about the portfolio format/presentation;
  • educational philosophy – this can include visits to classrooms so that the rhetoric/reality divide can be explored;
  • the goals and areas of focus for the portfolio - this can include the development of plans for changing the teaching approach that can arise from reflections on the educational philosophy;
  • ideas for portfolio content;
  • materials to be included in the portfolio and develop/gather this material; and
  • presentation, that is, put it all together .
• Set goals and a timeframe for each section of the portfolio development process. The timeframe may need to be flexible as issues arise that my need time for exploration.

During the ongoing sessions;

• discuss the progress, issues and difficulties that may have arisen;
• use issues and difficulties as an opportunity to seek further staff development opportunities; and
• establish the goals for the next section of the portfolio development process.

Portfolio evaluation

• Use the evaluation as a point to conclude the collaboration/mentoring process and;
• determine how the portfolio is to be evaluated, the criteria to be used and who is to undertake the evaluation;
• discuss the process that has been undertaken in developing the portfolio and the strategies/approaches that were used; and
• discuss the possibilities for further staff development or ongoing collaboration/mentoring.