Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Student Portfolios


This past year I started creating Student Portfolios. It took sometime to begin, but it was SOOO worth it!

I will say I didn't know how to start and I searched the internet for some ideas. I ended up setting up my binders in a way that was the easiest and best way for me, but if you are looking for places to start check out Pinterest. Many of the pages you will see in the pictures are actually ones I found on Pinterest and TPT. I LOVE Laura Candler and she has a great pack to get you and your students started CLICK HERE to check it out.

Ok, my students, as part of their school supply list, brought in 1-2 inch binders. The students created cover pages and decorated them as they liked in their own time.

The first page we completed together. As a class we discussed what a mission statement is and what our class's mission statement should be. Together we discussed the importance of education and what our roles are. Below is what we came up with.


Prior to creating the binders with my class I decided to create three simple sections to start. The first section was the goal portion. Students at the start of each quarter created at least two goals for themselves. I spent sometime each quarter talking about good academic goals and how to create a plan to achieve them. In this coming year, I would like to have check points during the quarter or goal buddies to help students achieve their goals. At the end of the quarter students evaluate their goals and decide if they need to change their action plan to achieve them next quarter or create a new goal.

One Student's goal sheet

The same student's review sheet
The second section was where the students monitor their progress on our checkpoints throughout the year. This is where my students kept benchmark scores on AIMs Web assessments, but this can be used on classroom assessments, sight words, timed tests etc.



The final section is the student portfolio section. This is where the students had a chance to compile all of the work they were proud of. Many students kept tests, quizzes, and projects that they completed during the year. Some students even kept assignments that they enjoyed or ones they did better then they originally thought they did. The students would also fill out an entry page to explain why they chose the piece and what grade they thought they would get and what grade I actual gave them.



Like I said I really enjoy using this binder portfolio for my students this past year. It was great way for the students to take charge of their learning and see their growth during the school year. I will say that it does take some time to set up and work through at least twice a quarter, but I think the pay off is worth it. Now, I know that we are starting to move more into technology based learning, with that being said there are some really great portfolio options for students via the internet and apps. Most require tablets, a computer with a camera, or a teacher who has access to a camera/smartphone at the very least.

One option is the Class Dojo Student Portfolio that was just launched the other day! It is an amazing add on to the Class Dojo App that allows students to post photos of their work allowing parents and teachers to view it as well. It is currently called Student Stories and you can check it out here.

Another option is Seesaw. I don't have a strong knowledge of Seesaw because I haven't used it before, but from reading about it and looking into the possibilities it is a strong portfolio option. If you have more information or have used it before please comment or message me, I would love to learn more about it.

How do your students show what they learned? Do they have a binder or use an electronic portfolio? Let me know your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below!

As always you can message me on:
Twitter: @teaching_power
Facebook Group: Teaching Power Play
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2 comments:

  1. Bloomz is also launching student portfolios and behavior tracking into their parent communication app.

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