The ePortfolio Transitioning from University to the

School workplace, documenting achievement of the

Graduate/Proficient Standards and the importance of Reflective Practice

Setting the scene…Who?

Mary Gallagher: Lecturer in Professional Experience, Literacy and Education Studies

Australian Catholic University (ACU), Faculty of Arts and Education – Canberra Campus

Researching in and actively contributing to - policy development with the Teacher Quality Institute (TQI) ACT.

What?2013 – 2014 Research project investigating Graduate teachers beginning their careers in schools documenting evidence against the Proficient Standards to achieve accreditation highlighted issues concerned with:

Format and structure

Evidence, annotations,

Attitude (to portfolios)

Reflective practice

15 min session

5 min for Q & A

Australian Professional Standards for Teachers In the Australian context, Standards have been introduced as a

means of guaranteeing quality and holding teachers accountable. There are seven Standards divided into three domains - Professional Knowledge, Practice and Engagement. There are thirty seven descriptors which indicate achievement of these Standards.

Standards have been critiqued as inappropriate determinants of quality teaching and failing to take into account the complexities of and different contexts of a teacher’s work (Connell, 2009; Tinamuana, 2011 in Allard, et al. 2013).

Eportfolios could be seen as a way of reframing the debate around the validity of the Standards. Instead of the tick a box approach to achievement (or not) of

each Standard, an eportfolio has the potential to provide an authentic, critically reflective and meaningful approach to achievement of the

Standards.

The ePortfolio in the ACT…University:

ePortfolios have become an important component of the undergraduate degree as pre-service teachers document their learning journey through a variety of courses and Professional Experiences.

Workplace:

TQI requires Graduate teachers to use Portfolios as a platform to document evidence of moving from Graduate to Proficient Standard level to achieve full registration as a teacher in the ACT

Concerns identified during the research

Findings Difference in expectations of

Principals, Mentors and New Graduates

Lack of forward planning for continued use of portfolio

Confusion over purpose –formative or summative?

Lack of consistency between expectations of university and the workplace

No clear transition between university and the workplace

Impacts/Changes University ePortfolios now

support and align with TQI expectations for collecting and annotating evidence against the Proficient Standards during first year of teaching…

Eportfolio viewed as a place to document all of career journey…

Structure of the ePortfolioAligns with the Australian Teaching Standards

Centered around three domains and seven Standards

Critically reflective rather then descriptive approach to annotations

Evidence presented in a suite (or set) across multiple Standards to encourage connections and more meaningful confirmation of achievement

Challenges faced by Graduates teachers AND pre-service teachers

Inability to carefully consider evidence – being descriptive rather than critically reflective - collection of evidence happens haphazardly and with little concern for annotations needing to be contextual and reflective

Lack of consistency and lack of understanding in relation to digital and hard copy of portfolio -Principals (and others!) preference for hardcopy

Little or no linking from ‘University ePortfolio’ to developing ‘workplace’ Portfolio

Concern about purpose, format and structure

Many of the new Graduates in the research study were confused about the purpose and structure of their portfolio, while others expressed concern about portfolios showcasing the knowledge and skills AND attributes of an effective teacher…

“Being a teacher is so many different things and if you’re only allowed a certain number of evidence pieces, there’s no way you’re going to show the whole picture…it’s like drawing a stick figure of yourself instead of a portrait”.

“Who is my audience? What is the purpose of this portfolio? Is it for show and can only be all good stuff or can I be honest about my failings?”

Response from TQIProfessional evidence and digital portfolio project

Provision of a digital portfolio platform for use by all teachers in the ACT, based on the Standards

Cross sectoral – all schools will be encouraged to use a digital portfolio to document reflections and provide evidence of professional learning

To encourage communities of practice, sharing of resources and professional learning. The ‘whole of career’ progression will be explicit.

‘Mahara’ will be the platform as ACU and University of Canberra (UC) require all Education students to utilise this platform and therefore the transition for new graduates will be seamless!

Reflection and Standards The Australian Professional Standards for Teaching (AITSL)

place reflective practice at the centre of teachers' professional development.

This view of teacher learning links to Korthagen et al.'s (2006)  contention that learning does not occur through experience, but rather through reflection on experience in interaction with others, making reflection an ‘essential tool' (p. 1024) for teachers.

The practicum offers a key period for achieving reflective practice, thereby also addressing the theory-practice gap for which teacher education is often criticised. (AITSL)

The ePortfolio provides the structure and space to document this reflective journey!

Cyclical process and image of self as teacher

Research suggests that reflection plays a pivotal role in constructing a professional identity (Sutherland, Howard and Markauskaite, 2010)

The importance of a ‘cyclic process’ of generating, deconstructing, reflecting and re-generating a professional image of self (p462)

ePortfolio as a STORY of pre service teachers’ journey through learning, acquiring skills, experiences…

Refining image of self…an significant indicator of resilience!

ePortfolio as product or process…?

As Barrett (2010) illustrates, the role of the eportfolio has developed into two major and quite disparate directions. She calls these ‘the two different faces of eportfolios’ (p6).

On the one hand there is the eportfolio as process; a journal, focusing predominantly on learning and reflection.

Secondly, there is the eportfolio as product, seen as a way of documenting achievement through evaluation and assessment.

According to Ockley, Pegrum & Johnston (2013) These multiple and sometimes conflicting functions, termed as ‘developmental and showcase’ need to be separated and explored in order to understand the complexity and impact of each.

Real value of an ePortfolio is reflection…

In much of the research literature, reflection is emphasised above all other uses of a portfolio. As some of the participants in the Standards research project demonstrated, focusing on the product rather than the process led to a disjointed and superficial approach; seeing the development of an eportfolio as a summative chore to be presented and then forgotten, rather than as an opportunity to reflect through a formative and cyclic process that benefits their teaching and learning -was not beneficial for the early career teacher at all.

Bartlett states that reflection is the ‘heart and soul’ of a portfolio

(p8)

Many researchers agree with the importance of reflection and the need to conduct this at several points in time during the development of an eportfolio.

Beck and Bear (2009) studied how pre-service teachers rated the development of their reflection skills in both formative and summative e-folios.

The results showed that: ‘...formative e-folios were rated as superior to summative, in terms of general reflective skill supporting teacher development, improve assessment role competencies, greater understanding of connections between assessment and planning, and relatively high value placed on teacher peer collaboration’ (Beck and Bear, 2009.p2)

What can we do?Reflection as critical thinking

Carefully ordered questions which move the student through the thinking process. Starting with descriptive, then analytical and finally evaluative.

Where, when, what, who.

What next? So what? What if?

Why did I respond that way? How did I feel as a result? Where can I go from here?

Building a reflective culture when developing artifacts for the ePortfolio

Encouraging questioning, debating and critiquing within lectures/tutorials

Regular interactions and development of ‘communities of practice’ (mentor teacher/pre-service teacher – lecturers/Principals, etc.)

Forums online / blogs, etc (write about, respond to)

Linking reflective practice across the degree the degree rather then only in individual units or just in the ePortfolio

Develop a creative response /visual aid to reflection to symbolise the value we have for reflective practice

What does the research say?

Stafani et al (2007) cite the following as essential:

1. The reflective activities need to be directly related to the learning outcomes of the course

2. The reflective activities need to be appropriate to the level and content of the course

3. Students need to receive adequate preparation and feedback for the teacher about the reflection process (p. 62)

Possible approaches: Five level framework

(Bain,Ballantyne, Mills & Lester, 2002)

Reporting

Responding

Relating

Reasoning

Reconstructing

Benefits of the ‘5Rs model of reflection’

Acknowledges the lower levels of reflection as important components of reflective practice, while supporting students in moving to higher levels.

Possible to scaffold learning how to be a reflective writer using the model with examples of each

Process for units including an ePortfolio assessment

Must include reflection as part of the requirements.

Consistency across units in relation to expectations and components of reflective practice

Build reflection skills developmentally across units and years so that by 4th year students are able to voice their understandings and ideas clearly and deeply.

Link explicitly to the inquiry Process

Encouraging reflection and linking to the

Standards http://www.aitsl.edu.au/aust

ralian-professional-standards-for-teachers/illustrations-of-practice/detail?id=IOP00031

 

http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/illustrations-of-practice/detail?id=IOP00219

http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/illustrations-of-practice/detail?id=IOP00216

View examples of reflective practice as part of the AITSL Standards illustrations of practice

Encourage students to create own illustrations that address descriptors as they move through practicums

Think aloud! A key strategy in the classroom – a good one to use in the lecture room!

Suggestions from research (Oakley, Pegrum & Johnston, 2013)

Carefully scaffold learning through the 5Rs

Consistent expectations across units and between lecturers

Adequate time spent monitoring and guiding students’ reflective practice

Clearly articulated purpose through ePortfolio development

Visual representation (flowchart) of the process

‘Hurdle task’ or Pass/fail rather than an actual grade for reflections and ePortfolio

Space and time to share reflections with peers as part of ‘communities of practice’

References: Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL): http

://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers

Bain, Ballantyne, Mills & Lester, (2002) The What, the Why and the How, of Reflection? www.nla.gov.au/openpublish/index.php/ANZTLA/article/.../3558

Barrett, H. (2010). Balancing the two faces of ePortfolios. Retrieved 22.6.214 from http://electronicportfolios.com/balance/balance.pdf

Korthagen, F.A.J. & Vasalos, A. (2005). Levels in reflection: core reflection as a means to enhance professional growth. In Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 11:1.

Oakley, G, Pegrum, M. & Johnston, S. (2013). Introducing ePortfolios to pre-service teachers as tools for reflection and growth: lesson learnt. In Asia Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, DOI:10.1080/1359866X.2013.854860.

Stefani, L., Mason, R., & Pegler, C. (2007). The educational potential of ePortfolios: supporting personal development and reflective learning. London: Routlage.

Sutherland, L, Howard, S. & Markauskaite, L. (2010). Professional identity creation: Examining the development of beginning preservice teachers’ understanding of their work as teachers. In Teaching and Teacher Education, 26:3

Q & A!