Dept.
of Education Course ED 495 / 595
Creating a Digital Portfolio| MUM Dept.
of Education Course ED 495 / 595
Creating a Digital Portfolio |
ED 495 / 595 Creating a Digital Portfolio
PRODUCING A DIGITAL TEACHING PORTFOLIO:
Documenting the Growth of an Ideal Educator
“Human brain physiology is that hardware of the cosmic computer which through proper programming can draw upon the cosmic software of nature to accomplish anything.”
—Maharishi
Goal of the Course: To prepare prospective educators to present themselves to the public through the use of a digital teaching portfolio. By accessing the total potential of natural law through Maharishi’s TM and TM-Sidhi Program, both teacher and student can gain the infinite organizing power natural law and the ability to accomplish anything.
Objectives
By the end of the course students will be able to…
1. Complete the design and production of a web-based digital teaching portfolio.
Readings
As assigned
Evaluation System (Undergraduate)
Pass / Fail |
Evaluation System (Graduate)
Pass / Fail |
In the Portfolio course that follows the completion of student teaching, students have the opportunity to reflect on all they have learned in the teacher education program. In this course, students summarize and present in a portfolio an exhibit of their accomplishments in the program along with a plan for continuing growth as a teacher. Preparation of the portfolio provides a synthesis of knowledge and experience for the student. Review of the portfolio provides a final step of evaluation of the student’s progress for the faculty.
The portfolio course is the final course in the teacher education program. However, the student should be planning from the very beginning of the program for this summation project. The following sequence of steps in preparation for the final assessment is recommended:
The student prepares at least two copies of the portfolio, one for the Education Department and one or more that the student may keep and present to prospective employers. The following paragraphs describe the requirements for completing the portfolio and the criteria for evaluation.
The required contents of the portfolio are listed below followed by a description of the evaluation criteria for the portfolio.
1. Exhibits
The portfolio should contain between ten and fifteen pieces for secondary education programs and between fifteen and twenty for elementary education programs, where a piece may be considered any single presentation of knowledge or skill. At minimum, the following should be included:
2. Personal Summary
In addition to the actual pieces in the portfolio, students should organize their contents around a theme and write a brief (800 to 1500 words) personal summary of the contents which ties the pieces together and brings out their significance in the student’s personal and professional development. The summary should address among others the following questions:
3. Organization.
The portfolio will be organized in a hyper media format as a website. It will be posted on the University’s server for at least five years following each student’s graduation and it will be made available to each student as a CD.
The criteria and guidelines for evaluating the portfolio are set forth in the following paragraphs.
1. Educational Ideas: Has a Well-Developed Conceptual Framework for Understanding Teaching, Learning, and Child Development
Advanced Meets the standards of the “high” level, and in addition includes original ideas which represent potential contributions to our understanding of theory and research in teaching, learning, and child development. The theory is well grounded conceptually and well-integrated with personal experience and practice.
High Student shows a mature and well-developed theory of education appropriate to the level taught and the hypertext medium. The theory is well grounded in the relevant literature from educational theory and research. The theory applies relevant knowledge from both modern science and Maharishi Vedic Science.
Medium Student writing shows an intelligible and rational approach to educational theory with occasional reference to supporting theory and research in either modern science or Maharishi Vedic Science. The theory is based on personal ideas drawn from observation and practice.
Low Student writing presents a rather sketchy and incomplete theory based on personal experience and unconsidered opinion.
2. Curriculum Development: Has Mastered the Skills of Lesson Planning and Curriculum Development
Advanced Meets the standards of the “high” level, and in addition displays insightful and current knowledge of the discipline brought out through creative and engaging student activities that are appropriate for a diverse range of student background and ability. The activities naturally inspire students for more knowledge of the subject area.
High Curriculum products display accurate knowledge of the discipline together with skill in making the significant concepts meaningful to the grade and background of student for whom they were intended. The teacher plans instruction based upon the knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.
Medium Curriculum products show facility in making curriculum, using all of the proper format and guidelines for the rationale, objectives, teaching strategies, and assessment strategies.
Low Curriculum products show significant misunderstandings of curriculum elements (the rationale, objectives, etc.) and or the content of the field being taught.
3. Teaching Methods: Works well with Individuals and Groups to Motivate Students to High Levels of Performance.
Advanced Meets the standards of the “high” level. In addition the portfolio displays individual and group products which indicate a high level of student performance among students with diverse backgrounds. The work illustrates how students can learn to connect disciplinary knowledge with the broad interdisciplinary principles functioning in all fields.
High Lesson plans and videotape of teaching show that the teacher candidate was able to organize instruction to maximize student learning and growth. They show the teacher developing social and group work skills appropriate for the age and background of student.
Medium Student work indicates that the students fulfilled the assignment but were not motivated to do their best in either individual or group work. Social and group work skills are attended to.
Low Student work indicates that students were either not clear or not motivated to complete the assignment as given. The teacher does not seem to be attending to social and group work skills.
4. Assessment: The Student Teacher Understands and Uses Sound Assessment Principles in His or Her Work.
Advanced The assessment tool meets all of the criteria for the high level, but includes as well an obvious instructive value to the student.
High The assessment tool includes clear instructions, appropriately challenging questions, a scoring key that is easy to use, and an adequate sample student knowledge and performance.
Medium The assessment tool and student work show that the young students were able to demonstrate what they knew. There may be little evidence of attention to clear instructions, adequate sampling or a thoughtful scoring scheme.
Low The assessment tool seems inappropriate to the student level or background and poses problems of reliability or validity in the classroom setting.
5. Professional Development: Shows a Mature and Realistic Assessment of Oneself and One’s Abilities in the Context of the Whole School Community
Advanced Meets the standards of the “high” level, and in addition, the reflective essay and the portfolio show that the teacher education candidate has his or her development well in hand. He or she has learned how to play to strengths and systematically eliminate or lessen the impact of weaknesses.
High The Personal Summary and the portfolio as a whole show that the teacher education candidate has developed a mature and realistic assessment of his or her strengths and areas for improvement with a constructive plan for how to develop himself or herself into the future. The essay also shows a mature and balanced view of one’s own growth of consciousness and how this growth supports the development of ideal teaching.
Medium Reflective essay and portfolio show that the teacher education candidate has thought seriously about his or her present abilities and future plans.
Low Student has an unrealistic and/or pessimistic view of his or her knowledge and abilities.
6. Site Organization and Interface Design: The site is organized in a way that is both conceptually clear and practically easy to navigate.
Advanced The site is logically organized and easy to navigate. It has multiple links within documents to other documents. The site suggests novel and interesting links that help viewers discover relationships and new ideas. From any point in the site one can get with only a couple clicks of the mouse to any other document in the site.
High The site has a clear logical organization with a well-articulated main idea and a branching set of subordinated ideas. The relationships of the ideas are clear. Viewers can easily find what they want and move about the site.
Medium The site has a broad theme which ties it together, though this theme may not be fully articulated. There is a logical relationship between the home page and the main branches from the home. Most of the buttons for navigation through the site are easy to find. Occasionally one loses sight of where one is in the site.
Low The site has a home page and linked subordinate pages, but the relationship between them is not clear. They do not comprise an organized set, but rather a loosely grouped set of documents. A viewer has a difficult time finding his or her way around the site.
7. Graphic Design: The video, pictures, and other graphic elements are harmoniously and pleasingly presented in a way that enriches the textual material.
Advanced The pictures and graphical elements add their own dimension of information and bring out themes or evoke feelings in themselves. Some of the graphics convey important information about teaching and learning.
High The colors, pictures, backgrounds, and graphic elements of the website are both pleasing to the eye and supportive of the text. They work with the text to convey a visual and thematic unity to the site.
Medium On the whole there is an appropriate use of colors, backgrounds, pictures, and other graphical elements to convey visual knowledge of teaching and learning. Occasionally the text and the graphics compete for attention. A few of the graphics may not work well.
Low The graphic elements either are not clear or do not work effectively with the text in the site. They may call attention to themselves or contrast with the textual elements to create a jarring experience in the viewer.
8. Classroom Management: The candidate shows knowledge of student needs and behavior in a plan which appears reasonable and practical.
Advanced In addition to the criteria for the “high” score, the management plan communicates a deeply caring and nurturing approach to the classroom environment that is nonetheless focused on student growth and learning.
High The plan shows a comprehensive understanding of the main foundations of classroom discipline: 1) understanding students’ needs, 2) building relationships, 3) motivating students, 4) creating rules and procedures that maximize time on task, and 5) responding appropriately to misbehavior
Medium Four out of five elements of the comprehensive approach to classroom management are represented. The plan is clearly multi-dimensional.
Low The plan is too limited. It is either one-dimensional in its approach, or it is a simplistic approach to the dimensions of classroom management it addresses.
9. Overall Impact
This is a holistic category that allows the judge to award points for the overall impact of the site. Advanced and high ratings are reserved for sites that convey in a uniquely personal way the ideas and performance of one who has found his or her voice as a teacher and who is at the same time striving to meet the standards identified by the profession. These sites inspire one with the joy and transformative power of teaching and learning.
In each of the above categories, faculty judges will assess the portfolio and collectively award points based on a four point scale (Advanced = 4 points; Low = 1 point). To graduate from the Bachelors or Master’s in Teaching programs requires successful completion of the portfolio as determined by the sum of the points in all categories. In the case of the Needs Improvement assessment, the portfolio may be redone once and resubmitted for an improved score.