I suppose here in Kentucky when we hear portfolio most of us cringe. Either we have done one in school(me) or at least taught where the students had to do one(also me). I remember it starting when I was in middle school I think. Suddenly we were to keep track of writings and write more often. At the time it seemed simple enough for me. But looking back, I wonder about the benefits of the portfolio. I mean is turning in a portfolio of writings really a good measure of performance. Some of my final writings were 4 years old, revised a dozen times by multiple students and teachers, and had very little of me in them. It was like a 60 year old lady that had plastic surgery monthly since she was 25. She is still her technically, but really she is nothing like what she should have been. I think if they want a portfolio, then they first need to decide why. Why are we making them do this and what do we hope to get from it. Then we need to look at the entire process and have cut off points. Maybe portfolios start over every 2 years or something. It just always bugged me that someone would use a 9th grade writing for a 12th grade portfolio.
Biggest drawback of the portfolio: Time. We spend weeks on this thing. Not just in English class, but in most classes. All classes were required to submit 2 portfolio pieces each. This was ridiculous and terribly time consuming. But what about the benefits of the portfolio? Well, until someone gives me a good reason to have them at all, then I cant think of a benefit. Students don't take them with them to use after high school(not that I know of). So they just go away like any number of things we do in school. If the idea is for the students to learn, then all they learn is that you have to revise papers 20 times to get them to be good.
Honestly I can't say how much doing portfolios helped me. I was just an average writer(still am) and never enjoyed the process that much. Perhaps in all that editing and revising I did learn how to write better. On a side note, I don't remember every writing anything longer than 3 pages in high school. But once in college 3 pages seemed like addressing an envelope it was so short. High school certainly never prepared me for 15-20 page writing assignments.
Great point! So I guess we could ask ourselves...does high school really prepare us for college. Even in the college bound classes, you're not truly prepared. Then again, college didn't really prepare me for the real world either. Student teaching was a joke compared to my own classroom and KTIP. It was overwhelming!!! It seems we try to use all these resources to make one better when really we're wasting time. Portfolios could be a resourceful tool if completed properly. Why couldn't we use a portfolio as a reflection of ones self (instead of places stipulations on criteria)?
ReplyDeleteI really like what you have said about portfolios. I actually missed them, since I graduated a year before they started. I don't have experience with them from the student standpoint. Yet, when I was teaching I noticed how much time the students spent on them. As you mentioned, many were using pieces that were old and or edited so much it did not resemble their orginal work. As you mention, they are not reflective of the work that will be required in college. Until they can be more useful, I think the time can be better spent in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about portfolios and also with the comments that have been left. Portfolios are a bigger waste of time than CATS and KCCT. As I mentioned in my blog, the portfolio doesn't show what the students can actually do because they're not always what the students did but rather who revised, and revised, and revised them. The students need to be doing more important things (like learning).
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