Why isn’t graded work kept in my child’s binder?

Simple answer: Portfolios

What are portfolios?

Portfolios are selective and purposeful collections of student work that provide meaningful documentation of the student achievement through products, processes and perceptions. Products include student work such as a piece of writing, CML problem, science experiment results, or math graph.  Processes include the evidence of learning that took place along the way including graphic organizers, brainstorming, drafts, planning, questions, evidence gathering, hypothesizing, etc.) Included in the process is the identification of goals, rationale and the actual selection of relevant evidence. Perceptions are another important type of evidence that may take the form of reflections, reason for selections, self assessment, etc.).

Why portfolios?

1.  Metacognition is defined as thinking about thinking.  Portfolios are an important method of assessment that encourages students to constantly assess how activities are helping them to gain understanding. By questioning themselves and their strategies, students gain the tools needed to become independent learners.

2.  Portfolios are useful as a support to this instructional approach, emphasizing the student's role in constructing understanding and the teacher's role in promoting understanding. Assessment strategies in today's classroom are not solely based on tests and correct answers; the process is as important as the product. Assessment includes student works, observations and point of view based on conferences and discussions.

3.  Portfolios help promote student centered environments by fostering responsibility among students to become agents in their own education through reflective thinking. Furthermore, portfolios promote collaboration in a student centered environment when students are teamed cooperatively and encouraged to share and comment on each other's work.

Resources cited

http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/d&g/onlinepd/onlinepd.htm

http://www.acteonline.org/members/techniques/may04_feature3.cfm

What do portfolios look like in D103?

To begin the year, students will start a paper portfolio. All graded work will be kept in hanging file by their table group.  Every week or so they will sort through their work, add notes and write reflections.  My long term and rather ambitious goal is for students to create portfolios on the web.  The web provides a more personal touch because students can add graphics and backgrounds.  Web portfolios allow students more opportunities to show off their work to a larger community outside of school if they so choose. 

The Process 

Using portfolios as an assessment method and learning tool means that students will be keeping more of their work at school instead of in their binders.  Graded work will be kept in a hanging folder at their table group at all times.  As graded papers are passed back (about once a week), students will sort through their work, reflect on learning that took place and set goals for future learning.  Once or twice a trimester students will bring home graded work no longer needed.  The portfolios will remain at school and will follow students up through 6^th grade.  Things to remember:

• Students will keep one or two pieces of work in each subject areas for the whole year.  At the end of the year a student might have 10-15 pieces that represent the entire year’s work.
• Grading rubrics will be send home for you to see, sign and return to the portfolio
• You are welcome to look at your child’s portfolio at anytime.  I recommend setting aside 10 – 15 minutes with your child who knows his/her work best and welcomes any opportunity to display it.
• If at anytime I am concerned about the quality or quantity or your child’s work, I will contact you right away.
• Fewer papers in the binder reduces the possibility of graded work or on-going work being misplaced and students are more likely to keep binders organized.
• Change is good.  Some parents look at their child’s graded work in their binder, but many did not.  The binder was so full and messy; it developed a life of its own.  Students were either unwilling or unable to show their graded work.