The Portfolio Group

I am interested in starting a discussion on some of the literature and research background we might need to extend our knowledge and build on the work we do with portfolios and the new reflective work we are now doing with blogging.

Just after we started the conversation around starting a group blog I received an article on blogging and education from ASCD. I am wondering if we can use this vehicle (blogging) for text-based discussions via the World Wide Web. As a group we can read the same articles and cite the text and our comments just as we would if we were in a group. This could have greater implications for coming to a common understanding in the group and possibly in the greater Critical Friends context. People outside our group will add to the discussions through the comments section and hopefully, will create a richer dialogue for building on our practices as teachers, researchers, and change agents.

Article: Blogging and Benefiting: Teachers Go Hi-Tech to Share Tips and Strategies
Education Update February 2005 Spreading the Word
(ASCD newsletter) Volume 47, Number 2, February 2005.

I have been working during this Spring Break on my papers for my classes at the university. I picked a topic, teacher professional development, and had to find and do a study of studies using peer-reviewed articles. I am surprised how many as part of their "program" or "professional development" have reflection as a component.

For example the articles below really reflect many of the same tenets that we are working with in our portfolio group, as well as, the Critical Friends work in our school.

Bell, M. (2001) Supported reflective practice: a programme of peer observation and feedback for academic teaching development. The International Journal for Academic Development, 6(1) 29-39.
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31. "The use of action research methodology, developed by Lewin provides a support structure for the reflective practice and process for shared reflection with supportive colleagues?The [Teaching Development Programme] TDP differs from pure action research in that each TDP is designed for and by an individual teacher who is researching her/his own teaching practice through a set number of spirals, with feedback and support from two colleagues with identified roles."

32. "Five themes emerged as follows: effectiveness of the TDP process in developing ideas and skills - making improvements to teaching practice - developing confidence and congruence - developing collegiality- ongoing professional development"

38. "The evaluation suggests that this Teaching Development Programme (TDP) is highly effective professional development strategy for academic staff. The TDP promotes the development of skills, knowledge and ideas about teaching, acts as a vehicle for ongoing change and development and builds professional relationships."

38. "The effectiveness of the programme relates largely to the monitoring and feedback provided through the framework of the support triad...such programmes could be offered within a range of academic development courses...the question of how programmes of supported reflective practice should be designed and implemented in order to prove effective for all academics is an area for further research."

This article really hit home about the strengths of our work in Critical Friends but the never-ending challenges of the reflective process.

Glazer, C., Abbott, L. & Harris, J. (2004). A teacher-developed process for collaborative professional reflection. Reflective Practice, 5(1) 33-46.
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33. "Prescriptive professional development prevents many teachers from becoming autonomous learners who are responsible for their own professional growth...to encourage teacher ownership of professional development, the kinds of activities available to teachers needs to change."

33. "Specifically, more authentic learning activities need to be provided...One particularly authentic and valuable part of teacher professional development is reflection. Reflection can be difficult to define, but for this discussion, reflection refers to a natural process of active self-evaluation, often coupled with effective communication..."

37. "Collaborative reflection, as designed by these teachers, can provide participants with intrinsic rewards, as well as offered practical solutions to real-life classroom problems."

37. "By being part of a supportive and sympathetic group of colleagues helping identify and address professional practice-related issues and challenges, teachers may feel more energized and therefore can be more effective in their classroom practice. They may also develop and/or sustain more positive attitudes about the professional challenges they face."

43. "The biggest challenge that these teachers saw to participating in the collaborative reflection group was finding time to meet together...we are at the mercy of the people who schedule...our after-school time...Because these teachers recognized the value of reflecting together, they expressed the desire that collaborative reflection supplant other meetings that they perceived as being less valuable to them personally, to their students... learning and to their own professional growth."

I realize that these quotes are given out of context, but building our theoretical background, which supports the work we have been doing since 1998 is important to our continuing success and possibly continued funding.

Our work together is meaningful to us - otherwise we would not be meeting once or twice a month finding time in our busy schedules to meet.