Arguing for Yourself in the Production of an Effective Portfolio

1. Arguing for Yourself in theProduction of an Effective Portfolio Class, Personal, and Career Portfolios: Reasons and Methods

2. A student who can argue for “the self” • Has a career goal in mind • Develops professionally • Becomes outstanding in his/her career • Is a valuable community and family member

3. The Portfolio aids in the fashioning of the individual • through the power of the written word • using a variety of life artifacts As our favorite writers create characters on paper, so can our students construct their professional identities

4. What makes portfolio production meaningful to students at IVY Tech?

5. They have a career goal in mind • Plan of study • View to graduation • Issuance into a career field • “Goal Mode” helps then focus on self-discovery

6. They want to develop professionally • Portfolio production enables them to move from a point of fear to a position of confidence • It helps them construct themselves through the power of the written word • They learn to argue for a sense of their own “being-ness” • Their formation takes place on a deeper level

7. They seek to be outstanding in their career • Portfolio production is a process • It is well-thought-out • It is highly-organized • It defines stages of progress • It examines sources of influence • It demonstrates the power of those influences in their own decision-making process

8. Portfolio Production forces reflection and consideration • Students take time to look at their present in terms of their past and their future • They breathe in and breathe out • They employ self-examination • They become more focused • They exhibit a more positive attitude both in class and toward their career

9. They develop a more professional outlook both for themselves …

10. …and through the matrix of people they encounter daily

11. Students become more valuable community and family members • VALUE • STANDARDS • CONCERNS • ENCOURAGEMENT • REGARD • PURPOSE • THOUGHTFUL • CONSIDERATE

12. So how do we go about it?

13. PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION METHODS • Every class can benefit by portfolio production • You must model the process • Have clear requirements • Encourage excellence • Both written material and “artifacts” complement each other in the process

14. Create a sample portfolio • List of goals • Special projects • Progress essays • Course reflections • Cover page/End page • Setting and accomplishing goals

15. The class subject portfolio • Organize ideas • Set goals for the class • Reflect on how goals have been met • Adaptable to your own subject area

16. The personal portfolio • Allows reflection on meaningful people and events of the past • Encourages self-examination • Enables students to recognize sources of strength and weakness • Helps students visualize their academic and career goals

17. The career portfolio • Allows reflection on career choices and people and events that have helped shape those choices • Includes a variety of artifacts that build a professional image

18. Professional excellence depends on you • Model the process • Give your students a sense of who you are • Demonstrate that portfolio production enhances learning

19. It’s not just busy work: it enhances their learning

20. The portfolio is a practical application of academic work • It can be simple or elaborate • It is a physical demonstration • It gives clarity to the value of the class • It places value on their participation in their own learning process

21. The portfolio is your gift to your students

22. Encourage them toward success