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Developing a Teaching Portfolio. David Mossley Senior Adviser, Higher Education Academy. Overview. Why have a teaching portfolio? What should it contain? What format should it have? How should it be used? How should it be maintained? How should teaching and research be linked?
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Developing a Teaching Portfolio David Mossley Senior Adviser, Higher Education Academy
Overview • Why have a teaching portfolio? • What should it contain? • What format should it have? • How should it be used? • How should it be maintained? • How should teaching and research be linked? • A first go at writing one … • Based on material by George MacDonald Ross
Why have a teaching portfolio? • Good reasons: • Ambition of being a better teacher • Evidence for career progression and development • Other reasons: • Requirement of employment … • Being a professional does mean having some evidence of practice and CPD in all other spheres (Dearing, 1997) • Almost universal requirement to demonstrate teaching qualification in HE
What should a teaching portfolio include? (1) • The basics: • A statement of your teaching philosophy • A statement on the linkage between your teaching and your research • A statement of the training you have undergone as a lecturer and tutor • Your employment history
What should a teaching portfolio include? (2) • Additionally: • If your teaching has been observed by a colleague, you should include the report • If you have published anything to do with teaching, or given presentations or workshops, give a brief description • Give the details of any grants for teaching-related projects and specify the outcomes • Specify any distinctions or awards you may have received for excellence in teaching.
What should a teaching portfolio include? (3) • Finally: • Outline any plans you have for improving your teaching in the short, medium, or long term. When you next re-visit the portfolio, assess how far you have fulfilled these plans, and revise your plans for the future.
Format • If institutionally determined, use that, otherwise … • Whatever works for you • Sections as above • Manageable length (for you) • Extractable information • Appendices of factual information (events, courses, detailed student feedback etc) • Or just most recent information (with archive) • Printed master copy!
Use • Reflection on your own teaching – being a self-regulating professional • Resource for promotions and awards • Internal review processes: • Institutional regular reviews (variable with institutional) • Peer observation exercises – focuses on teacher as performer
Maintenance • Seems more burdensome than it is! • Start with your first teaching (short document to begin … ) • Update regularly as things occur or change • Use other documentation – integrate with c.v.
Making a start • TASK: Spend ten minutes noting down your own thoughts on a teaching philosophy • TASK: With your neighbours discuss what are the most important features for such a statement • Linking teaching and research …
Linking teaching and research (1) • Direct (content): • Teaching what you research (e.g. your own course design) • Teaching in the field in which you are researching • Using your research to directly inform another field (e.g. using epistemological research in a course in philosophy of mind)
Linking teaching and research (2) • Indirect (delivery): • Teaching that draws on your research (e.g. using a view of agency and autonomy to inform an understanding of education and actual practice) • Teaching that more is informed by a more general approach to philosophy derived from research
Designing a course from your research • Content … • What is appropriate? • What criteria will you use to determine how your research fits the needs of an undergraduate audience? (Does it give them what they need? What they want?) • Does it fit with departmental, institutional or national frameworks? (e.g. programme specifications, Benchmark statements … )
Directly using your research • TASK: Consider course(s) you would like to offer in an ideal world – what is the context in which your research best fits and what else needs to be taught with it? • TASK: Make a list of the kinds of teaching you could adapt your research to – how far could it reasonably be stretched? • TASK: Justify your list to your neighbour
Indirectly using your research • In terms of education and teaching practice, what does your research tell you about: • The world and beings in it? • The nature of knowledge? • Agency and persons? • Value (ethics, aesthetics … ) • TASK: Discuss the implications of your research for how teaching should be done with your neighbour
Developing your teaching portfolio • You should have beginnings of: • Teaching philosophy statement • Link between teaching and research statement
Thanks for taking part • Dr David Mossley The Higher Education AcademyInnovation WayYork Science ParkHeslingtonYorkYO10 5BR • Tel: +44 (0)1904 717500 david.mossley@heacademy.ac.uk http://www.heacademy.ac.uk