Using Student Portfolios to Increase Reflective Practice among Elementary Teachers

Abstract

This article summarizes findings from a 3-year case study of an elementary school in which student portfolios were implemented as part of a comprehensive school reform effort. The study documents (a) the specific role of portfolios in helping teachers at this site confront the discrepancies between what they thought they had taught and what students had actually learned and (b) the larger issues of teachers’ changing conceptions of their instructional practices and professional development needs that resulted from the reform process. Findings were that in this case, portfolios were an important mechanism through which teachers came to a deeper understanding of their professional practices. Teachers began to recognize changes in classroom practice and schoolwide responsibilities and to identify organizational structures and professional development opportunities necessary for the inquiry and reform process. Connections to ideas of reflective practice and critical inquiry and implications for teacher education are discussed.

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