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Showing Mastery Through Student Portfolios - From a Teacher's View
Last blog post, we highlighted the use of student portfolios at East Clayton Elementary, from the 4th graders themselves. In case you missed it, you can read the full blogpost here. This week, we're reflecting back on the 4th grade teachers' perspectives, Ms. Meagan Parrish and Ms. Danielle Simerman, to give us a little more insight into their triumphs and hurdles through this process.
Please note that with the exception of the first question, all proceeding questions were answered as a pair.
Q: Give us a little insight into your background in education.
A: Meagan
This is my 10th year teaching, which is kind of hard to believe! I've always liked trying new innovative ideas and I feel like every year my classroom is a little different. My classroom changes based on the latest technology or application our there. I started using Alpha Smarts, moved to mini laptops, and now am excited to say I have Chromebooks!
My classroom management has definitely changed throughout the years. For a long time, I felt the need to have my hand in everything that was going in the classroom. I gave the students little freedom and little choice. The past few years, I have given up some of that control to the students and it is amazing how well they do with the tasks they are in charge of. They feel more ownership, so in return, they are more motivated to complete the tasks.
At my previous school, I had students complete portfolios. They weren't digital, they were kept in their binders and were basically an accumulation of all of their work throughout the year. Students would choose their favorite activity, or one they felt they did the best on, and reflect on it. They would do the same for one they were least proud of. Students would then have portfolio nights where their parents would come and they discuss things in their binders. I stopped only because I moved to a team, with multiple classes, and wasn't sure how to organize it.
I then transitioned to East Clayton as a technology facilitator for 2 years. But I missed having my own classroom of students where I could develop relationships, and I missed teaching 4th grade curriculum. So I've been teaching 4th grade here at ECES for the last 3 years.
At my previous school, I had students complete portfolios. They weren't digital, they were kept in their binders and were basically an accumulation of all of their work throughout the year. Students would choose their favorite activity, or one they felt they did the best on, and reflect on it. They would do the same for one they were least proud of. Students would then have portfolio nights where their parents would come and they discuss things in their binders. I stopped only because I moved to a team, with multiple classes, and wasn't sure how to organize it.
I then transitioned to East Clayton as a technology facilitator for 2 years. But I missed having my own classroom of students where I could develop relationships, and I missed teaching 4th grade curriculum. So I've been teaching 4th grade here at ECES for the last 3 years.
A: Danielle
I started teaching 20 years ago. Yes, I know double the years of Meagan, but she doesn't hold it against me. I have not been in public education all those years. I started in education in Indiana where I taught for 9 years. At that time, I became a training facilitator for brain based learning. I was also trained as an Intermediate literacy coach through Literacy Collaborative. I say this because both allowed for reflective practices to take place in the classroom even many years ago. I then left education and took time out for raising a family and for other amazing opportunities. I eventually returned to public education and moved to Johnston County where I have been for the last 4 years. I spent one year at another school teaching 2nd grade, then moved to East Clayton Elementary, where I have spent 2 years in 3rd grade while looping with my kiddos to 4th grade this year.
Each year I work more on reflection in the classroom. Keeping binders with data, trying to write SMART goals, conferencing with students, writing reflections were all a part of my classroom over the last few years. This year I have been blessed to connect with Meagan. With her passion of 4th grade curriculum, technology, and doing what's best for kiddos, it has been a memorable journey as we have moved to digital portfolios. This journey is ever evolving.
Update: Ms. Simerman is now interning as an Assistant Principal at West Smithfield Elementary.
Q: How did this idea for student portfolios come about?
A: I knew I wanted to continue doing portfolios, but couldn't figure out how. This summer I attended a workshop on Canvas with my teammate, Tracy Mitchell. Like I said before, I always like using whatever the new thing is and I was determined to make Canvas work in some way for our 4th graders. I created a page for all of the RCD Units in ELA and that is where we are going to "house" the student portfolios.
Q: What hurdles did you have to overcome at first? What hurdles do you struggle most with now?
A: Canvas was a disaster! I am not saying that Canvas is not a great platform, it just wasn't for us. The students had a difficult time logging in and the dashboard wasn't super friendly for them. (By this time I had pulled Danielle and her class into the digital portfolio idea.) Danielle and I discussed it and we decided that Google Apps would be a better option for our students because they are familiar with the applications.
Now, our major hurdle is making sure that EVERY student is getting something out of this process. We know the students that always do what they are supposed to and the students that are always excited about school are... We just want to make sure that EVERY student is invested in this process.
Q: What triumphs are you most proud of?
A: We are learning from each other. The students are teaching us things (like how to create videos on Chromebooks). The students are also seeing us mess up and then reflect and change things to make it better. There have been a few times where we have said, "This isn't working well, we need to do something different." We are also proud of their reflections. The students are doing a great job reflecting on their learning and sharing it.
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Q: Are portfolios used in math and science classrooms, too?
A: Yes! Our teammate teachers, Ms. Leigh Ann Freeman (now a Teaching & Learning Coach at Dixon Road Elementary) and Ms. April Taylor, help their students complete portfolios in math and science. They have added in a chart where the students write down their pre/post test data in math [and measure their growth], and in their science section they're including presentations students have created.
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Q: What advice/resources would you share with others thinking of going this route in their own instruction?
A: [For resources] We didn't need anything. Luckily we are a Google Apps for Education district which was super helpful. The kids were comfortable with Google Apps because they used them in second and third grade.
Don't give up easily. The end result is worth it. You don't have to be the expert right away. You can learn alongside your students. We have found that our students seeing us reflect is a great learning tool for them.
There are great people to follow for portfolios and Google Apps. I follow a few people on Twitter.
For Portfolios:
George Couros, Twitter @gcouros, georgecouros.ca/blog/
Paul Solarz, Twitter @paulsolarz, paulsolarz.weebly.com
For Google Applications:
Alice Keeler, Twitter @alicekeeler, alicekeeler.com
Q: What advice do you have regarding the classroom management piece?
A: The first portfolio will require a lot of hands-on and face-to-face help. They need modeling on how to reflect and they need question prompts. The second portfolio went a little smoother, but students still needed the modeling. Showing other students' work is also a wonderful tool.
Q: What are your next steps in thinking ahead?
A: We are pondering the thought of, with access to Google Drive, could this be something that they create throughout their education careers, beginning in Kindergarten. (Kindergarten students could take pictures of their work and have their teachers video their reflections.) This could all be uploaded into Google Drive and put in folders.
Student-led conferences are something we also feel are very beneficial for student reflection and growth.
And our favorite quote from Meagan & Danielle...
We believe that making mistakes is part of the learning process.
¨Mistakes are proof that we are learning.¨
Follow both Meagan & Danielle on Twitter!
Danielle Simerman
@dksimerman
Meagan Parrish
@meaganhparrish
@TEAMParrishECES
We believe that making mistakes is part of the learning process.
¨Mistakes are proof that we are learning.¨
Follow both Meagan & Danielle on Twitter!
Danielle Simerman
@dksimerman
Meagan Parrish
@meaganhparrish
@TEAMParrishECES
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