Thursday, July 25, 2013

Student Learning Portfolios

 As all middle school teachers know, personal organization is crucial for the middle school student.   Students have 6 or more different teachers requiring different systems of organization.  And, each teacher is as different as night and day.    One method may work for one teacher and not for another.  After trying several methods, I have finally found a system that works for my students and me.  At the end of every year I give a survey to my students about different procedures and policies we used. Each year I receive high student ratings for our portfolio method. 

Portfolio Materials:
1 Binder (2 to 3 inches)
Lots of wide-ruled notebook paper
8 Dividers (Store bought or homemade)

Divider Labels:
1 - Housekeeping       Class Letter, Procedures, and Policies
2 - My Progress          Data, Progress Monitoring, Goal Setting, Progress Reports, Assessments
3 - My Recognition    Awards, Compliments, Assignments students are proud of
4 - Reading                Organized by Units
5 - Vocabulary           Organized by Units
6 - Writing                 Organized by Genre
7 - Language             Organized by Rules
8 - Literature             Organized by Genre

*Each unit includes a cover sheet.  The cover sheet includes the Learning Focus, Objective and Learning Strategies.  It also includes assessments and reflections.  Each assignment and or assessment is filed behind the cover sheet.  When we finish a unit, the cover sheet and corresponding work goes in the back of the section, the new unit we will start working on goes in the front of the section. 

*As students receive assignments back, they file the assignment in the corresponding division.  Note-taking and pending projects also are also filed in the corresponding division. 

*Once a week we take a few minutes from a class period to catch up on filing.  More organized students usually have everything already filed so they help students who are more laid back. 

*Students are given a score for the organization of their notebook at the end of the nine weeks.  A checklist is given to them with the due date in advance so that they can know what I will be checking.  The checklist includes a score for turning in the portfolio on the due date, 8 labeled divisions, assignments filed in the corresponding division, neatness and reading/language arts material only.  Being that we are always monitoring and helping each other with our portfolios, very seldom do I ever receive a very unorganized notebook.  Credit is always given for effort.

*Portfolios are kept in class.  If students need to study for a specific test or quiz, they take out what they need and file it back when they are finished.

*Each day I give out stickers for various reasons.  Students may receive stickers for quickly attending to class procedures, an incredible response, helping someone, turning in their assignment on time and/or neatly, ...  My students usually collect the stickers on the binder covers.  Middle school kids love stickers and so do I.  I try to buy different and interesting ones that they would like.  

These are some benefits of using this system:

1) Every assignment or hand-out has a place.  This fixes the problem of lost papers. 
2) Students appreciate personal organization.
3) Students are prepared, more often than not. 
4) Students find pending assignments quickly.
5) Portfolios become running records of skills learned. 
6) They become a source of personal academic pride.
7) Students can quickly demonstrate to anyone what they are working on and what they have learned.
8) Portfolios are very informative in parent/teacher/student conferences.
9) They are useful tool in student led conferences.
10) Students who enroll in the middle of the year are able to quickly get organized and follow the same rhythm.
11)  Being that my students come to me twice a day for both Reading and Language Arts, everything we need for both courses is in one binder.
 12) This system is more practical with smaller groups. Teachers with over 100 students may not be able to store so many binders in their room.  In this case, students could keep 9 week portfolios in a 1 inch binder, rather than a 2 to 3 inch binder.  At the end of nine weeks, students can file their information in a manilla folder to make room for the next nine weeks materials.  I've seen teachers at my school keep crates for each period with manilla folder portfolios.  Another variation is the spiral notebook.  I've included a video of a spiral portfolio in this post. 

13) At the end of the year, my students clean out their portfolios, but we discuss what things they should keep as resources for the next year. 

These are a few examples of some portfolios we've had.  Each year they take on a new look and we may change labels, but in essence it's the same system.  I'm the only ESL teacher at my school, so I get to see my students at least 2 of the three years of middle school.  Many invest in a good binder in 6th grade and they use it the three years. 
   
Students Place their Portfolio Checklist in the front of their binder
Table of Contents

Class Letter filed in Housekeeping Division
.
Cover Sheet for one of our Reading Unit  (This binder has homemade dividers using manilla folder tabs)

My Recognition Sticker Book



Labeled Dividers
Journal Entries filed in the Writing Division

Writing Rubrics filed in the Writing Division

 I'll take more pictures this year of our 2014 Portfolios once we set them up. 

This YouTube video presents a great variation to this portfolio with Spiral Notebooks.