Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Curriculum 21
As I read the essays in Curriculum 21, I am skipping around in the book and reading what interests me on a given day. I enjoyed reading the one on Digital Portfolios and Curriculum Maps. I was impressed with the review of the portfolio that the Mount Hope High School did for every junior. If both the student and the staff take the portfolio seriously, there is potential for tremendous student growth. I can certainly see this happening at smaller schools but wonder if the process would become rushed for schools with larger classes. It seems like a large time commitment for staff. I think it is an interesting side development that the quality of the assignments has risen so that the assignments become "portfolio-worthy". Do you suppose that these assignments are more thought-provoking and as a result more plagiarism-proof?
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I hope they are higher quality assignments. Kiel had all their students do a portfolio in high school -- they were moving from paper to an electronic format after I left -- it was a graduation requirement, and students worked on it during some of their weekly half hour homeroom meetings. The guidance department provided a list of what had to be in it, and the homeroom teachers provided some guidance and evaluations. Students used them in their senior year for mock interviews, which was another big program.
ReplyDeleteThe students complained about the work involved, but I loved them.
I think it is important to find a stable host for the electronic portfolios so students can take them with them and add to them as they continue on in jobs and work -- wouldn't that be a great thing to have if you kept it up? Resumes and job interviews would be a breeze!
My school has a portfolio system that travels with each class. I put the items in this year, as it was new for me, but I will have my 2nd graders help me choose which items best represent their best work to incorporate into their portfolio.
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