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Elementary Education, M.Ed.

teaching portfolios

What is a Teaching Portfolio?

A teaching portfolio is the structured documentary history of a carefully selected set of coached accomplishments, substantiated by samples of student work, and fully realized only through reflective writing, deliberation, and serious conversation, (Schulman, 1992).

Purposes for Developing a UIC Teaching Portfolio

Learning Purposes
Promotes teacher reflection and ownership over your learning process.

Assessment Purposes
Presents you and others with the illustrations of your teaching practice and your reasoning about it.

State Certification Purposes
Provides evidence that you have met Illinois State standards for certification :

All Illinois teachers with initial certification will be expected to show growth in the program through an electronic teaching portfolio they have developed. This will be part of the graduate program's assessment plan needed to obtain an Initial Teaching Certificate in the State of Illinois.

Key Features of a UIC Teaching Portfolio

  • The portfolio is one important way to demonstrate how you meet professional goals you have set for yourself, including knowledge and performance in technology.
  • The portfolio contains carefully selected examples of both student and teacher's work that illustrate key features of student learning, classroom teaching and teacher inquiry and reflection.
  • You select particular artifacts and write commentaries that allow you to analyze your understanding of teaching practices.
  • The portfolio provides a vehicle for ongoing professional conversations with colleagues, mentors and university professors.
  • The portfolio incorporates the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and the Elementary Education Standards required for a Type 03 certificate.