Portfolio Requirement Guidelines

Master of Arts in TESOL

Portfolio Purpose: Types of Portfolios

Students in the M.A. TESOL program are required to develop a graduation portfolio as part of ENGL 688 Practicum in TESOL. In it, they select, organize, reflect on, and present work they have completed during their M.A. TESOL program. Students have the option to develop paper-based and/or electronic portfolios. The primary purpose of the portfolio is to enable students to assess their learning achievements and experiences, make cross-curricular and cross-disciplinary connections, and present their qualifications in a professional manner. With this in mind, they may create the type of portfolio that will best benefit them. Options for types of portfolios include:

• Academic development portfolio. It showcases students’ academic skills and achievements in the M.A. TESOL program and sets up future expectations for learning and research. It could be used in preparation for or as part of an application to a doctoral program.
• Professional development portfolio. It focuses on the students’ professional development. It demonstrates how ESOL professionals (teachers, administrators, interns, teaching assistants, etc.) have grown and changed, as well as how they envision their future development. It also shows how studying in the M.A. TESOL program has prepared them for the profession. It could be used for job or promotion applications and interviews, during supervisory meetings, or as part of students’ personal development documentation.

Portfolio Development: Content

1. Choose the type of portfolio that best fits your current personal and professional goals. Note that to best fit your goals, a portfolio that focuses on academic development may have a professional development component and vice versa.
2. Select your top five items that best showcase your skills, achievements, and efforts. These must represent only work completed during your studies in the IUP M.A. TESOL program and must provide evidence directly related to the type of portfolio you have chosen. Examples of evidence include, but are not limited to:
   • Self-development projects
   • Papers or presentations written for professional conferences/meetings
   • Projects/materials produced for classes or professional meetings
   • Reflective journal entries
   • Video or audiotapes of classes taught (accompanied by reflective self-observations)
   • Papers written for courses
   • Syllabi of courses taught or to be taught and supporting/pertinent class materials.
3. Write an introduction for the portfolio. In it, state the specific goals for the portfolio and explain how each piece of evidence fits these goals. The introduction should be one or two double-spaced pages (250–500 words).
4. Prepare a statement of your current teaching philosophy. Include in it two to four principles/theories/approaches that guide your current and/or planned academic/professional practices. Explain how/why they are important to you. This item is required for all types of portfolios. It should be no longer than one double-spaced page (250 words).
5. Prepare or update your vita. Include in it evidence directly related to your:
   • Educational history
   • Work history
   • Scholarly activities—attendance or presentations at professional events (conferences, graduate fora, meetings, symposia), publications (book reviews, papers, teaching materials, syllabi)
   • Teaching expertise—experience teaching different ESOL disciplines and learners
   • Professional service—membership in professional organizations (TESOL, AAAL, Three Rivers TESOL, TESOL Affiliates), service in TESOL professional organizations (newsletter editor, conference chair, board member, secretary, president), service in graduate school, service in TESOL-related educational employment, TESOL-related community service
6. Consider including any further items beyond the required top five. Add these only if they are directly related to the type of portfolio you are creating. Examples of these may include:
   • Letters of recommendation—written for actual job or graduate school applications
   • Reports of observations of your teaching
   • Evaluation reports of your teaching
7. Create a table of contents for the portfolio.

Portfolio Development: Process

1. During their first semester of study, students plan and begin work on their portfolios. They are introduced to the M.A. TESOL Program Portfolio Requirement Guidelines in ENGL 625 Introduction to TESOL, a required course offered during the Fall semester. They consult their ENGL 625 professor about their portfolios.
2. During their course of study, students develop their portfolios. They consider their course assignments/projects for possible inclusion in their portfolios. They plan ways of adapting, developing their top five academic and/or professional achievements to fit the goals of their portfolios. They consult the M.A. TESOL Program Portfolio Guidelines available on line as well as the respective M.A. TESOL faculty members.
3. Students complete and submit their portfolios during ENGL 688 Practicum in TESOL. They follow the policies and requirements specified in the syllabus for this course and participate in portfolio-related activities to discuss the goals, content, and organization of their portfolios. They submit their portfolios to the ENGL 688 Practicum in TESOL faculty. Students who take Internship in ESL instead of the Practicum follow the policies and requirements listed in their internship specifications and submit their portfolios to their M.A. TESOL faculty internship supervisor.

Portfolio Development: Schedule

Portfolio Assessment: Criteria

The M.A. TESOL Program Portfolio is a professional development project, which is a course requirement for ENGL 688 Practicum in TESOL. It is formally assessed according to the grading policy stated in the syllabus for this course. Given the self-promotion nature of portfolios, we also encourage students to assess their portfolios informally, i.e., in relation to their individual portfolio goals as well as in relation to the following professional portfolio evaluation criteria:

• Clearly stated goals. Goals should indicate if the portfolio is intended for a Ph.D. application, for employment, for professional development, or for a combination of these.
• Clear and logical relationship between goals and items. The introduction should make it clear how each piece of evidence is related to the stated goals, as well as provide coherence and connection among the items included.
• Layout and readability. A reader of the portfolio should find it attractive and easy to follow.
• Logical organization. The reader should be able to quickly identify where each piece of evidence is and understand the reason for and the order of its inclusion.
• Appropriateness of items. Each piece of evidence included should illuminate a particular aspect of the student’s work in relation to the goals stated in the introduction. In other words, items should be relevant to the goals.
• Variety of evidence. In relation to the goals stated in the introduction, the portfolio should contain a sufficient number of different types of supporting documents and artifacts.

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