Writing Portfolios

Chapter Opener

17

gather samples of your work

gather samples of your work

How to start

  • First time assembling a portfolio?
  • Think about what you should include

Writing Portfolios

Professionals in creative fields — art, architecture, photography, modeling — have long used portfolios to inventory their achievements or display their skills to potential clients or employers. The practice has spread to other fields because these careful collections of work provide an in-depth look at what people have actually accomplished over time. Not surprisingly, many schools now encourage (or require) students to assemble writing portfolios of various kinds to demonstrate what they have learned and to assist them in the job market.

  • image For a first-year writing course, you put together a portfolio that traces your composing process for two major assignments, from brainstorming, research, and topic proposal through draft and final versions.
  • image For an writing internship course that qualifies you to work at a writing center, you introduce your course portfolio with a “literacy narrative” and offer midterm and final self-assessments of your progress.
  • image For a portfolio that qualifies you to begin apprentice teaching, you compile a set of reflections on all the proficiencies of your training program.