PORTFOLIOS
A portfolio is a collection of materials that represents a person’s work. It often demonstrates or exemplifies skill, talent, or proficiency. Architects create portfolios that contain drawings and photographs of buildings they have designed. Sculptors’ portfolios may include photographs of their sculptures, as well as copies of reviews, awards, or articles about their work. Similarly, your writing instructor may ask you to create a portfolio that represents your skill and proficiency as a writer. Think of your portfolio as a summary of your development as a writer over time.
PURPOSES OF A WRITING PORTFOLIO
Instructors assign writing portfolios for two main reasons.
- Grading and assessment. Your instructor may use your collection of writing to evaluate your mastery of the objectives outlined in the course syllabus. That evaluation will become part of your final grade in the course.
- Learning and self-assessment. Building a portfolio makes you think about yourself as a learner and as a writer. By building a writing portfolio, you learn a great deal about the writing process, assess your strengths and weaknesses as a writer, and observe your own progress as you build writing proficiency.
Think of your writing portfolio as an opportunity to present yourself in the best possible way — highlighting the work you are proud of and demonstrating the skills you have mastered. It is also an opportunity, as you track your progress, to realize that your hard work in the course has paid off.
DECIDING WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PORTFOLIO
Instructors often specify what their students’ portfolios should include. If you are uncertain about what to include, ask your instructor. You might ask to see a sample of a portfolio that meets your instructor’s expectations.
To get the best grade on your portfolio, be sure you can answer each of the following questions about the portfolio and its contents.
- How many pieces of writing should I include? Are there limits to what I can include?
- Should the portfolio include only writing done in the course, or can I include materials I wrote for other courses or materials I wrote outside school (work-related email or service-learning projects, for example)?
- What version(s) should be included — drafts, outlines, and revisions or just the final drafts?
- Should essays be based on personal experience, research, or some combination of these?
- Is the portfolio limited to essays, or can research notes, downloaded Web pages, or completed class exercises also be included?
- How should the portfolio be organized?
- What type of introductory letter or essay is required? What length and format are appropriate?
- How much does the portfolio count in my grade?
- What is the due date, or is the portfolio to be submitted at various intervals throughout the term?
- How will it be graded? That is, is the grade based on improvement or only on the quality of the work included?
USING YOUR COURSE SYLLABUS AS A GUIDE
Your course syllabus is an important guide to deciding what to include in your portfolio. If it contains objectives, which outline what your instructor expects you to learn in the course, you can use several or all of these objectives to structure your portfolio. Suppose one objective states, “Students will develop prewriting strategies that accommodate their learning style.” Then in your portfolio, you might include a copy of the results of the Learning Style Inventory and then show examples of your use of two or more prewriting strategies. If another objective states, “Students will demonstrate control over errors in sentence structure, spelling, and punctuation,” you would want to include examples of essays in which you identified and corrected these types of errors. You might also include a list of exercises you completed to develop mastery.
ORGANIZING AND PREPARING TO PRESENT YOUR PORTFOLIO
Begin collecting materials for your portfolio as soon as your instructor assigns it. If you wait until the due date to assemble what you need, you may have already discarded or misplaced important prewriting, revision materials, or drafts.
Use a file folder or accordion folder divided into sections to hold any prewriting, outlines, or graphic organizers you completed by hand. If you are including research materials, include your notes and annotated photocopies or printouts of sources. Also keep peer-review comments as well as papers with your instructor’s comments. (Alternatively, you could scan these materials and save them with your other electronic files.) Online, create a system of folders that will make it easy for you to locate all of your work. Save backup copies of your files on a thumb drive or to the cloud.
Use the following suggestions to present a well-organized portfolio.
- Cover page. Include a cover or title page that provides your name, course number, instructor’s name, and date.
- Table of contents. Include a table of contents that identifies the elements in the portfolio and the page number on which each piece begins. Number the portfolio consecutively from beginning to end. Since your essays may already have page numbers, put the new page numbers in a different position or use a different color ink. If your instructor has not indicated how the contents should be sequenced, choose a method of organization that presents your work and skill development in the best possible way. For example, if you are including two essays to demonstrate your effective use of narration, you might present the better one first, thereby making the strongest possible first impression. If you are trying to show growth in your ability to use narration, you might present the weaker essay first. Use Table 26.2 to guide your selection and sequence.
- Reflective letter or essay. Most instructors will expect you to include an essay or a letter that reflects on your development as a writer. This essay is the key to the portfolio, since it reflects on and explains the portfolio’s contents. It should explain how your portfolio is organized and give an overview of its contents and why you chose them. It should also include an appraisal of what you learned in the course and discuss your strengths, weaknesses, and development as a writer. Point out specific examples in the portfolio to support your claims.
- Drafts. Attach earlier drafts behind the final draft, clearly labeling each draft. Date and label each piece so that your instructor can identify its place within your growth process and so that he or she knows what it demonstrates. For example, if an essay demonstrates your ability to use narration, label it as such.
Your portfolio represents you. Be sure it is neat, complete, and carefully assembled.
WHAT TO AVOID
Here are a few things to avoid when building your portfolio.
- Avoid writing about writing in general. Instead, write about what you learned about your writing. That is, do not repeat points from the textbook about the writing process. Instead, explain how you used that information to become a better writer.
- Do not exaggerate your progress or say what you think the instructor wants to hear. Instead, be honest and forthright in assessing your progress.
- Avoid flattery or praise of the instructor or the course. Most instructors will give you a separate opportunity to evaluate the course and their teaching methods.