UPDATE: My new portfolio is at samjshahportfolio.wordpress.com.
Inspired by Kate Nowak’s new portfolio, I am going to be making a new teaching portfolio this summer. I wanted to solicit advice.
Three questions:
- What would you want to see in a portfolio if you were checking out a math candidate to teach in your school?
- What are any math teachers portfolios that you have seen that you’ve enjoyed looking at?
- What place do you think would be a good place to host it?
I’d love for you to put any advice in the comments.
More about my thoughts below, if you care to see them.
Here is where I am now. I made a portfolio last summer, but I’m not totally happy with it yet.
The fundamental thing about the porfolio is that I want it to be less formal, chalk full o’ information, and exhibit my personality. FUN AND LIGHT AND VISUAL AND COLORFUL!
Things I’m thinking of including:
- my life trajectory (how I got into teaching)
- resume
- projects I’ve done with students
- letters of recommendation that I used to get my current job
- my blog (which is the best professional development that I’ve done) and links to some favorite posts
- my use of technology
- classroom projects
- smartboard lessons I’ve used in the classroom
- my evaluations from administrators who have observed my classroom
- professional development / curriculum development
- transcripts (undergrad, grad school)
- non-teaching contributions to my school
- my Massachusetts teaching license
Any other ideas? I’d love any ideas. I’m mulling:
- photos of me teaching
- video of me teaching
- student feedback
- a “me in numbers” page, and a “me in words” page
- a short piece about my love for math
- my twitter username (and some of my favorite tweets) – since I mainly twitter with math teachers
- a “the formal, short, and dirty” page of what a traditional portfolio might have
How I precisely present all of this information is going to be the fun challenge. I’m thinking: venn diagrams, colorful charts, links, etc. It’s fun to dream of it, but I know it’ll be trying to learn how to actually create this half-formed vision.
Continuous Everywhere but Differentiable Nowhere 
Wow, I can’t wait to see it. I think it will be a rewarding project for you to reflect, even if you aren’t planning to change jobs any time soon. I am wary of making mine flashy (pictures, color, informal narratives)…public schools (in upstate NY anyway) tend to be somewhat conservative.
Maybe I missed it but you should include some samples of student work (is that what you mean by ‘classroom projects’?) Also, you should include your dy/dan four-slide summary new years entries.
I would be thrilled to have video of me teaching a class. You should certainly make an effort to include it. I tried but the long clip crashed my Flip and I couldn’t recover it. I’m going to try to get something short this week or at least a few pictures, but I’m done presenting new material. (This is going to be “Here, Kid, take this camera and get a few pictures of me looking like a teacher.”)
Note to self: consider paying $8/month and hosting my portfolio here: http://www.squarespace.com/tour/
Note to self: naaah. there’s gotta be something out there comparable for free.