Teacher Portfolios

Like a resume, there's no hard and fast rule about how Teacher Portfolios are put together. It's the information that's important, not the style.

But there are guidelines that are good to follow, especially if this is your first one.

You can start with a summary of your experience as a teacher. Relate your responsibilities and your teaching philosophy. State your goals.

It's also recommended that you talk about your strategies as a teacher, and the methods you use. How have you, and how will you improve your teaching abilities?

This information will be valuable to the person(s) interviewing you, and most importantly, to you!

Besides the obvious assistance to your job search, your Teacher Portfolio can help you to be a better teacher. You can think of it as a collection of your past accomplishments, present responsibilities and philosopies, and future goals.

Do they all line up? Are you going in the direction you wanted to, or that you still want to go? A Teacher Portfolio will force you to evaluate yourself in an honest way.

Many teachers don't think about creating a Teacher Portfolio until someone asks them for one. Then it may be too late to build a thoughtful and complete portfolio.

Even if you haven't started teaching yet, you should consider starting a Statement of Teaching Philosophy. Of course your views and philosophy are likely to change and evolve. But having the statement early in your career will give you a change to test what you think about now against what you find as you begin a job as a teacher.

At the very least, start a Teacher Portfolio when you start teaching. Save any material you create. You should get permission from students so you can include their work, too.

This information barely scratches the surface of how to build your portfolio. If you're currently in search of a teaching position, you need to focus your efforts so you'll be ready with a resume and your portfolio. You need to be prepared for questions that will be asked at the interview.

The information at www.teacherjobinterview.info can help you gain that focus.