The Art Portfolio was for my students to develop a sense of pride and sharing with the class and themselves. It served to demonstrate their growth and it also showed them that they could do it. Something that these students desperately need to know. This is a class of students who regularly think and say, "I can't do it". These students were able to take out their portfolios at the start of each class and say "I can do it" and begin. They ended each class by reflecting on their learning and seeing and saying "I did do it". Not only did I learn a great deal about how my students think but they learned that they have great talent in them as well.
The Writing Portfolio was perhaps the biggest surprise for me. I started it part way through the year and I wanted to encourage writing that wasn't part of the module work done at home. The writing at home with the modules can be very generic and I was looking to get authentic and unassisted writing from my students. Students that disliked writing or that struggled with writing were my biggest surprise. Not only did they have great imaginations, but the product that they produced was beyond what I had seen from their work so far. I saw a whole new side to them and got to know them on a whole new level. It helped me to rethink the bar that I had mentally set for them. Not only did we create a collection of work that they were able to see their growth and development, but we also created a collection of tools to help them with writing that may be more generic.
My portflolio has been another surprise. I have always considered my portfolio something to share with people I trust or something I show for a job interview, kind of like a diary. Going online with my thoughts, opinions and ideas seemed like a really intimidating thing to do. I like to be liked, and fearing that someone might not like something I say or take it the wrong way is nerve racking for someone like me. Anyway, the leap has been made and ironically I found this process to be very valuable. Go figure. I didn't say the public part was valuable, (haven't done that part yet) but the organizing of my thoughts and my reasons, was. I will be going public with it and I am sure I will learn more lessons with that part of it as well. For right now I am basking in the bliss of private reflection.
Taking the time to do a portfolio has been illuminating for me and my students. Not only did they uncover hidden talents but they revealed parts of themselves in a safe place and I can only hope my journey brings the same for me.
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