An important part of this course is to begin development of a professional e-Portfolio. The purpose of this e-Portfolio is threefold:
(1) To help you clarify your teacher personality.
(2) To help you see ongoing professional development from an organized viewpoint.
(3) To help you showcase and present (1) and (2).
If you haven't noticed already, I have adapted the name of this product to be an "e-Portfolio"--the reason should be somewhat evident. An e-Portfolio is an electronic document; more specifically, it should be a networked document. It is conceivable that you produce the entire document in a word processing environment and save it on a disk. There is no significant leap in technological advancement made by this option. It is important (in today's ever evolving technological landscape) to make use of current networking capabilities and to demonstrate these skills. As a mathematics educator, you will be expected to understand the role of technology in education and you will be asked to give leadership in the development of technology in education. By an e-Portfolio, I am insisting that you address these expectations NOW.
You should also know that the state of Illinois is adapting its initial certification process to include a professional portfolio component. The state will expect all of you to build and maintain such a portfolio during your career. Its continued development will be involved in every phase of your tenure and recertification process. You will be asked to demonstrate achievement of the newly developed Illinois Professional Teacher Standards within this portfolio. Our course standards will reflect this new state-wide expectation.
(1) The portfolio, in whatever format, should reflect your best
work--your magnum opus.
You should be concerned with both its quality and its presentation as
it demonstrates the selectivity of your exemplary work. The portfolio
will be graded in two ways: by its individually required components
and by a somewhat standardized rubric used by all of the methods
courses.
(2) The final due date for the portfolio is May 7. There is no room for extensions to be given on this completion date. Your entire portfolio must be graded and course grades must be submitted in time for you to graduate. Therefore, late portfolios will be deducted by one letter grade, or 100 points out of the maximum 600 points.
(3) The components that are to be included in your professional portfolio are as follows:
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Resume |
You may already have one in development and is a natural part of your job search. It fills in many of the details of your background not immediately evident in the e-Portfolio. |
(draft) |
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Statement of Teaching Philosophy |
A professional mathematics educator should be able to state concisely his/her beliefs about mathematics, about learning, and about learning mathematics. This will be asked of you in every application/interview process in some fashion. |
(draft) |
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Demonstration of Illinois Professional Teacher Standards |
There are 11 standards delineated by the state. You should be able to point to each of these 11 standards somewhere in your portfolio. For each standard, an introduction and a rationale for its inclusion is required. |
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Middle School Teaching Unit |
Your middle school and high school teaching units should be a complete package that include a unit plan, detailed lesson plans, activities, and assessments. You will receive guidelines for specific requirements. |
March 12 |
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High School Teaching Unit |
April 28 |
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Mini Action Research Project |
Research and teaching practice are forever entwined. They inform each other, and work jointly to maximize instruction & learning. You will be asked to select one "sliver" of your classroom experience and conduct a MINI research project on that aspect. |
(proposal and draft details to come) |
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Final product--Your Professional e-Portfolio |
This should be a substantial piece of work that reflects the culmination of your undergraduate career. You should be able to take pride in your achievement and professional growth via this vehicle. |
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