TEACHING PRACTICE IN THE COURSE OF TEACHER TRAINING The use of portfolio in teacher training, especially in special education teacher

training Markku Sassi, University of Jyvskyl, Department of Special Education, Finland Tbilisi, Georgia, July 7, 2001 (longer version) TEACHING PRACTICE/TEACHER PRACTICE Teaching practice, or as some call it teacher practice, is an integral and important part of all teacher training. My personal opinion, according to the feedback from the students, is that the students evaluate teaching practice very highly compared to other courses during the training. Teaching practice is very practical and hands-on type of work and that is, at least partly, why it is so highly valued. Many students feel, especially in the beginning of their studies, that theories of learning and teaching are something that they must study but which are not closely related to actual work of teaching children. Theory and practice may stay apart from each other even after the students graduate from a university, if there are no conscious efforts to relate and connect these two during the training. Examinations on books and lectures on theories of learning and teaching, apart from teaching practice, may not be the best ways to get theory and practice to go hand in hand. In our training of special education teachers, we have diminished the proportion of book examinations and added the proportion of assignments. Usually the assingments are practically oriented and tied to students former work experience and teaching practices during the training. However, the assingments are not fully practical because practical problem orientation should be based on or related to theoretical framework. To be able to do this, it requires the students to read reference books, research articles, and attend lectures. Another way of connecting and relating theory and practice is to use portfolios and portfolio assessment as a part of studies. When working on portfolios the students have to consider both theoretical knowledge and practical work. In Finland all teacher training programs are Master of Education programs. The theoretical duration of training is 4 years, but in practice the average number of years of study is 5-6. At the University of Jyvskyl, there are four departments of teacher training: Department of Teacher Training (regular teachers), Department of Special Education (special teachers), Department of Education (adult education), and Department of Early Education (kindergarten teachers/teachers for children under school age). Masters programs consist of 160 study weeks (1 study week equals 40 hours of student work). Out of this 160 study weeks there are 35 study weeks of pedagogical studies including teaching practices. The proportion of teaching practices varies a little from one training program to another, from 15 to 18 study weeks. In special teacher training teaching practice is

a little more extensive (18 study weeks) because these trainees will get both regular and special teacher qualifications.

PORTFOLIO Excellence in teaching has in recent years become as one of the important criteria in all university faculty job descriptions and job filling requirements beside other academic competencies which were formerly more higly valued than competencies in teaching. How does one show his/her major strengths and teaching achievements for the future employers? One answer to this is the teaching portfolio. Teaching portfolio nowadays is a compulsory part of an application to a teaching job at universities in Finland. The same practice is also gradually spreading into schools; when teachers apply for teaching jobs in schools many of them already attach their teaching portfolios to their applications and many employers have found this very useful. Pupil portfolios and portfolio assessment have also become a part of regular school work. This practice is not very common yet, but there are teachers who use it in all grade levels and with all kinds of pupils, including pupils with special needs. What is a portfolio? The concept of portfolio is not a new concept, but it is a fairly recent phenomenon in the field of education. Portfolios have been developed and used by models, artists, photographers and others for a long time. In the field of education potfolios are not merely a collection of ones best work, but a portfolio also shows the individuals reflection of his/her professional development to the present and to the future. There are numerous definitions of portfolio, but one can find some common features in them. Portfolios are usually collections of ones works selected over a period of time for a specific purpose. When thinking of portfolios in the context of teacher training and teaching practice, a definition by Paulson, Paulson, and Meyer (1991,60) seems to be appropriate. They define portfolio as a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the students efforts, progress, and achievement in one or more areas. The collection must include student participation in selecting contents, the criteria for selection, the criteria for judging merit, and evidence of student self reflection (Neiman, 1999).

Within the framework of special teacher training in the Department of Special Education, University of Jyvskyl, a portfolio is regarded as a selected collection of student work which has been accumulated during the years of training. It can be regarded as a developmental or processoriented portfolio of a students growth. The portfolio contains descriptions of his/her learning contexts or settings, criteria for the selection of works, and final reflection on the whole process of training. In this final reflection the student describes his/her learning process, strengths and general development towards the teaching profession and his/her future in the field. One of the goals of working on portfolios is to develop the students ability in learning how to learn, developing his/her self-esteem, self-assessment and strengthening his/her ability to become more self-directed. The nature and contents of a portfolio may vary according to the purpose of its use. It is not important what it looks like, more important is how it is done, collected, selected and reflected. A mere collection of works does not make a portfolio. It has to be transformed into a meaningful learning experience. The deepest meaning of a portfolio lies in its reflective processes of ones development to the present. The contents of different portfolios may vary very much. The collection could consist of assingments, documents, photos, pictures, videos, audiotapes, lesson plans, projects, computer CDs and discettes, objects, various teaching materials, etc.. Working on a portfolio: Basically portfolio work means three things: collecting, selecting, and reflecting. In collecting materials for ones portfolio we can make a distinction between a so called basic portfolio and a selection portfolio. The basic portfolio is a very private and unorganized storage of all possible and appropriate materials. It contains everything: e.g. essays, learning diaries, articles, assessments, assignments, mindmaps, feedbacks, research materials, etc. The selection portfolio or a showcase portfolio is built on the basis of the basic portfolio by selecting certain materials for a certain purpose. This portfolio is well organized, documented and public. The first part of the selection portfolio contains a narrative part and the second part is an appendix. The narrative part tells the reader how the selected materials are related to the goals set in advance and what are the criteria for the selection. The appendix contains the relevant documents which give credibility to the narrative part. The basic portfolio is like a broad whole picture of the student and the selection portfolio is like a good portrait. What is the meaning of a student portfolio in special education teacher training?

Basically creating a portfolio means critically assessing ones own work and learning. It explains how the student has changed during his/her studies, where he or she is now compared to the goals that he/she has set, i.e. Where have I been? Where am I now? Where am I going to? The portfolio is a meaningful and purposeful collection of a students work, i.e. it means what I want to show other people what I have learned, which samples are important and meaningful for myself, how they are related to the development of my learning process, what kinds of goals I set for myself, what I planned and what I accomplished. The structure of portfolio in special education teacher training The structure of a student portfolio in special education teacher training is not fixed to be the same for everyone, but the general structure could be outlined as follows: 1. Documentation of ones history A. Personal background B. CV (Curriculum Vitae) C. Commitment to study 2. Educational philosophy and ethics 3. Documentation of learning A. Studies in research methodology and research B. Teaching practice C. Two freely selected courses (from the syllabus) 4. Development and analysis of ones learning. (Lng, 1999) 1. Documentation of ones own history Documentation of ones own history is a starting point for the critical assessment of ones professional development and future planning. Personal history gives an individual the basis to understand how and why he/she is now where he/she is and into which direction he/she wants to go from here. A. Personal background In the beginning the student writes a short description of his/her background and life history in relation to his/her choice of deciding to study special education. Contents of this part could, for example, be: - picture of myself (photo as a child, abstract picture) - educational or teaching qualities (strengths, weaknesses, interviews what are my qualities seen by other people) - narrative life history with future visions (My life - my future) - documents (photos, pictures from childhood to present, samples from diaries)

- what is important now (hobbies/areas of interest: music, literature, poetry, etc.-samples) B. Curriculum Vitae CV should be a kind of a miniportfolio; it is more than a factual statement of ones study and work record. CV should be attractive and personal. C. Commitment to study To clarify ones own motivation to study special education the following questions can be helpful: - How did I end up studying special education? - What were my goals when choosing a particular major subject to study? - What were my prerequisites when commencing my studies? - What do I expect from my training? - What is the time schedule for my studies? - What is easy/difficult for me in my studies? - What are my developmental needs now? 2. Writing my educational philosophy and ethics Everyone has a certain background philosophy which is the basis of ones portfolio, i.e. how we do things in general, how we study, and how we work. Recognizing this basis is a starting point to develop oneself and ones professional work. This is not an easy task. The process goes on for the whole period of studies, but the final writing should be timed towards graduation. Keeping a personal diary of how ones thinking changes during studies helps to formulate a personal philosophy. Educational philosophy in portfoliowork means a dialogue between theory and practice. A teacher trainee tries to seek answers to questions like: Why do I teach the way I do? What are the learning thoeries behind my practical work in teaching? What are the qualities of a good teacher from my point of view and how are they implemented in my teaching? A students educational philosophy is based on his/her ideas about education, teaching, learning, knowledge, educability of children, etc. Practical theory is based on these ideas and guides ones work as a teacher or as an educator. We all think that we are experts in education and teaching because we all have experiences in this field from our years in school. We know what is good teaching, what is a good teacher, how pupils are different and how they are able/not able to learn, what are the best interaction models between a teacher and pupils. These personal ideas and beliefs are difficult to change and it is the goal of training to get a student to evaluate and change these ideas and beliefs. The change has to be seen as a positive thing, as an opportunity to develop oneself. One has to see the gap between how things are now and how they could be ideally or how they are hoped to be. It is impossible to change somebody from the

outside. The change must start and come from the person himself. Change is always difficult and we all have a natural resistance for change. For those who have done the same work for a long time, the change process is more difficult than for those who are beginning their careers. Old habits and routines are difficult to change because they feel safe and secure; change is always a risk and it brings feelings of uncertainty. Sometimes change might be easier for young students than it is for experienced teacher trainers. When writing a portfolio it could be helpful to try to think and answer the following types of questions: - What are the principles of good teaching/education? - What has been very helpful or valuable that I have experienced in my work/studies? - How have I recently changed my practices? - What do I want to change and how to change myself? - How do I see and how could I change the interaction between me and my peers/colleagues/pupils? - How do I see the role of an educator/teacher and how do I see my work as a teacher? - What good qualities do I have and what qualities I wish I had? - How do the pupils/students see me as a teacher? - How do I feel as a teacher and how should I develop myself? 3. Documentation of learning This part of a portfolio is mainly concerned with the the processes of students development as a researcher, and from theory to practice during the teaching practice periods. A. Studies in research and research methodology Students are encouraged to write a personal diary throughout the methodological studies and research activities (i.e. Masters thesis). The whole research process should be documented and the best way to do it is by thinking and answering the following types of questions: - How did I end up choosing my research topic? - What was in this topic that aroused my interest? - What type of methodological approach did I use (quantitative vs. qualitative)? - How did I proceed in the research process? - What were the difficulties encountered? - How did the methodological studies help in doing the research? - How did I personally feel about doing research? - What kind of supervision/feedback did I get during the process? - What was difficult, what was easy? - Overall evaluation of methodological studies and the research process B. Teaching practice

There are altogether 18 study weeks/credit points of compulsory teaching practice out of 160 study weeks/credit points in the Master of Education studies. Special education students, i.e. special teacher trainees, have teaching practice periods in regular education classrooms and in special education settings. The main part of teaching practice, of course, takes place with pupils/students with special needs either in integrated settings or in segregated groups/classes or schools. Students also encounter pupils/students with different types of special needs during different teaching practice periods. In teaching practice the Department of Special Education relies very much on the expertise of partner schools experienced and fully qualified supervisory teachers. Most of the teaching practice periods take place in the schools nearby the university and the partner school teachers usually have a long experience in supervising our teacher trainees. Supervisors from the university (lecturers) visit the classes a few times during each period and give feedback to the trainees. There are also seminars for small groups of students before and after each practice period. However, part of the teaching practice takes place in schools/classes which the students can freely choose; usually they have these teaching practice periods in schools in the municipalities where the students come from. Because these teaching practice periods may take place almost anywhere in the country, it is impossible for the university supervisors to visit the classes. Therefore, the students videotape two lessons. One lesson is videotaped in the middle of the practice period. The cassette is mailed to the supervisor at the university who gives feedback immediately, usually by e-mail (sometimes by mail). The second lesson is videotaped towards the end of the practice period. This videotape the student will bring to the university where there is a seminar for a group of students.In this seminar each videotaped lesson is watched, analysed and evaluated by the group of students and the supervisor. In addition, all supervisory teachers must submit a written evaluation report of a students teaching practice. Portfoliowork covers all teaching practice periods and this teaching practice portfolio is an integral part of the students overall developmental learning portfolio. The goal of the teaching practice portfolio assessment is to support the students professional growth. The portfolio may consist of a personal learning diary, a working file, and a summary type of conclusion. In the portfolio the student should evaluate different types of pedagogical situations that he/she has encoutered in relation to theoretical knowledge acquired in lectures and from the literature. There is no strict format of what to include in and how to write the portfolio. Those things that the student feels meaningful and important for him/herself are the the things that should be written down and reflected upon later. Although there is no ready-made format for the teaching practice portfolio, the students are encouraged to include the following types of things:

1. Documents of situations and activities of teaching/learning * Obsesrvations of pupils and interaction in the class * Educational measures or actions in the class * Pupil welfare activities * Pedagogical skills - goal setting and objectives of learning; also based threoretically - planning - teaching - instructional differentiation - asssessment and evaluation * Other activities of the school and teachers - collaboration with pupils homes/parents; with colleagues, other educational and rehabilitation staff 2. The basis and evaluation of ones own activities * basis for activities - philosophical basis of education - goal setting and goals for professional development - theoretical orientation and action framework supporting professional work (literature, research, articles, reports, didactical studies, supervision) * evaluation and feedback - self-evaluation - outside evaluation (from pupils, peers, supervisors) A summary (at least five pages) based on goals, processes, goal attainment, learning theory orientation/approaches, and personal strengths and weaknesses in the process of becoming a teacher/special teacher. The contents of each teaching practice period report or portfolio part could consist of the following parts: Contents: Goals for this teaching practice period Lesson plans Teaching materials used in lessons Self-evaluations or reflections of the lessons Pupil/student feedback Peer feedback Videotaped lessons Selection: The best lesson The worst lesson

Criteria for selections Group discussion: Selected lessons to be watched and evaluated in the group: Feedback from peers and supervisor Interview/discussion: Reflection or self-evaluation on teaching practice and on becoming a teacher Feedback from the supervisory teacher New, personal goals for the next teaching practice periods (Eloranta, 1996, cited by Lng, 1999) C. Two freely selected courses 4. Development and analysis of ones learning The last part of the portfolio is a summary of a students personal and professional growth and development during the whole study period. REFLECTION Reflection is a closely related concept to cognitive and experiential learning. In cognitive learning approach reflection can be regarded as a means for cognition formation and as a part of metacognitive skills. In experiential learning approach reflection is the core and starting point for learning. In the portfoliowork in special teacher training reflection could be defined as students awareness of his/her experiences, learning processess and outcomes, consisting also of attitudes, values, and emotions. Some people even say that if learning is not reflective, things to be learned cannot really be understood and actively used by the student. Reflection has a kind of function of enlightenment; one starts to think over earlier experiences by trying to make them more understandable and trying to see things from different angles and in a brighter light. In the beginning reflective processes may center on oneself, but gradually they widen to causes of ones behaviors. In general, reflection increases awareness of a persons learning processes and also helps him/her to use his/her learning environment in a more effective way; reflection also begins to guide observation, i.e. what to observe and how to observe. Observation is always an active process, but it is not always conscious and preplanned. One of the goals of studies in special education is to develop students self-evaluation or self -assessment skills. One of the skills is to be able to evaluate or assess ones own learning. Reflection and reflective selfassessment means that a student becomes able to see things and situations from different perspectives. A student also learns to recognize his/her strengths and weaknesses, and to become conscious of his/her

study habits and how effective and appropriate they are. Earlier the assessment has had a negative connotation; it has meant finding errors, weaknesses, flaws. The portfolio, however, has brought a positive approach to assessment; we can emphasize strenghts, developmental needs and opportunities, and encouragement. Negative assessment/criticism does not foster development. Constructive or positive assessment/criticism gives an opportunity and encouragement for development; it gives choices and different means of doing things. REFERENCES Lng, A. 1999. Portfolio-opas. Jyvskyln yliopisto, Erityispedagogiikan laitos. Neiman, L.V. 1999. Linking Theory and Practice in Portfolio Assessment. Available in www-format: <URL:http://www.weac.org/resource/199900/oct99/focus2.htm>.