Helpful Sources
1. Portfolio Teaching: A Guide for Instructors. Second Edition. Nedra Reynolds and Rich Rice. Published by Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2006.
This book is, in a way, a manual for teaching with portfolios. It provides some background on how portfolios got started and the different types that exist. It then provides options for instructors on how to use portfolios in their own classrooms. Most importantly, it details course planning when using portfolios which is one of the most important factors for successful portfolio use. It discusses things to think about regarding schedule and pace, what to ask of students in the reflective introduction, and how to grade. What is great is that it provides a thorough explanation and details many options that instructors can choose from, while being brief and concise.
2. New Directions in Portfolio Assessment: Reflective Practice, Critical Theory, and Large-Scale Scoring. Edited by Laurel Black, Donald A. Daiker, Jeffrey Sommers, and Gail Stygall. Published by Boynton/Cook Publishers. 1994.
This collection of essays chronicles the conversation in the composition world regarding the assessment of portfolios as well as the way portfolios are being used for assessment. It contains essays regarding Perspectives, Students’ Voices, Teachers’ Voices, Teacher Training, Large-Scale Scoring, and Issues in Administration.
3. Situating Portfolios: Four Perspectives. Edited by Kathleen Blake Yancey and Irwin Weiser. Published by Utah State University Press. 1997.
This essay collection provides a variety of information regarding portfolios. It examines theory, pedagogical practices, how portfolios help teachers develop professionally, and how portfolios are changing with technology. In addition, it contains an essay from Peter Elbow and Pat Belanoff reflecting on portfolios more than a decade after they first introduced them at Stony Brook.
Both of these essay collections will help you become well versed and knowledgeable about the discussion going on about portfolios in the composition world which, in turn, will help you make the best use of them in the classroom.