Teaching portfolio as one of the leading ways of higher education teachers professional development in the USA
Abstract
The article deals with the issue of teaching portfolio. The author examines American educators’ understanding of essence «teaching portfolio». It is mentioned that teaching portfolio is a certain stage of professional development of higher education teachers. In Ukraine, this method is in the testing stage, however, in the United States, the portfolio of teachers is actively used in a large number of higher education institutions. Working with this method is an objective necessity of the present.
It is pointed that there are many definitions of the portfolio, but the main positions from which this phenomenon is considered are portfolio-technology and portfolio-product. The author suggests John Murrey’s definition of teaching portfolios who defines teaching portfolio in four perspectives, taking into account the main purposes. Therefore, a portfolio can be defined as a tool for documenting teaching with an emphasis on achievements; empowering professors and teachers to gain dominion over their professional activities; providing higher educational institutions with the means of demonstration that teaching is an institutional priority; and individualizing faculty professional development.
The author highlights that most scholars who are addressing the problem of portfolio in higher education agree that the potential of the teaching portfolio lies in the ability of teachers to control their professional development. The main perspectives of higher education lecturers’ portfolios are distinguished such as: receiving credits for effective teaching, improving teaching performance, receiving awards or merit pay for high-level teaching, and obtaining a different position.
Summing up, the author considers the teaching portfolio as a complex phenomenon that covers all of the above-mentioned aspects – a means for documenting the teaching process, reflecting patterns of teaching practice, emphasizing the main mission of the university, and most importantly – as motivation of the individual professional development of each faculty member. However, as noted by academic teachers, it is important to present not only an ideal experience, but also to describe problem situations, reflect on the way of their solution, on the causes of their occurrence, and others like that.
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References
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