Peter Seldin (1)

Should the 'bad' part of one's teaching be revealed in a portfolio?

Peter Seldin, USA

When a teaching portfolio is used to stimulate teaching improvement, it must have multiple items and the data must be detailed, thoughtful and diagnostic. Whether improvement actually takes place depends in large numbers on what is included in the portfolio. It won't work unless the instructional elements to be strengthened are specifically singled out.

But suppose the portfolio is being prepared, instead, for a promotions panel review. Should the 'bad' part of one's teaching be revealed to the panel? Some may argue that the portfolio contents should be selective and contain only the most positive data the teacher can produce, in line with the idea of putting one's best foot forward. (This is consistent with research documentation in which only the "successes" are listed. It would be the rare faculty member who mentioned papers that had been rejected.)

Yet there is another way to look at it. I believe that the better solution on how to handle "less-than-positive" data is to include it in the portfolio and use it as a springboard. How can that be done? By demonstrating to the promotions panel that: (1) like all teachers, you are not perfect; (2) you've recognised teaching weaknesses and have worked hard to overcome them; and (3) you've experimented in the classroom and - not unexpectedly - some of the teaching experiments did not succeed. The idea here is to turn lemons into lemonade.