On August 22, 2010, Nedra Reynolds, chair of Writing and Rhetoric at University of Rhode Island and author of Portfolio Teaching and Portfolio Keeping, conducted a workshop on portfolio teaching for faculty from Composition and Geography and Planning. The workshop focused on creating challenging reflective writing activities and offering students choice and scope in portfolio keeping.
While at the workshop, participants came up with a list of best practices of portfolio keeping. The following list, compiled by workshop participants, entails what should go into a portfolio and the opportunities that portfolios provide:
Best Practices of Portfolio Keeping:
Learn expectations and clarity
Lots of response from faculty and peers
Lots of choice (topics to write on and what to put into final portfolio)
Self Reflection
Opportunity for Revision
Error is last
Don't Grade Everything
Process writing
Reflection/Metacognition
Research based writing
Argumentative writing
Rhetorical strategies
Collaboration
Peer workshops/response
Information Literacy
Voice
Audience
Purpose
Community awareness