What is a portfolio, and how can it help music teachers in their careers?

MENC member Cheryl Frazes Hill answers this question in depth in an article in the September 2008 Music Educators Journal (MEJ).

In “A Portfolio Model for Music Educators,” Hill describes a portfolio as “an organized collection of artifacts (examples of work) documenting a person’s skill and growth in an educational program and a career.”

Portfolios can be hard copy or electronic, and many institutions and employers now require the latter. Hill describes three kinds:

• Learning (Formative) portfolios, used on an ongoing basis to document professional development
   
• Assessment (Summative) portfolios, used for formal evaluations
   
• Employment (Marketing or Showcase), portfolios, designed for job-seeking.
   

The author offers tips for creating each and also provides resources, including Web sites, to help portfolio-builders with the task.

What’s been your experience with portfolios? Does your school require students to produce one to graduate? Share your comments with others on MENC Forums (www.menc.org/forums).

(This MEJ article will be available to MENC members online starting September 23, 2008.)

--Ella Wilcox, September 10, 2008, © MENC: The National Association for Music Education (www.menc.org)