If we want to support students in learning, and we believe that learning is a product of thinking, then we need to be clear about what we are trying to support. (Ritchhart, Church, and Morrison, 5 pag.)

Interested in e-portfolios? If we want our young learners to document their learning and growth using a portfolio, should we also have a portfolio?  Inspired by working, learning, and collaborating with Rhonda Mitchell (@rgmteach), I’ve curated a set of resources to help teacher-learners get started (or renewed) on a journey to develop a professional e-portfolio.  In her post, My Learning Student Portfolios – by the student, for the student, Rhonda writes:

Its purpose is to allow students to externalize their experiences and understanding, and then use that information to set goals, self-monitor their progress, and see themselves evolve over time.

What if we exchange the word students with the word teachers?

Its purpose is to allow [teachers] to externalize their experiences and understanding, and then use that information to set goals, self-monitor their progress, and see themselves evolve over time.

I like it.  What if we exchange the word students in the original quote with the word learners?

Its purpose is to allow [learners] to externalize their experiences and understanding, and then use that information to set goals, self-monitor their progress, and see themselves evolve over time.

What if we, the adult-learners, practiced with our young learners? What if we practice reflection and questioning to see how we continue on our journey as lifelong learners? What if we support and encourage each other as we go?  Will we learn more about reflection? Will we learn more about ourselves? Will we improve in ability and in confidence when guiding young learners through the reflection and portfolio process?

Will we try?

From an email sent to our community:

How do you feel about blogging?  The School Improvement Division of GADOE has approved awarding 2 PLUs for completing the course MyLearningEDU 1.5. This course will also officially launch after Labor Day.  As an experiment in online learning, this course is written in seven two-week chunks offering participants articles to read and videos to watch to prompt thinking and reflection.  See 01 – Getting Started as an example. The expected product is at least one blog post per week for 14 weeks.  Contact Jill if you want to meet face-to-face for a Q&A session with a small group or individually.

The course has seven chunks with each chunk spanning two weeks.  The goal for learners is to publish at least one blog post per week and comment of the posts of others in our cadre.  Each week has something to read and something to watch as inspiration and instruction.  However, there is very little direct instruction.  The blog posts should be for the learner, by the learner.

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Ritchhart, Ron, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison. Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2011. Print.