Virtual Learning Network

MAHORA SUMMARY FOR VLN

Goal 5 - All teachers will reflect on their own learning in an e-portfolio

Background and context
This goal was decided on by the ICT Team leaders as a vehicle for teachers to keep all professional learning, linking to their Teacher Registration as well as a place to record their teaching as inquiry focus for the year.  
In 2011 the Lead teachers for e-learning used My Portfolio to keep on-going reflections of their professional learning.  The Mahora Lead teachers also chose three other staff members to trial this along with them.  This year it was decided that all staff would take this on board.  Leigh, our lead facilitator for the Magpie cluster lead two staff meetings, introducing staff to My Portfolio and showing them the basics.  The lead teachers set up a My Portfolio for each member of staff with two pages already included - The Teaching as Inquiry page and Teacher Registration.

Aim and Purpose
We aimed to make it a requirement for our Teaching as Inquiry reflections so that everyone was involved.  This encouraged on-going education for teachers as well as developing confidence amongst individuals.  
The purpose of having a My Portfolio for each teacher also meant that it was much easier to share reflections amongst the staff as well as to enable teachers to recognise how easy it is to record evidence relevant for their Teacher Registrations.

Method

• Lead teachers set up My Portfolio for each staff member (end of 2011)
• Leigh came to staff meetings to walk staff through the ‘basics’ of working with My Portfolio (early 2012)
• Ongoing troubleshooting at Team Meetings - Junior, Middle and Senior at each team meeting
• Ongoing support for individuals throughout the year when required (individuals to approach members of the ICT lead team)

Interventions
Throughout the first term, Lead teachers set goals that needed to be achieved.  Teachers became familiar with the e-portfolio and added additional pages from professional learning experiences, which they linked to their Teacher Registration.  Teachers were expected to have set a teaching as inquiry focus by the end of term 1 with details of how they would achieve this goal using e-learning tools.
At this stage in Term 2, the Lead teachers have reminded staff that ongoing reflections need to be happening within their Teaching as Inquiry My Portfolio page.


Summary of Key Results
At this early stage we have been thrilled with the positive and purposeful way teachers have taken on board this new tool.  Each staff member has filled in their Teaching as Inquiry focus and detailed how they will achieve their goal.  A couple of staff members have found this tool an effective way to link years of professional development and other evidence to their Teacher Registration page on their My Portfolio.



Conclusions and Recommendations
As teachers have continued to use this tool and they are beginning to see the effectiveness of MyPortfolio as an ongoing reflection of their professional learning.   As team leaders we need to make sure that progress continues.  We need to have regular catch-ups with individuals to make sure they are on track and also make time at the team meetings, for reflection amongst each other.  At staff meetings we have a regular E-learning slot so we will make it a priority to have regular troubleshooting sessions and progress reports of our Teaching as Inquiry Page on My Portfolio.

Listen to a teacher's reflection on using MyPortfolio for professioal reflection: