Teaching Portfolio Requirement

The teaching portfolio is the final requirement for UC Santa Barbara's CCUT and is a summation of my experiences in the program. My first impression of the process was that it would be strictly a historical account and of little value to my development as a teacher. However, this first impression was shortsighted at best. The production of the teaching portfolio allowed me to revisit the various experiences that have shaped my development as a teacher. Additionally, the portfolio has allowed me to elucidate any common themes that I deemed important for effective teaching throughout the process.

One of the main ideas that was apparent throughout my experiences in the CCUT program and during this early development as a teacher was the need to be flexible in my teaching style and to meet my students where they are in regards to their needs as students. Our natural inclination is to teach in the style that we learn best and this might be ideal for some students, but it will likely not meet the learning demands of all the students in a course. Additionally, this flexibility extends to assessment of the successes and failures of my teaching. If something is obviously not working, I must be willing to adapt to a new method and reassess its effectiveness. The process of producing a portfolio has also reiterated the importance of producing a safe and well-designed learning environment for my students where they feel comfortable to share and develop their ideas and critical thinking while allowing students to be motivated by intrinsic factors rather than by grades exclusively.

Teaching portfolios are often meant to document who you are as a teacher and how you arrived at that point in your professional development. This portfolio, while it is a requirement for a certificate, should not be a static document, but rather a dynamic process. Each course I teach or new skill I learn will add to who I am as a teacher and add another layer to this portfolio. I hope this concept of a dynamic and living portfolio stays with me for years to come as a means to continually re-experience and reassess my development and effectiveness as a teacher.