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Professional portfolio has been used in North America since the 1980s．It was highly concerned by educators and practitioners for its powerful reflective nature．Until now，more and more educators accept this method and try to update the effectiveness，such as using e－portfolio to record student development．It also draws student teachers’attention because of its practice－oriented，individualized，easy－to－operate，and reflective nature．In the following parts，we will introduce this magic method and hope it will enhance your professional development in your teaching journey．
There are many tools to guide you to go reflective practice．Professional portfolio is one of the most effective methods．Let’s study together．
A portfolio is a collection of work that，when put together，demonstrates that achievement or learning has taken place．This collection of information and examples describe or give a profile of who you are as a professional．It is a collection，record or set of material or evidence that gives a picture of an individual’s experience in an educational or developmental situation．
The portfolio allows the adult learners to have ownership of their learning and development．For many the development of a portfolio is a method of bridging the theory－practice gap as reported to exist by Briggs （1972）and Reed and Proctor（1993）．The production of a portfolio can facilitate the development of learning skills allowing the practitioner to learn from experience and clinical／teaching practice．
Portfolios encourage beginning teachers to gather in one place significant artifacts representing their professional development；It can assemble materials that document their competencies；It includes a reflective component，for when the teacher decides which materials to include，he or she must reflect on which teaching practices worked well and why．The portfolios are modified at points throughout a teacher’s career，as the teacher continues to apply learning to practice．A professional portfolio offers teacher interns an opportunity to explore attitudes，develop management skills，and reflect on the ethical implications of practice in classrooms with cultural compositions vastly different from their previous experiences．It also assemble materials that document their competencies．Besides，it causes teachers to step back and critically reflect not only on how they teach，but also on why they teach in a particular way．
The process of making a professional portfolio has three phases：
（1）Reviewing：the process of looking at one’s life experiences；
（2）Reflecting：sorting through what you have learned from these experiences；
（3）Recording：documenting insights gained from taking an honest look at oneself．
A well－known categorization divides portfolio content into （1）material from oneself，for instance a statement of teaching responsibilities，course syllabuses and self－evaluations；（2）material from others，such as feedback from peers or students，and（3）products of good teaching，such as evaluations by students and information about the effects of courses on student career choices．
A professional portfolio is a goal－driven，organized collection of materials that demonstrates a person’s expansion of knowledge and skills over time．You need to develop the contents by writing，editing，and collecting relevant information．You may put these documents into a binder so that you could use it for your future career development．Here are contents of making a mini professional portfolio．
（1）Statement of originality and confidentiality
（2）Philosophy statement
（3）Goals
（4）Resume
（5）Work samples
（6）Academic plan of study
（7）Being individualized＆creative
（8）Other achievement
（9）Letters of recommendation
（10）Evaluation from teachers and peers
Defining the Extremes of the Dimensions in Portfolio Use
Zeichner and Wray （2001）developed a conceptual framework for identifying different types of portfolio on the basis of portfolio practice and findings from the literature．The framework they developed was intended to help researchers to describe the approaches to teaching portfolios used in various settings．The framework consisted of the following dimensions：（1）the purposes of the portfolio；（2）who determines what goes into the portfolio and to what extent this is specified beforehand or left to the compiler of the portfolio；（3）the social interactions in the process of portfolio construction，and（4）what happens with portfolios once they have been completed．
Portfolio Purpose
The first dimension in Zeichner and Wray’s conceptual framework is portfolio purpose．The purpose of a learning portfolio is to engage teachers in inquiry about their teaching and to document growth in teaching performance and teacher knowledge over time．A learning portfolio provides structure for the teachers’self－reflection as to which areas of their teaching performance are in need of improvement．This kind of portfolio is also called a professional growth portfolio ．The credential portfolio is used to assess a prospective teacher’s readiness to be given an initial teaching license，and a showcase portfolio presents the best work of a teacher．Credential and showcase portfolios are used to take decisions，for example，about certification or promotion．To sum up，two main portfolio purposes can be distinguished：a formative purpose，i．e．，to stimulate learning and professional development，and a summative purpose，i．e．，for promotion decisions（Edgerton，Hutchings，＆Quinlan，1991；Seldin，1991）．These two purposes can be seen as the extremes of the portfolio purpose dimension．
Portfolio Organization and Evidence
The second dimension concerns“ whodetermines what goes into the portfolio andto what extent this is specifiedbeforehandor left to the compiler ofthe portfolio ”．We have adapted this dimension to focus on the organization of the portfolio process and the type of evidence to be included in the portfolio and therefore，we call this dimension“portfolio organization and evidence”．The extremes of this dimension are： open － ended versus tightly organized for organization and non － standardized versus standardized for evidence．If portfolios are open－ended，this means that there are no specific requirements for portfolio organization；it is all left to the portfolio compiler’s choice．Not only portfolio organization，but also the type of evidence included in the portfolio can range from highly varied sources of evidence to a clearly specified set of teacher work（Wolf＆Dietz，1998）．Most portfolio programs are likely to include a combination of prescribed and self－selected evidence （Barton＆Collins，1993）．However，it is not only the degree of specification that is important，the key distinction is the one between materials that provide non－standardized versus standardized information （Peterson，1995；2001）． Most portfolios consist of work samples，lesson plans and feedback from students and colleagues and these materials are often qualitative and non－standardized．The interpretation of this type of evidence requires a great deal of effort（Delandshere＆Petrosky，1998），whereas standardized content，such as uniform rating scales for peer－，student－，or self－evaluations，can be interpreted at a single glance．
Social Interactions in the Process of Portfolio Construction
The third dimension is that of the nature andquality ofsocialinteractions in the process of portfolio construction ．As Edgerton et al．（1991）put it，portfolios can foster a culture of teaching and a new discourse about it．Because learning is a social process，portfolio construction should be so too．In the process of constructing a portfolio，teachers gain insight into their learning processes and learn about their professional development．Reflection and feedback are crucial in this process（Tillema＆Smith，2000）．It has been argued that the value of teaching portfolios can be greatly enhanced by enabling teachers to interact with others on a regular basis when they are constructing their portfolios（Seldin，1991；Wolf＆Dietz，1998）．Examples of social interactions are meetings with peers or supervisors（Freidus，1998）．By helping portfolio composers to select materials and reflect on them，coaches and supervisors can provide important support for the cognitive and emotional components that play a role in portfolio construction．Peer coaching can be a very useful way of obtaining feedback and advice from colleagues．In interactions in relation to the portfolio construction process it is often the teachers’learning goals that are the focal point．By contrast，social interactions concerning the portfolio as a product focus on the selection of portfolio items for use in promotion decisions．In this case，portfolio composers discuss what constitutes good teaching and which items best represent their performance．
Portfolio Assessment
The fourth dimension is related to what happens with portfolios once they have been completed ．We modified this dimension to focus on assessment．The extreme positions on this dimension are holistic and analytic assessment．Holistic assessment refers to the extreme that portfolio is assessed in a holistic way，according to teachers’learning goals．For analytical，the portfolio is assessed in an analytical way，according to precise criteria．Holistic assessment is often combined with a learning dialogue，in which assessors give teachers feedback about areas that need improvement and involve them in a debate about what constitutes good teaching （Moss，Schutz，＆ Collins，1998）．Analytical portfolio assessment，on the other hand，uses more precise，uniform standards and standardized rating procedures．Portfolios for formative evaluation are often open－ended or loosely organized and contain mostly non－standardized materials．For formative purposes，social interactions around portfolio construction are focused on the process of portfolio construction and assessment is usually holistic．Portfolios for summative purposes，on the other hand，are often highly structured and contain evidence in the form of prescribed and standardized materials．Social interactions focus on the portfolio as a product and assessment is analytic and according to well－defined criteria．This means that the intended purposes of the portfolio influence how the portfolio process and content are organized，used and assessed．
（Tigelaar，et al．，2004）
Teaching Portfolios
Cultivates reflection and self assessment
The process of portfolio development requires the teacher to seek answers to the following issues：Who you are as a teacher，what you do，why you do it，where you have been，where you are now in your teaching，where you want to go，and how you plan to get there．In order to address these issues，teachers must become researchers of their own practice．
Provides self－renewal
Teachers are sometimes their own worst critics．Developing teaching portfolios can breathe new life into practice because teachers are forced to look at what they are doing as opposed to perceiving what they are doing，by collecting materials that give concrete evidence about their teaching．
Promotes collaboration
If teaching portfolios are used for assessment of practicing teachers，then this provides an opportunity for a teacher to enter into a collaborative relationship with a reviewer，mentor，or supervisor in order to obtain feedback on their work．It can lead to self－reflection for both parties，as both must mutually identify their goals for professional development．
Encourages ownership and empowerment
It encourages teachers to take more responsibility and ownership for their ownprofessional development．Teachers can become more self－directed as they must identify their goals and plans for the future as opposed to allowing a supervisor or an administrator to outline their professional development．
A teaching portfolio is an album （much like a photo album）of many different aspects of a teacher’s work．They tell the story of the teacher’s efforts，skills，abilities，achievements，and contributions to students，colleagues，institutions，academic disciplines，and／or community． Teaching portfolios can provide teachers with opportunities for self－reflection and collaboration with colleagues．Teaching portfolios can also provide teachers with opportunities to plan their own professional development journey．The analogy of a traveler on a journey is applicable to preparing teaching portfolios．Just as travelers must decide their point of departure，the course they will take，and their destination，a professional teaching portfolio encourages teachers to think about their starting point，direction，and goals for the coming year（s）．
A teaching portfolio might include lesson plans，anecdotal records，student projects，class newsletter，videotapes，annual evaluations，and letters of recommendation．A teaching portfolio is not a one－time snapshot of where the teacher is at present；rather，it is an evolving collection of carefully selected professional experiences，thoughts，and goals．This collection can be accompanied with the teacher’s written（or oral）reflection and self－assessment of the collection itself and plans for the future．
（Farrell，2013）
Now is the time for you to make your own professional portfolio．You may study some cases listed below first，and then try to train yourself to be a designer，a writer，or an artist．It will be interesting to find your potential and to know your own development in teaching and learning．
我的哲理陈述
对教育的态度：教育是一个复杂、长期的过程并且伴随着隐藏性的劳动成果。
对教书的态度：其过程需要老师有耐心，并且运用多种教学方法找到最适合学生个人发展的教学方法以促进其能力培养和良好的课堂气氛。
对学生的态度：老师应有耐心，用不同方法对待不同性格的学生，因为个人发展有差异性。
对家长的态度：家长要明白自己对孩子发展的重要性，不能把孩子交给老师之后不加管理。我会与家长成为朋友，相互合作，帮助孩子成长。
对同事的态度：大家应相互学习，提高自我教育能力和沟通能力，因为我们有共同的目标，那就是让我们的学生变得更好。
思考问题
1．在个人的专业成长档案中，该学生是如何描述自己对教育、教学、学生、学生家长以及同事的看法的？
2．谈谈自己对教育教学的认识。
我的教学哲理陈述
公众认为教师职业非常值得敬佩。教师有机会在自己的工作过程中接触和改变许多人的生活。关于我的教学哲学陈述有以下三点：
首先，我认为老师和学生互相了解至关重要。学生知道教师的专业背景、教师了解将要教授的内容，这有利于课堂活动的展开。
其次，我相信，老师应该被看作课堂的统治者。应该告诉学生在整个课程中教师的期望是什么，并解释课堂中正确的行为和规则。如果这些规则是在一开始就规定的，那么那些不遵守规则的人就要得到惩罚。
最后，我觉得应该给学生一些权利选择他们想要的学习方式。有些孩子在小组中学习得更好，有些孩子更喜欢参加活动，有些孩子喜欢从教科书中获得材料。我相信孩子们应该有机会选择他们想要完成课程的方式。
思考问题
1．在个人的专业成长档案中，该学生是如何认识教师这个职业的？
2．陈述中为什么认为“老师应该被看作课堂的统治者”？你同意这种说法吗？为什么？
我的六年目标
短期目标（第一个两年）：考取教师资格证、英语专业八级证并且保持高的平均分申请澳大利亚名校研究生，保持并取得高的平均分（超过 90 分）。
中期目标（第二个两年）：我将在澳大利亚好好完成研究生学习，学习之余积累社会工作经验、找到我的另一半和考取驾驶资格证。
长期目标（第三个两年）：希望在澳大利亚工作两年挖掘自我，探索更多能丰富我生活的东西。在此期间，可能会结婚。
思考问题
1．案例中该学生是如何规划自己专业发展的6年目标的？对你有什么启示和帮助？
2．谈谈自己职业成长的短期（2年内）、中期（5年内）以及长期（10年内）的规划。
我未来的目标
短期目标（1 年）：考取英语专业八级证书、教师资格证书，参加公务员考试以及当地的招教考试。
中期目标（2 年）：在毕业之后，在当地培训机构找一份兼职老师的工作，考察当地市场，发展客户、了解当地客户需求，综合利用身边的资源，和朋友开一家属于自己的培训机构。
长期目标（大于 3 年）：稳定工作，夯实基础，通过自己的努力创造财富，考虑结婚。
思考问题
1．案例中该学生是如何规划自己的短期、中期和长期专业发展目标的？对你有什么启示和帮助？
2．该学生谈及未来结婚的事，你觉得是否应该在自己的专业成长案例中提及此事，为什么？
亮闪闪： 学习过程中哪些是自己记忆深刻、受益最大、最欣赏的内容呢？请写出具体内容。
考考你： 请把自己弄懂的但觉得别人可能存在困惑的地方，用问题的形式表述出来，来挑战一下其他同学。
帮帮我： 请把自己不懂、不会的地方或想要了解的内容，用问题的形式表述出来，并带到课堂上加以讨论。
［1］Farrell，T．S．C． Reflective Practice ： Reawakening Your Passion for Teaching ［M］．Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press，2013．
［2］Harris，S．，Dolan，G．，＆Fairbairn，G．Reflecting on the use of student portfolios［J］． Nurse Education Today ，2001（21），4：278－286．
［3］Neades，B．L．Professional portfolios：all you need to know and were afraid to ask［J］． Accident andEmergency Nursing ，2003，11：49－55．
［4］Tigelaar，D．E．H．，Dolmans，D．H．J．M．，Wolfhagen，I．H．A．P．＆van der Vleuten，C．P．M．Using a conceptual framework and the opinions of portfolio experts to develop a teaching portfolio prototype［J］． Studies in EducationalEvaluation ，2004（30）：305－321．