How do you document and showcase teaching achievements?

1 Set your goals

Before you start collecting and organizing your teaching achievements, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish and why. Do you want to showcase your teaching philosophy, methods, and outcomes? Do you want to apply for a promotion, a grant, or a recognition award? Do you want to share your best practices and innovations with other teachers? Your goals will guide your selection and presentation of evidence, as well as the format and platform of your portfolio.

2 Choose your evidence

Your teaching achievements can be documented in various ways, such as student feedback, peer observations, test scores, lesson plans, assignments, rubrics, certificates, awards, publications, presentations, and more. However, not all evidence is equally relevant, valid, or reliable. You need to choose the evidence that best reflects your teaching goals, strengths, and areas for improvement. You also need to consider the quality, quantity, and diversity of your evidence, and how it aligns with the standards and expectations of your audience.

3 Organize your evidence

Once you have selected your evidence, you need to organize it in a logical and coherent way. You can use different criteria to group your evidence, such as themes, categories, levels, domains, or dimensions of teaching. You can also use a chronological, developmental, or reflective approach to show your teaching journey and progress. You need to label, annotate, and summarize your evidence, and explain how it demonstrates your teaching achievements. You can use tools like spreadsheets, folders, tables, charts, or mind maps to help you structure your evidence.

4 Present your evidence

After you have organized your evidence, you need to present it in a way that showcases your teaching achievements in an engaging and professional manner. You can use different formats and platforms to create your portfolio, such as paper, digital, or online. You can also use different media and tools to enhance your portfolio, such as images, videos, audio, slides, blogs, websites, or apps. You need to consider the design, layout, accessibility, and usability of your portfolio, and make sure it is clear, concise, and consistent.

5 Update your evidence

Your teaching achievements are not static, but dynamic and evolving. You need to update your portfolio regularly to reflect your current practice, goals, and impact. You also need to review your portfolio periodically to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, identify your areas for improvement, and plan your professional development. You can use tools like self-assessments, action plans, journals, or logs to help you monitor and document your growth and learning.

6 Share your evidence

Your teaching achievements are not only for yourself, but also for others. Sharing your portfolio can help you communicate your teaching vision, values, and results with your students, colleagues, administrators, and other stakeholders. It can also help you network, collaborate, and learn from other teachers, and contribute to the improvement of teaching and learning in your field. You can use different channels and strategies to share your portfolio, such as email, social media, newsletters, conferences, or workshops.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?