In September, I decided that I was fully going to commit to having my students keep a year long portfolio. The idea was that once a week, students would choose a piece of work from the week to save in their binder. They would write about it, reflecting on their process. Some pieces would be chosen by them and other pieces (usually the culmination of a substantial class project) were chosen by the teachers.

By mid winter, I was pleased with the project. For years, I’d wanted to do this but always found reasons to use my class time for other things. This year was different. However, I began to realize that I really wanted to find a way to get some of their work/reflections onto Seesaw rather than simply being put into a binder. What is the relationship between digital and analog? What is the balance between the two?

I was pleased with the project for several reasons. The students were engaged in the process. At first, they didn’t quite know how to choose work or what their self-reflections were supposed to look like. But as they got used to adding to their portfolios on a weekly basis, it became an easier task for most. Students spent time comparing notes with their classmates and getting ideas on the kinds of things they could focus on in their writing. I became more focused in the kinds of questions I posed for them to reflect on such as: “What was challenging for me?” “How did I overcome the challenge?” “What can I improve on next time?” Within answering these questions, some students began to come to larger insights about the way they learn.

Here are some examples of student posts:

I also was struggling with actually getting started on starting my own portfolio, something that I had wanted to create alongside the students. Self reflection isn’t an intuitive skill, it is something that needs to be taught. One of the best ways to do that is to model for the students by creating my own portfolio of work alongside the students. If I can’t figure out ways to find the time to work on an important task like this, how can I expect my students to?

I found myself in the winter with the following questions:

• How do I successfully model this work for them?

• What do I want my students to leave the school year with other than a binder full of their work?

• What is the progression of the portfolios from September – June, moving from the analog to the digital, as well as the kind of reflection students are doing?