March 2005 — Exclusive

Print this article

Click here to receive your FREE subscription to T.H.E. Journal

Electronic Portfolios and Dimensions of Learning

By Frederick Conway

Habits of Mind

Here is where the whole picture comes together. This area involves three phases of which I will only discuss self-regulated thinking and creative thinking.

Self-Regulated Thinking. By this point, students will find it normal to be aware of their own thinking throughout the entire process from planning to the finished product. Their peers will help make them aware of necessary resources and sensitive feedback from frequent evaluations of each other's portfolios, which will then make them able to better evaluate the effectiveness of their own actions as they relate to the final product.

Creative Thinking. Students should constantly seek accuracy and clarity in their final portfolio. They should remain receptive to possible changes suggested by peers and sensitive to others' feelings and knowledge. Once students become engaged in the whole portfolio process this starts to become a natural occurrence.

Conclusion

Electronic portfolios are an excellent way to integrate the "dimensions of learning" because they document a student's growth over the year for the teacher, child and parent. In addition, the electronic portfolios make students excited and want to do more; therefore, they view electronic portfolios as fun.

Reference

Marzano, R. 1992. A Different Kind of Classroom: Teaching with Dimensions of Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

* For a detailed account of using electronic portfolios in the classroom, log on to the author's Web site at http://www.geocities.com/fkconway/index.html. Here the author discuses topics such as getting started, requirements, evaluations and assessments.

About the Author

Frederick Conway (e-mail: fkconway@verizon.net) is a fifth-grade teacher at William S. James Elementary in Harford County, Md. He has been teaching in Harford County for 22 years. Conway has a bachelor's in elementary education from Morgan State University, and is currently working toward furthering his education in the area of technology integration in the classroom.

Cite this Site

Frederick Conway, "Electronic Portfolios and Dimensions of Learning," T.H.E. Journal, 3/1/2005, http://www.thejournal.com/articles/17202

copy text (above) for proper citation