communicating for
LEARNERS
SPRIN
G #2
2011
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The Learning Portfolio
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Academically Adrift
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The Learning Portfolio: Teaching Students to Reflect on Learning
1
Electronic portfolios are increasingly being used by colleges and universities to help promote and assess student learning. There are two particular elements of e-portfolios that enhance student learning: one is the process of selection. As students select what artifacts to upload to their portfolios, they must choose solid representative examples of work that demonstrate their achievement of learning outcomes. Simply having to think about their course work with respect to learning outcomes becomes a learning experience in itself. What work did I do that demonstrates critical thinking? Which of these best demonstrates my critical thinking ability? In addition to the process of selection, students increase their learning through reflection on the artifacts they choose for their portfolios. Most portfolio systems prompt students to reflect on the artifacts they place in their portfolios, and educators may also require reflection as part of the portfolio assignment. In fact, John Zubizaretta, in his book The Learning Portfolio (2004), says that the primary purpose of a learning portfolio is “to improve student learning by providing a structure for students to reflect systematically over time on the learning process and to develop the aptitudes, skills and habits that come from critical reflection.” Thus students have to think deeply to select artifacts for portfolios, and they have to think even more deeply when they reflect on those artifacts. Unfortunately, students do not come to college prepared to reflect deeply on learning. And, some experts would suggest, students have not actually learned anything until they spend some time thinking about what they know, how they came to know it, and what else they need to know. Many students are passive recipients of knowledge. They sit in the classroom and allow educators to shower them with information and ideas, drops of which they may retain until the test, after which much of it evaporates. If educators want students to become actively engaged in their own learning through reflection, they must teach students how to reflect. Some students will take the easy way out by writing reflections that are clichéd and superficial. In fact, Helen Chen, a research scientist at Stanford University’s Center for Innovations in Learning and a long-time proponent of using electronic portfolios, has created a list of “Taboo Words and Phrases—Clichés of Reflection” for first-year students. (An electronic copy of this handout can be found at http://wasc2007. pbworks.com/f/Cliches+of+Reflection+v1+Apr06.pdf.) In her introductory comments to the handout, she notes, “We offer this
list as a starting point for you to think about what comprises a meaningful and deeper perspective . . . based on this list of rather superficial and rushed thoughts. We aren’t saying that you shouldn’t use any of these phrases when you write your reflections but please keep these phrases in mind and perhaps give some thought as to how they could be used more effectively, precisely, and thoughtfully.” Among her taboo words she includes “insightful,” “interesting,” and “creative,” and her sample taboo phrases include “I learned so much,” “I tried very hard,” and “Not much that I can say I wish had gone differently.” Going through Chen’s “forbidden” words and phrases can help students avoid many pitfalls of reflection. It also helps to give students specific feedback on their reflections. A rubric that lays out what precisely you expect from student reflections can also be extremely helpful. Scaffolding is another way to help students reflect more deeply. Scaffolding usually includes a series of specific questions that you would like students to answer when reflecting on their work. The questions should be designed to promote serious thinking about the assignment. Helen Barrett, often referred to as the “grandmother” of electronic portfolios, has an extensive collection of e-portfolio information on her website, including “Scaffolding Reflection with Adolescent and Adult Learners” (2008)(http://electronicportfolios.com/ reflection.html) which includes numerous questions that educators can use to assist students with reflections. Triple-entry journals are another method for helping students learn how to reflect critically on learning. As students engage in an activity (reading, watching a video, listening to music, doing an experiment, encountering a work of art) have them make notes on a page divided into thirds. In the first column, during or just after the activity, have them list what they perceive to be key points or key characteristics. After the activity, they can then be asked to reflect on the key points. Finally, they can reflect on their reflection: What mental activities were involved in the reflection? What was I thinking about? What connections did I make? As students are asked to continue this reflection process and as they recieve feedbackover the years, reflection becomes a habit of mind, a way of dealing with all their experience inside and outside the classroom—transforming college students into lifelong learners.