AE-PRO portfolio guide

AE-PRO PORTFOLIO - promote yourself

AE-PRO PORTFOLIO GUIDE

SUPPORT FOR CREATING A PORTFOLIO FOR STAFF OF ADULT EDUCATION

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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INDEX PREAMBLE..................................................................................................................................... 4 SECTION I – PORTFOLIO................................................................................................................ 5 1.1.

What is a Portfolio? ...................................................................................................... 5

1.2.

Why use a Portfolio? .................................................................................................... 6

SECTION II – PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION ................................................................................... 7 2.1. What to include? ............................................................................................................... 7 Useful links.................................................................................................................................. 10 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 10 Step by step Portfolio ................................................................................................................. 11

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PREAMBLE We, the supporters of this AE-PRO Portfolio Guide, believe that this guide can help every professional engaged in the field of adult education (educator, teacher, trainer, stakeholder, etc.) achieve their personal & professional goals and increase their selfesteem.

This portfolio guide, created by the AE-PRO – European Adult Education (Younger) Professionals Learning Platform project, is a support for all adult education workers to complete and enrich their professional résumés, as this may be a key tool to a new job opportunity or discover better career paths.

AE-PRO Portfolio Guide has the following objectives:  To facilitate reflective learning processes and engage participants in activities related to the purpose, content and development of a portfolio.  To support participants to plan a portfolio according to co-negotiated criteria specific to their professional practice.  To assist professionals to develop a portfolio to support reflective practice.

Creating a Portfolio is not only a gathering of professional and educational achievements, but it is rather more than that, as it takes you to another level – reflective – engaging you in a critical and reflective thinking process of who you are, where you’ve been and where you plan to go in the future. It’s an opportunity to conduct yourself an in-depth self-evaluation and continuous discovery.

That is why it is important to mark the difference and turn your traditional résumé to something unique and original – a one of a kind piece.

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.

John Dewey

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SECTION I – PORTFOLIO 1.1.

What is a Portfolio?

If we look up the meaning of port·fo·li·o, we will find definitions like: - A portable case for holding material, such as loose papers, photographs, or drawings.

- A collection of works or documents that are representative of a person's skills and accomplishments.

A portfolio is an organized collection of relevant documents and artifacts that showcases your talents, most relevant skills, and charts your professional growth.

A portfolio is not a résumé, which simply lists your experiences and accomplishments; nor is it a cover letter in which you write about yourself and your qualifications for a particular job. Instead, it is a collection of actual documents that support and make tangible the things you want to say about yourself in a cover letter, a CV, or a face‐to‐ face interview.

It is used to plan, organize and document training and education achievements, as well as professional experience, skills and know-hows. Their purpose usually include applying to jobs, education or training programs, a salary raise, show transferable skills, and to track personal development.

A portfolio must include information that characterizes the candidate, distinguishing them from other people or colleagues.

To summarize, Brown (1995) states: "A portfolio is a private collection of evidence which demonstrates the continuing of skills, knowledge, attitudes, understanding and achievements. It is both retrospective and prospective, as well as reflecting the current stage of development and activity of the individual."

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1.2.

Why use a Portfolio?

The process of creating a portfolio enables you to demonstrate examples of your qualifications. It should be seen as an extension of your résumé or curriculum vitae – not a replacement.

The aim of a portfolio is to provide evidence of the development of personal and professional standards to facilitate critical evaluation and reflective practice, leading to the developing of standards for a framework of progress, and the maintaining and developing of professional knowledge and competence.

So why use it?  It can be used to identify past work experience and current qualifications;  A chance to provide information that could not be included in your résumé and/or cover letter;  A way to illustrate accomplishments;  Shows an applicant’s organizational skills and attention to detail;  A reminder for possible employers of topics discussed during an interview; Creating a portfolio gives you the opportunity to develop:         

Skills in self-direction and enhance self-motivation; Create a personal data base; A life-long tool to help you discover and express who you are; Assess your own progress in your career development; Demonstrate application of theory to practice; Identify learning needs for a better performance and competitive résumé; Demonstrate performance levels against standards; Patient care and future developments; Validate progress and development.

Remember, a portfolio is a never ending document. Be sure to update your portfolio and to include relevant information for the purposes you might need of it.

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SECTION II – PORTFOLIO CONSTRUCTION A portfolio can either be electronic or printed hard-copy format. It’s a tool that showcases your skills, experiences and accomplishments for social, personal or professional intents.

It can include pieces from your professional work, education and training, volunteer experience and personal interests, and should be updated as you complete more projects.

2.1. What to include?

In order to keep the portfolio readable, it is important to separate the portfolio by sections or parts.

INTRODUCTION  Cover Page - Identification of the candidate, job position, work field, date and place.  Table of Contents - A table of contents should be used to help employers locate important documents.

- Tabs or dividers can be included to separate different types of information.

- Your portfolio shows an attention to detail and organizational skills.  Introducing yourself - A brief description of yourself, where you can summarize: your identification, professional experience, highest and current level of qualification.

- You can also explain how your portfolio is presented and organized.

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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE & CAREER  Work Experience - Résumé - Include a CV, either functional, chronological or a combination format.

- In the CV summarize your work experience, describing tasks and responsibilities.  Samples of Work - Include samples of your work that best showcases your skills.

- Depending on your field of work, consider including reports, photos, studies, writing samples, trade brochures, projects, presentations, and CDROMs. - Examples of job assignments, projects or any other kind of material that shows experienced tasks, methods and solutions.

- Evidence of specific soft skills (writing, leadership, communication, conflict resolution).

- Evidence of specific technical skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, website development, databases, event planning).  Awards and Honors - Work related awards and accomplishments (i.e. employee of the month) - Honors or Professional Certificates.

- Performance reviews or evaluations.  Letters of Reference - Include thank you notes, letters of recommendation and reference. These letters should be written by professional colleagues and/or former supervisors.

- Obtain letters that address different types of skills and abilities.

- Include a reference page with at least three names, addresses, and phone numbers.  Career Summary and Goals - Description of what you stand for (i.e. work ethic, values, and preferred management style).

- Include your professional philosophy and guiding principles.

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Answer the question: where do you see yourself in three to five years? (long-term goals)

EDUCATION & TRAINING  Transcripts and/or Degrees - School transcripts.

- Diplomas (college, university).

- Certificates (professional trainings, courses, conferences, symposiums and lectures).

workshops,

seminars,

 Internships - Academic or professional internships can be included in this category.

Briefly describe tasks and responsibilities, as well as marks and classifications achieved.  Scientific publications and/or articles - Include any articles or publications written by you.

- Book publications and investigations.  Professional networking - Provide your social networks addresses (LinkedIn, Facebook) - It shows you’re aware of internet based tools and updated.  Other competences and skills - Include other competences you have developed throughout your professional experience, such as, ITC skills, l foreign languages, writing skills, etc.

- Any independent learning courses.

- Public speaking opportunities.

VOLUNTEER WORK  Volunteering experiences - Non-profit / Charity work (personal or corporate sponsored).

- Add information on any volunteering, pro bono, or community service work you have done.

- Volunteer missions.

- Photos from events.

- Memberships.

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PERSONAL INTERESTS  Relevant personal interests - Depending on the position you’re applying for, you might want to include personal interests, such as: travelling, cultures, hobbies, etc.

Keep in mind…

Your portfolio becomes a powerful “sample of you” in itself. It’s never too late to create your portfolio. All that matters is you get one started, as soon as possible…today perhaps!

Also, every time you use it, you’ll add new elements, re-order existing elements, and remove elements that aren’t specifically supporting your purpose for using this key career tool.

Useful links http://www.wikihow.com/Develop-a-Professional-Portfolio http://www.portfoliogen.com/

Bibliography Brown, G. I., Beverly J (1995). "Administrative Portfolios: A Contemporary Construct for Evaluation." EDRS Price.

Brown, S. R., Phil (1995). “Assess Your Own Teaching Quality. Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Series.”

Follo, E. (1994). "Career Portfolios: Helping Beginning Teachers Help Themselves."

EDRS Price.

Redman, W. (1994). “Portfolios for Development: A Guide for Trainers and Managers”.

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Step by step Portfolio

Reference: adapted from Teresita Chiarella, March 26, 2010