Evidentially my dear Watson!
An initial major task of portfolio development is the gathering and sorting of artifacts.
Artifacts are any ‘things’ or objects that can be used to illustrate or demonstrate a point or argument or concept. In an efolio, artefacts represent or symbolize what you know or can do. For example, you may use a copy of your teaching philosophy written the first week of September (Artefact 1) and written 8 months later (artefact 2) to demonstrate your growth in understanding of (for example) child centred learning.
Examples of artifacts that teacher candidates may include in their efolio are:
- philosophy of education
- biographical information
- sample lessons
- handouts
- units
- curriculum
- courses
- essays
- photos, videos, images
You can further generate a list of potential artifacts by asking yourself:
- What evidence/artefacts will demonstrate what you know, what you can do and what are your values?
- What experiences support your stance?
Remember to Think of evidence in broad terms and thus you can collect artifacts from your:
- coursework,
- practicum,
- undergraduate accomplishments,
- co-curricular experiences, and
- personal life experiences.