For instructors, portfolios are an excellent way to assess student writing. They can give us an occasion to witness student improvement and application. As importantly, though, they can provide an opportunity for students to reflect and revise on their own to demonstrate what they have learned about effective writing. Portfolios can include a range of writing for different occasions and audiences. Finally, they become a tremendous source of pride for students and instructors.

Below you will find links to my own portfolio assignments as well as other resources on portfolios:

Beth Howells' Portfolio Assignment

Beth Howells' Portfolio Preface Assignment

A Brief Bibliography of Some Essential Reading on Portfolios

Belanoff, Pat, and Marcia Dickson. Portfolios: Process and Product . Portsmouth, N.H.:Heinemann-Boynton/Cook, 1991.

Belanoff, Pat, and Peter Elbow. “Using Portfolios to Increase Collaboration and Community in a Writing Program.” WPA 9 (Spring 1986): 27-40.

Black, Laurel, Donald A. Daiker, Jeffrey Sommers, and Gail Stygall, eds. New Directions in Portfolio Assessment: Reflective Practice, Critical Theory, and Large-Scale Scoring . Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann-Boynton/Cook, 1994.

Elbow, Peter. A Community of Writers . New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999.

Murphy, Sandra and Mary Ann Smith. “Creating a Climate for Portfolios.” Evaluating Writing: The Role of Teachers' Knowledge about Text, Learning, and Cul ture. Eds. Charles R. Cooper and Lee Odell. Urbana, Ill.: NCTE, 1999.

Reynolds, Nedra. Portfolio Keeping: A Guide for Students and Portfolio Teaching: A Guide for Instructors . Boston & New York: Bedford/ St. Martins, 2000.

Smith, Mary Ann and Jane Juska. The Whole Story: Teachers Talk about Portfolios . Berkeley, CA: National Writing Project, 2001.

Yancey, Kathleen Blake, ed. Portfolios in the Writing Classroom: An Introduction. NCTE, 1992.

Yancey, Kathleen Blake, and Irwin Weiser, eds. Situating Portfolios: Four Perspectives . Logan: Utah State Univ. Press, 1997.

Some Useful Websites

Bedford Bibliography for Teachers of Writing: http://www.bedfordbooks.com/bb/index.html

Rebecca Moore Howard site: http://wrt-howard.syr.edu/Bibs/pedagogy.bib.html . Follow the link to portfolio.

Rhet-Comp site: http://www.rhetcomp.com/ Follow the links to “fields” then pedagogy and a number of useful links can be found.

Beth Howells, Director of Composition
Armstrong Atlantic State University
Teaching Conversation: Portfolio Evaluation
Wednesday, September 18, 2002