The Early Childhood Education Program Portfolio Manual

The Early Childhood Education Program Portfolio Manual

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

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Portfolio FAQ's

What is the Early Childhood Education portfolio? The ECE portfolio is documentation of the growth in your knowledge and thinking during your course of study in the Early Childhood Education associate degree program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. The portfolio is organized in a manner that provides clear evidence of your growth. In essence, the portfolio is the story of your experiences and reflections in the field of Early Childhood Education.

Why do I need a portfolio? The portfolio process is a way to provide a comprehensive collection of your work to show how you have met the six (6) outcomes of the early childhood education associate degree program. The portfolio gives you a forum to reflect on your learning experiences throughout your college and professional career. This is your opportunity to showcase your best work, skills, progress, and development as an early childhood professional. The portfolio will be presented prior to graduation and will serve as a document that you can use to market yourself as you progress in your early childhood or educational career.

What is an artifact? An artifact is a sample of your work. It may be work you have done previously in your education or work experience, but most commonly is an assignment from a core course in the Early Childhood Education association degree program. It should be an assignment that was particularly meaningful to you.

How many artifacts must I include in my portfolio? You will need to include artifacts that indicate how you have met the criteria in each of the program outcomes. There is not a specific answer for how many artifacts must be included. Your portfolio will be assessed according to how well the artifacts included show that you have met the program outcomes.

How will I select my artifact? Your artifact should be an assignment or evidence of your work that was particularly meaningful to you. You will need at least one artifact for each of the ECE Program Outcomes. Select an artifact that you feel strongly represents a particular outcome and criteria.

What is a reflection? A reflection is your personal statement about your work. This is your opportunity to think about your learning, your work, and your professionalism.

Composition of your Portfolio

You will need to provide your own appropriately sized binder, divider tabs in the required sequence, a table of contents, and the Early Childhood Education Program Portfolio Manual. We recommend a professional looking type of binder such as a faux leather or leather style that zips around or fastens somehow to protect your work.

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 As you begin to develop your portfolio, strive to make it creative and attractive with written work that is clear, legible, descriptive, and grammatically correct without spelling errors. This does not mean you must use scrapbooking techniques or be artistic; rather, you should make it a reflection of yourself as an individual while following the guidelines in the ECE Program Portfolio Manual.

To help you prepare, the items below will help you to become familiar with the required format.

Required Sequence:

Title Page - for contact information; including your name, address, phone number, and email address

Table of Contents - for clear organization

Introduction to your portfolio Autobiography ? give a brief overview of your educational history (full time or part time student, a transfer student, adult learner, new career, etc.) and what led you to the early childhood education profession. This should be 1-2 pages in length.

Resume-include an updated resume that is no more than 2 pages.

Current Registry Certificate Include your current Registry certificate. Once your final grades have been posted after graduation, you will want to get an updated certificate. If you are not currently on the Registry, go to the Registry website , print out and include the completed application form in the binder.

Transcripts You may use an unofficial transcript. However, you will want to order an official transcript when your program courses are completed.

Professional Memberships Copies of membership card(s) or other documentation to show you belong to a professional association (NAEYC, WECA, Local ECE Affiliates, etc.). Belonging to a professional organization is one hallmark of professionalism; and is an excellent way to stay current and network with colleagues in early childhood education.

Statement of Beliefs or Philosophy This should be your personal statement of your beliefs, your values, and priorities on teaching and working with young children and families.

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Video Footage Video clips (DVD or electronic format) of you working with children. This may be a video you submitted for a course, one that your cooperating teacher helped you produce, or one that your instructor provided to you after observing you in a practicum placement.

Artifacts (Work Samples) and Reflections An artifact is a sample of your work. Artifacts will be selected from coursework or documentation of work experience that shows how you have met the program outcome criteria.

Artifacts will be included to demonstrate how you meet each program outcome and criteria.

There will be several artifacts, each with a reflection. The reflection will describe how the artifact demonstrates that you have met the program

outcome. Artifacts may be from the NWTC ECE program; however, they may be from another

course from another college or previous or current work experience as well. Each of the criteria under each program outcome must be met through an artifact or

artifacts. Video footage of you at work or in practicum must be included in the portfolio.

What is a reflection? A reflection is your personal statement about your work. This is your opportunity to think about your learning/work/professionalism as a culminating experience. Your reflection should:

Explain the connection between the artifact and the program outcome. Reflections will include your response to the following questions

What is the artifact? (Is it a photo, video, work experience/document, an assignment-from which course? etc.)

Which program outcome does it match? Which criteria does it match? (You might have one artifact for each criterion or

the artifact might match all criteria for that program outcome.)

Discuss what the program outcome and your artifact means to you - why you selected it. Compare your thinking before you took the course and after you took the course - how

did your practice and your thinking as an educator change?

Practicum Summary You will write a detailed 2 ? 3 page summary discussing your practicum experiences in the two year program.

Core Ability Summary You will write a summary analyzing how you have met the NWTC Core Abilities. Using core ability; write approximately one paragraph describing how you have met that core ability. Give examples of behaviors and knowledge that you have gained that demonstrate your core ability attainment. The seven core abilities that NWTC has adopted are listed below.

1. Communicate Effectively 2. Think Critically & Creatively 3. Work Cooperatively and Professionally

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4. Solve Problems Effectively 5. Value Individual Differences & Abilities 6. Demonstrate Personal Accountability 7. Demonstrate Community & Global Accountability

Closing Statement The student will write a 1-3 page summary of her/his learning experience at NWTC. Focal points for the summary: How the NWTC education has changed your early childhood practice. The growth you have seen in yourself as a professional. The experiences at NWTC that were the most influential in your growth. Your goals as you move forward in your career as an early childhood educator. Your thoughts on the portfolio process.

You may include interviews, photos, video clips, audio clips, children's creations, or any other documentation that you feel will enhance your portfolio and the reader's understanding of your growth.

Here is a list of possible artifacts you might select to include for each Program Outcome: (You do not have to include all of these documents. Notice that some documents may fit into more than one outcome or criterion. You will choose the artifact and the criterion it best matches. You may include other artifacts that are not on this list, such as materials you created for your workplace, or coursework at another institution. This list is intended to provide suggestions and ideas to help you select the best artifacts to showcase your own educational growth.)

ECE 1 APPLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT THEORY TO PRACTICE

a. You utilize developmental theory and assessment information to inform practice Child Development ? Theory Comparison Chart Curriculum Planning ? LP1 Curriculum Analysis Chart Guiding ? Temperament Assessment Practicum 4 ? Child Portfolio

b. You correlate the relationship between play and learning Child Development ? LP2 Analyze Development Curriculum Planning ? LP2 Defense of Play discussion board post Curriculum Planning ? LP2 Observing Play Practicum 4 ? Lead Week Plans and taking on role as teacher

c. You summarize child development theories and best practices based on research Child Development ? Theory Comparison Chart Infant Toddler Development ? LP3 Child Development Theories discussion post Practicum 4 ? Child Portfolio

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