During an interview for a teaching position, you want to convince the principal or other administrative interviewer that you are an adept lesson planner, an effective disciplinarian, a confident teacher and a team player. Develop your professional portfolio with a focus on demonstrating your abilities and capitalizing on your strengths.
Including Credentials in the Professional Portfolio
Although there are several different ways to organize a professional portfolio, you must include your credentials. Include copies of background checks, a current resume, Praxis scores and your teaching certificate. Extra copies of each of these should be saved behind the original for use during interviews when copies are requested. Any additional certifications or awards can be included in this section as well. Use a piece of white paper with the name of the credential typed in the middle for those items that you have not yet received.
Organizing the Professional Portfolio
There are no wrong ways to organize your portfolio. In addition to your credentials section, you want to make sure to include sample lesson plans with pictures, sample student work and a grading rubric if applicable. Also include a classroom management plan with thought out class rules and consequences. Finally, you want to include photographs and other memorabilia demonstrating a variety of experiences with children.
You can organize these items in any way you like. Here are some ideas for you to consider:
Subject Specific: Elementary education teachers are responsible for teaching each subject. To demonstrate your proficiency in each area, you can dedicate each category to one subject. Include a sample lesson, any extra curricular activities relating to the subject, and perhaps a sample bulletin board idea or other project relating to the subject.
Category Specific: Use this type of organization to demonstrate a wide variety of professional ability. Include sections for sample lesson plans, the use of technology in the classroom, your experiences with children, professional development opportunities and leadership experiences. Be sure to fill each category out appropriately if you chose this organization method.
Grade Specific: Use grade specific sections to demonstrate your ability to work with a wide range of students. Be sure to include a sample lesson plan and behavior plan for each grade level. For those seeking a position as a special's teacher, such as music or gym, consider dividing the portfolio into three sections: Elementary, Middle and High school experience.
Tips for an Impressive Portfolio
The most important thing to remember when putting your portfolio together is that less is more. Put together an index if you want to show organization, but be able to flip to any given page to illustrate an answer to an interview question. Use small slips of paper with typed one or two sentence summaries of what each piece demonstrates for those administrators who prefer to flip through your portfolio themselves. Use a table of contents to organize each section, and make the portfolio as professional as possible.
Using a working portfolio may help you organize yourself and keep your professional portfolio up to date. The working portfolio is an easy place to stick any piece of work or sample that you may want to use later, and becomes the source of work for your professional portfolio. Remember to use your portfolio during your interview as well. Words can only portray so much. Showing and telling an answer to a question will be twice as effective in demonstrating your abilities during an interview.
You may be interested in more information on becoming a teacher.
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