MyPortfolio in KU Leuven

Language Teacher

Education Programme

Lies Sercu

Kristof Demeyere, Gino Bombeke,

Peter Vandamme

KU Leuven Toledo development team

Overview

• Context: Language teacher education programme

• History: paper portfolio

• Toward EP: 4 years of developmental work

• MyPortfolio as is

• Advantages and remaining concerns

• Time for questions

CONTEXT

Language Teacher Education programme

• For master students who are familiar with KU Leuven

digital facilities and can work autonomously

• 2 main parts

– 30 ECTS theoretical courses + introduction into teaching

practice

– 30 ECTS school-based practice

• seminar digital competencies

• teaching practice for 2 languages = school internship

• diversity practice

• Teaching staff

– Theoretical part: KU Leuven staff (professors, lecturers, partime

contracted in-service teachers)

– Practical part: KU Leuven staff, contracted in-service teachers,

school mentors

Assessment and evaluation

• Assessment and evaluation of 30 ECTS theory:

– Exams and/or papers and/or permanent evaluation

• Assessment and evaluation of 30 ECTS teaching

practice

– Digital competencies: tasks and permanent evaluation in digital

course environment, as part of EP

– Teaching practice: EP

– Diversity practice: EP

• Assessors and evaluators

– Theoretical part: KU Leuven staff, lecturers, contracted in-

service teachers

– Practical part: KU Leuven staff, lecturers, contracted in-service

teachers: 4 school visits + assessment and evaluation of EP

– + school mentors as assessors

– + students’ self-assessment

10 teacher competencies for

assessment and evaluation

• Responsibility domains ~ learner, school, educational

community, society

– Teacher as a supporter and monitor of learning and

developmental processes

– The teacher as an educator

– The teacher as a subject matter specialist

– The teacher as a designer and organiser of learning

environments

– The teacher as an innovator and action researcher

– The teacher as a partner of parents and other educators

– The teacher as a member of a school team

– The teacher as a partner of external parties

– The teacher as a member of the wider community of educators

– The teacher as a culture participant

10 attitudes for assessment and

evaluation

• Decisiveness

• Relational orientation

• Critical reflection

• Eagerness to learn

• Sense of organisation

• Sense of collaboration

• Sense of responsibility

• Creative orientation

• Flexibility

• Orientation towards a correct and appropriate use of

language and communication

HISTORY: PAPER PORTFOLIO

Paper portfolio

• Students and mentors

– One task after the other - overview?

– Teacher competencies not used as guiding tool – goal-

directedness?

– Old school paper work, photocopies, etc. with important time

lapse between handing in of lesson preparation and mentor

feedback received

– “Administrative” “duties”: rubrics to be completed by students

and mentors

– Reflective documents completed long after actual teaching +

repetitive in content

Paper portfolio

• KU Leuven assessors

– No access to portfolio until late in teaching practice

– Little communication between student, mentor, KU Leuven

evaluator/assessor

– Little sense of permanent support given to trainees

– Teacher competences & attitudes only used to evaluate

practice and portfolio at the end

TOWARD AN EP

Fears and concerns

• All members of staff have to join in, not only the early

adopters

• Digital competences of mentors?

• Scan teaching materials?

• Bugs in the system, internet connections, e-facilities in

schools, …

• Reading on screen is more tiring

• Part-time in-service teacher contracts and student

expectations of instant feedback and support

• Maintenance of the system (yearly clean-up;

assignment of logins, …): who?

• What if teacher education programme changes?

Team and timing

• Development team

– experts in teacher education+ ICT experts + experts in

blackboard/Toledo

– shared ownership

• 5% lecturer

• 4-year development process with smaller and lager

updates, improvements suggested by students,

mentors, KU Leuven assessors

Toward MyPortfolio

• Paper ban? Maintain paper brochure? Maintain Toledo

course next to MyPortfolio?

• Reformulation of tasks: more open-ended formulation

• Instructions for users

• Instructions for specific tasks need to be very explicit

• Calendar with timing of tasks, self-assessment,

feedback, etc.

• Deadlines set or not?

• Who grades when, what and how?

• How to involve school mentors in permanent

assessment?

• Technical improvements

MYPORTFOLIO AS IS

MyPortfolio integrated in Toledo

Student homepage

Task and workflow description

Boxes and attachments

Teacher competencies and attitudes for student self-

assessment, mentor assessment and KU Leuven

assessment and evaluation

ADVANTAGES AND REMAINING

CONCERNS

Advantages

• Student self-leadership, self-management is supported

by MP

• Student understanding of use of portfolio in own future

teaching deepened

• Better sense of direction with more thorough attainment

of teacher competencies and attitudes

• Truly permanent support and assessment

• Richer, more goal-directed feedback and self-reflection

• Improved involvement of school mentors in student

assessment

• Administrative clarity, overview

Concerns

• Oral feedback often more elaborate than is visible in

system; preference for oral feedback over written

feedback

• School digital facilities in classrooms – internet

connection?

• Not ever mentor participates

• School mentors can read KU Leuven assessor

comments and sometimes feel there is too large a cleft

between teaching reality and “theoretical”

recommendations

Thank you for your attention.

Questions?