Spring 2007

Introduction and goal for discussion

I’ve been looking forward to this five year review for quite a while. This reflective process has been rich and fulfilling. If anything it has deepened my appreciation and respect for my teaching colleagues who have in no uncertain terms been my teachers. So first and foremost: THANK YOU! You have been so important in helping me to puzzle, problem solve and reflect on my teaching. Many of the teaching ideas I’ve developed, I’ve gotten from you. You’ve been visionaries, scaffolders, challengers and reality checks. My time at Evergreen has been rich because of you.

As usual, my pacing for the work did not keep up with the complexity of my vision and thinking about what the portfolio would look like. Nonetheless, whether or not my reflections end up capturing the full extent of my thinking, I have particular goals for this review process and particular areas where I’d like your help.

• I’m a complex thinker, a hypercritical, perfectionist and introvert. A set of qualities leave me in a bit of a mess for ever feeling good about my teaching. What rescues me is my interest in the puzzle of how to support student learning. I need a better strategy for sustaining my spirit in teaching than the mantra I’ve acquired: “keep trying.” I need a plan that will help me to name and inform the skills that need refining and that will help me to notice what progress I’m making.
• I am interested in better understanding what’s to be gained by using the six expectations as a lens of analysis for the portfolio. If the college expects students to somehow meet the expectations, I’m left with the question: “how am I helping students to meet them?”
• Finally– I do not need to be validated for all my efforts. I know I have worked hard and that I have many good ideas. By looking through these last five years of portfolios, I realize that I feel good about the work I’ve done so far and deeply moved by what I have learned. My prime directives are: to become a better teacher; to become clearer about what this work we all do is in service of; to develop strategies that will help me to inform and therefore trust my judgments as a teacher. I need your experience and insight to help me address these goals.

Please read these reflections and peruse the portfolios as you will, keeping my questions in mind. Of course if you notice something that’s important to bring up that will help strengthen my teaching, and I haven’t yet noticed it, by all means raise the issue.

This portfolio has three sections in it. The first section contains the following reflections:

1. Themes in the kinds of teaching strengths and weaknesses students point out in their evaluations .
2. Analysis of general program activities by six expectations of three undergraduate programs I taught.
3. Reflective essay on learning opportunities versus activities.
4. Closer examination of my skills in helping students to meet a TESC expectation: Participate collaboratively and responsibly in our diverse society.

The second section contains documents referred to in the reflections. (If you are reading this portfolio on line, then you will see these documents directly linked to the reflections)

The final section refers to my Professional development and Campus Engagement.

I’ve left my program portfolios complete with workshops intact. The program websites for the undergraduate programs I’ve taught are linked to #2 above. The links for MIT2002-2004 and MIT 2005-2007 are here. Do not feel compelled to look through them. I’ve included them as a resource should you be on a hunt for anything in particular.