MOVING STUDENT TEACHERS FROM COMPETENCY TO REFLECTIVELY COMPETENT PROFESSIONALS THROUGH E-PORTFOLIO

In this paper we will explain the rationale, process and initial findings for the approach we are taking introducing e-portfolios for pre-service teachers: moving from competency skills matching to developing them as competent and reflective professionals.

In Higher Education e-portfolios are often used in undergraduate programmes to match the skills acquired during a course to those required for employability. Where examples have been found in the use of e-portfolios in the education of pre-service teachers the focus has been predominantly on the development of reflective practice, regarded as an essential element of continuing professional development in many countries (following Dewey, Kolb and Schon) and in some like the UK, a required aspect of teacher education. Some examples, for example in medicine, can be found where the two practices have been more aligned to demonstrate both skills gained and lessons learned by the students in their development.

In 2012 the UK government introduced a new set of Teacher Standards, applying a common set of competencies to pre-service and the most experienced teacher.
With less prescription about evidence and common application from initial year onwards, these standards perhaps invite opportunity for greater reflection from the teacher about their practice and its evolution. Our project seeks to research a user led e-portfolio process from pre-service to investigate whether, in the process of evidencing skill, it might generate a habit of reflection. We are interested in the potential for such use of e-portfolio to grow teacher professionalism, particularly teacher initiated and connected professional development, which as Michael Stevenson, head of the DfES Technical group noted, is a powerful tool because “…wherever you are in the education system the individual learner can demonstrate to another institution, an employer, or to a parent, what they have done, how they are succeeding and who they are.” In our project we are considering how we might best grow a culture which maximises such potential.

Our research model has been designed following analysis of both literature and practice based models in another UK university working with pre-service teachers. In this paper we will report on how we came to our final adopted model, the barriers and constraints encountered (using a school instance of Mahara, rather than being solely university owned and managed). We will report on the initial reactions of the students using e-protfolio, their feelings towards completing reflections and competency demonstrations through this tool. Finally we hope to report on indicative findings emerging from our use of e-portfolios, what this suggests for develop a framework and how we intend to extend the system to a larger cohort of students.
This has particular significance for education departments in universities as teacher training continues to change in the UK and for university courses more widely where the picture behind professional competencies and employability skills needs to be better seen.