Interesting book about portfolio development

As more and more educators use portfolios, they increasingly recognize that the process has the power to transform instruction. Some teachers, however, are confused by the many types of portfolios, their different uses, and the practical issues surrounding storage, ownership, and the like.
The three major types of portfolios are: working portfolios, display portfolios, and assessment portfolios. Although the types are distinct in theory, they tend to overlap in practice. Consequently, a district's program may include several different types of portfolios, serving several different purposes. As a result, it is important for educators to be clear about their goals, the reasons they are engaging in a portfolio project, and the intended audience for the portfolios.
Working Portfolios
A working portfolio is so named because it is a project “in the works,” containing work in progress as well as finished samples of work. It serves as a holding tank for work that may be selected later for a more permanent assessment or display portfolio.
A working portfolio is different from a work folder, which is simply a receptacle for all work, with no purpose to the collection. A working portfolio is an intentional collection of work guided by learning objectives.
Purpose
The major purpose of a working portfolio is to serve as a holding tank for student work. The pieces related to a specific topic are collected here until they move to an assessment portfolio or a display portfolio, or go home with the student. In addition, the working portfolio may be used to diagnose student needs. Here both student and teacher have evidence of student strengths and weaknesses in achieving learning objectives, information extremely useful in designing future instruction.

From the introduction of the book.

The end of the school year can bring up a lot of feelings for a lot of people working in schools. As we clean out our classrooms, we may come across half-finished projects, stacks of papers we never got around to grading, and files of material that we'd intended on using for a unit on something or another.

Of course, we also see the evidence of our student's success and hard work, but at least for me, it was those other piles that made me feel conflicted. I'd focus on what hadn't happened and what didn't go well. I felt disappointed in myself and reluctant about beginning the following year.

That's not what I do at the end of the year any more. Now I direct my energy and attention on what worked, what went well, and what I feel was successful. I've discovered that this strategy is critical to build my emotional resilience. One of the only things in life that I have control over is how I tell my story -- how I interpret my experiences and make sense of them. If I create a story that is one of learning, growth, and empowerment, I feel better.

So how are you telling the story of this school year?

By: Elena Aguilar in the latest Newsletter of Edutopia

The latest book about Dalton education

This new book about Dalton education by Roel Röhner and Hans Wenke
is now available in three languages : Dutch - Polish - German.

Final Comenius meeting in Bilbao

Representatives from schools in five different countries worked in the project "Blogging in Europe". The last meeting was in Bilbao and the result will be a friendship for life.
International understanding from school to school.

International Dalton Meeting in Zwolle great success

Representatives from 7 different countries followed an intensive Dalton training program from 13 - 17 May 2013.
The 14th of May was a day with several workshops and the other days we visited three different Dalton schools.
New Dalton schools will be initiated in Austria, Slovakia and Ukraine.
KPZ University in Zwolle organized this International Meeting in cooperation with Dalton International.

Mindscape

The use of  MINDSCAPE is well known in many countries, but undervalued in Holland.