| Description: |
Professional development portfolios involve the collection, selection and organization of work over time that shows evidence of self-reflection and learning (Wade and Yarobrough 1996). The primary goal of the professional development portfolio model explored in this paper is to help beginning teachers become thoughtful practitioners who use reflection to make changes in their practice. The study explores the role of a formative professional development portfolio in the induction experience for first and second year teachers in the Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment Program in San Diego, San Francisco, and Long Beach, California. Methods employed include a literature review, open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Data from beginning teachers and the larger educational community show that reflection was seen as the aspect of the portfolio that made it an effective vehicle for professional development. According to the respondents, reflection is the foundation for further professional development as beginning teachers incorporate it into their daily professional lives and use it as a catalyst to make informed changes in practice. Competent intercultural trainers are also reflective trainers, people who "reflect on each training program, relate it to literature and their own past training experience to learn from it" (Paige 1996). A professional development portfolio which gives structure and support to reflection might benefit intercultural trainers as they are inducted into the field. |