Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/a-personal-experience-with-portfolio-books/5014446/
How I Got StartedTwo years ago when a group of children, whom I had taught for over a year, were moving on to preschool, I wanted to do something to mark my time with them. I had collected pictures of them playing together, doing activities and saved some artwork; but I wasn't sure what to do with it all. One of my co-teachers showed me the way she was putting a similar collection of materials into books for her children. With her format in mind, I created my own portfolio books. The books included pictures, artwork, developmental assessments, anecdotal notes, and project documentations. They displayed the work, growth, and fun the children experienced at school while I was their teacher.
The first set of portfolio books were made and presented to children as a goodbye gift, a culmination activity. In the process, the books helped ease both the children and the parents' transition to the new preschool teacher. The books celebrated the time we had spent together as a group and helped the new teacher to begin to form relationships as my group became her group.
At HeartsHome, we keep the same group of children over time, and move from classroom to ...