How to Create a Useful Teaching Portfolio

Creating a teaching portfolio was the best thing I did for myself. I strongly believe it has been an incredible deciding factor in being offered a majority of the teaching jobs I have interviewed for over the past several years.

Making a useful teaching portfolio doesn't need to be complicated. I'm showing you exactly what's inside mine. I hope you'll use it as inspiration to create your own to truly stand out in your next interview.

Black Binder

I like using a black binder for my portfolio. I feel having black feels professional over choosing a more modern, bright color. My first portfolio I used a business executive binder that zipped closed and had numerous pockets. Just last year I traded it in for a simple three-ring binder. 

Inside Pocket

About Me Page

After the pocket and a simple cover page, I have a single page for introducing myself. I think it's important an interviewer sees I am well-rounded and gets an idea of my hobbies. In this page I am showing my travel experiences, my daughter, and a glimpse into my former overseas classroom.

Classroom Management

I like to place classroom management in the front. It often seems to be one of the first interview questions and usually makes up the bulk of the interview. 

When planning out your classroom management pages, think in terms of the more pictures the better. I like to include a variety of different behavior plans I've used to show my versatility in being able to adapt. Part of classroom management includes how I set up my room to be student friendly and procedures I use.

Literacy Instruction

When reflecting on my literacy instruction, I am careful to choose highlights that reflect current best practices. For example, I include that I have a balanced literacy instruction with differentiated grouping. 

I also like to include examples of lessons and long-range plans I've made. This gives the intervewer a glimpse into how I plan and that I am detailed and organized.

Math Instruction

The math instruction section is where I focus heavily on how I incorporate hands-on opportunities within my lessons. Like with literacy instruction, I also include a sample of how I group my students and plan for differentiation.

Parent Involvement

Parent involvement is a topic that is guaranteed to come up in an interview. Having this section helps to show very concretely that involving parents is very important to me. Here I include sample events I've initiated to invite parents into my classroom and sample newsletters I've sent home. 

Differentiation

Although I mention differentiation throughout my portfolio, I feel it is important enough to have its own section.  Here I recap how I differentiate for math and reading but using different examples than I've shown previously.

References

Last, I include a section for my professional references just in case. I have never needed to show this section during an interview but I like to be prepared. This is also a great place for me to organize things like a copy of my teaching license, college transcripts, and any professional development certificates.

At various times throughout the year I might need them and keeping them here is an easy way to remember where they are kept. This is especially helpful when it comes time to renew my license.