Role of Portfolio in Teachers' Professional Development and Learning

This study focused on the role of portfolios for professional learning of the course participants in the Teacher Learning module of the M.Ed. program 2004 at AKU-IED. The study was conducted using the qualitative mode of research and was carried out at AKU-IED with six course participants from different contexts and three faculty members. Interviews and portfolios of six course participants were the major source of data. As a result of qualitative data analysis, the study has generated some findings related to the role of portfolios as a professional development/learning tool for teachers. One of the significant roles was the documentation of teachers’ learning over a period of time, which is generally not documented by the teachers. The process leads the teachers to continuous reflection on their beliefs and practices. This continuous reflection provides opportunities for teachers to learn from their own experiences and construct their knowledge and understanding.Teachers generally consider the professional development centers and training centers as the only source of professional learning. They ignore the importance of workplace learning, through reflection.