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At a time when educators are seeking the most effective means of assessing student achievement, a new book by faculty member Evangeline Stefanakis, Multiple Intelligences and Portfolios: A Window into the Learner’s Mind (Heinemann 2002), argues that the use of portfolios is the most accurate way to gauge how a child has grown as a student. Based on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences—which asserts that several types of intelligence exist beyond the linguistic and mathematical types reinforced in schools—a portfolio is a collection of a student’s work in several subject areas that allows educators to grade based on evidence of learning over time. Students are active participants in the portfolio assessment process: not only do they choose which pieces of work to include but they also write a “reflection” about the assignment explaining why it was chosen and what they learned from it. Multiple Intelligences and Portfolios showcases the work of Jill Harrison Berg, a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher at the Cambridgeport School (Cambridge, MA). She observes that using only the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) scores of her students as an assessment tool, a safe assumption is that her students were in trouble. However, through the use of portfolios, the same students were able to demonstrate their knowledge in math, language arts, science and social studies. “Students could use knowledge. Does this always show on a written test?" questions Berg in the book. "Using portfolios makes it so clear—kids are smart in so many different ways. During their portfolio presentations, I was impressed by how articulate these kids were about what they knew.” A Range of Uses for Portfolios In Multiple Intelligences and Portfolios, Stefanakis illustrates that the usefulness of portfolio assessment is not limited to the primary grades. In her letter of complaint to the Curad Band-Aid company and accompanying reflection, fifth-grader Emma demonstrates not only her ability to think critically about her work but also her interest in affecting change in the world around her. According to Stefanakis, the pieces students select for their portfolios provide “important clues about their personal issues and exhibits the powerful learning experience has taken place.” For the middle-school years, Multiple Intelligences and Portfolios recommends the concept of a “traveling portfolio,” a collection of work that is sent home to parents every six to eight weeks to serve as a focal point for parent/teacher conferences. As eighth-grader Sylvia’s portfolio illustrates, students write cover letters in a traveling portfolio and allow parents the opportunity to respond to the work. This, asserts Stefanakis, “opens a dialogue between parent and child that can have a profound effect on a student’s initiative. When students learn that the work in their traveling portfolios can play an important role in their learning, they begin to take greater ownership of their learning and are motivated to do their best.” About the Book/PortfoliosMore information about Multiple Intelligences and Portfolios: A Window into the Learner’s Mind is available on the Heinemann web site. All portfolios appear on HGSE News courtesy of Heinemann.
About the Author
HGSE News, Harvard Graduate School of Education
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