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Lesson 5: Annotation and Appendices

What sorts of items are typically included in the appendix?

Peter Seldin, (the guru of teaching portfolios), recommends dividing the appendix into three categories:

  • materials you produce (e.g., handouts, lecture notes, etc.).
  • material from others (e.g., statements from colleagues who have reviewed your work, Applegrams, etc.).
  • evidence of student learning (e.g., student papers, journals, etc.).

Possible sources for supporting evidence

Is there anything I need to say about items in my appendix?

Items in your appendix should have some sort of annotation, which explains how each item:

  • reflects your teaching/learning/service philosophy.
  • provides evidence of your teaching methods or strategies.
  • provides evidence of teaching/service effectiveness.

Annotations are essential for tying sections of your portfolio together. Annotations don’t need to be extensive or elaborate; however, they should be detailed enough so that someone who is reviewing your portfolio understands what is important about each item. When developing your annotations, consider the following question:

  1. What do I want the reader to know about this item?
  2. Why is it important?
  3. What does it demonstrate?
  4. What did I want my students to learn from it?
  5. How did it work?
  6. What would I change (if anything)?

Where should I include my annotation?

Most people choose to weave their annotations throughout their narrative. You probably noticed annotations as you were reading through the methodologies section samples. Including annotations in this matter increases the coherence of your portfolio and makes it flow more smoothly.

Lessons: Index, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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