Portfolio as practice: the narratives of emerging teachers

Abstract This article opens with a discussion of portfolio construction as a complex social practice with intentions, rules and standards. This definition is not typically found in teacher education literature, and has implications for evaluating students’ portfolios. Later, I present and discuss teacher education students’ recollections of creating portfolios in a one-year program at the University of British Columbia. Though stories differ, common themes emerge that support earlier claims about the purposes of portfolios in teacher education. In conclusion, I argue that portfolios should have a place in programs, but only if we address important concerns.