Electronic Portfolio in Primary School: A Tool for Self-Reflection and Learning

Abstract

An electronic portfolio provides an environment where students can collect their work in a digital archive; select specific pieces of work to highlight specific achievements; reflect on the learning demonstrated in the portfolio, in either text or multimedia form; set goals for future learning or direction to improve; and celebrate achievement through sharing this work with an audience, whether online or face-toface. Digital portfolios can be powerful tools for facilitating relective practice when based on developmental principles and adequately supported by mentoring, peer review, and other effective practices. E-Portfolio is an improvement of traditional portfolio. It is an opportunity to show skills and abilities which are not easily certiied with traditional instruments. Students have the possibility to represent work in multiple modalities and the opportunity to self-relect and represent how they construct meaning from their academic learning and personal experiences. The digital portfolio, introduced in primary schools, would be an effective knowledge instrument for children and families, beyond being a valuable tool for teachers. Through a description of him/herself, the child would be able to recognize their emotions, to check their own capabilities and to develop self-guidance. This could be a way to help him/her to modify their behavior in relation to the objectives that he/ she wants to achieve. In this way each child would be participatory and responsible for his/her own learning. While the notion of using electronic portfolios for students` assessment is not new, in Romania teachers are just beginning to explore the advantages of digital formats for these assessment tools. This article explores the use of the digital portfolio to promote reflection by practitioners and suggests strategies that can be employed by teacher educators to maximize the benefits of these constructivist tools for learning, reflection, and assessment.