Lesson 8: Equal Protection: Race

 How is a portfolio demonstrating Multiple Intelligences prepared for a unit on equal protection: race?

Portfolios can be defined as a collection of the selected work of students. They differ from folders that consist of random work. In some instances, portfolios include a student's best work. For many years portfolios were used by a number of professionals, most notably artists and models. More recently, they have been used in education as an assessment instrument. A number of characteristics make portfolios effective:

• Portfolios are done by students and not to students - they should be created solely by the student, the teacher should only provide direction;
• Portfolios demonstrate student growth - they should be different at their completion than during their development;
• Portfolios have intents as well as contents - they should have goals and a direction in which they are organized;
• Portfolios show the heart and soul of the student - they should demonstrate the feelings and values of students;
• Portfolios have clear criteria for success - they should be prepared by students who know what's expected of them and know what to include.

There are several different types of portfolios such as a class portfolio and a graduation portfolio, and it is important to know the type that is being developed. A graduation portfolio consists of a variety of items such as autobiographical information, career and action plans, internships/community service work, individual, group and interdisciplinary products and projects, independent study term papers and interviews. Graduation portfolios may also include on demand performances in which students perform specific tasks upon request, and embedded long-range projects in which students do research and develop products over time.

Thomas Armstrong, an author and advocate of Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences theory, claims that most portfolios focus primarily on linguistic and logical/mathematical intelligences. In his view, incorporating multiple intelligences into the portfolio experience, allows the inclusion of a greater variety of material. To this end, Armstrong has developed a portfolio checklist to determine if all the intelligences have been represented (see Handout 8C).

 In this lesson, students will be introduced to what a portfolio is, and how it can be useful as an assessment tool in the classroom.

Students will then explore how their knowledge of multiple intelligences theory can make a portfolio an exciting new way to showcase unique talents and abilities.

 After a discussion of the definition and contents of a portfolio and the relationship of Multiple Intelligences theory to the completion of a portfolio, students will be able to:

• Design and assess a portfolio on student/youth due process rights.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the use of Multiple Intelligences to enhance the value of a portfolio.

Handout 8A "My Personal Portfolio"

Handout 8B "Assessing a Portfolio"

Handout 8C "What to Put in an MI Portfolio"

 Ongoing

Introduce the concept of portfolios by asking students if they know what a portfolio is? Tell students that artists and models keep portfolios. Ask students the following questions:

• Why do artists and models keep portfolios?
• Is this a good way to assess an individual's work?
• If you were preparing a portfolio to demonstrate your best work, what would you include?

Tell the class that every portfolio should have goals - what you hope to accomplish. In terms of a unit equal protection: race, what would you want to accomplish by keeping a portfolio? Place the words "Portfolio of Equal Protection: Race" on the chalkboard. Have students brainstorm what their goals would be in keeping a portfolio and what they would include in a portfolio to accomplish these goals. Draw a circle on the chalkboard and place the words Portfolio of Equal Protection: Race, in the circle.

Ask students to indicate the items they would keep in the portfolio as follows:

Portfolio of Equal Protection: Race

Distribute Handout 8A, "My Personal Portfolio." Have students complete the exercise and then explain their answers to the following questions:

• Why do you think that we are asking you to keep a portfolio?
• Do you think a portfolio is a good way to assess student work?
• Would you be willing to reveal the contents of your portfolio to other students?
• Are there any items that all portfolios should include? (e.g. group projects, a product, an interdisciplinary project, or a research paper).

Distribute Handout 8B, "What to Put in an MI Portfolio." Divide the class into several equal sized groups. The groups will discuss how the portfolios will be assessed and who will assess them (e.g. a team of students, the teacher etc.). After each group has completed this task, join together as a class. Tell students that assessment categories for portfolios should demonstrate whether goals have been accomplished, whether materials are well organized, whether materials are creative, whether the portfolio shows proof of growth and whether the portfolio shows feelings and values.

The teacher should now develop a list of assessment categories for portfolios with the class. If the class has difficulty thinking of assessment categories, give students some ideas and then discuss whether they agree that these are the assessment categories that should be used.

The class should now develop a rubric for at least one assessment category (e.g. "creativity.") A scale will be used to measure how well a portfolio displays this category (e.g. how well does the student show creativity.) The scale will have measurements of failure, adequate, good, and excellent.

The class will determine what items in a portfolio make the portfolio fall within the measurement of failure, adequate, good, or excellent for a particular category. Students should copy this information from the chalkboard onto the Handout. Have students explain their answers to the following questions:

• How did your group think the portfolio should be assessed?
• Who did your group think should assess the portfolio? Do you think your group made a good choice? Explain.
• Do you think it is a good idea to use a scale of measurements to assess a portfolio?
• Do you think failure, adequate, good, and excellent are the proper measurements? Why? Why not?
• What other ways would you use to assess a portfolio? Explain.

Distribute Handout 8C "What to Put in an MI Portfolio, Part 1." Tell students that the material to be included in the portfolio should deal with a variety of intelligences. At this point the teacher may need to review Multiple Intelligences theory which should have been presented in a previous introductory lesson on this subject. Reconvene the original groups. Have students complete the activity on the Handout. After completing the group activity, students will again meet as a class. Distribute part 2 of the Handout. Students will compare their group lists to the lists compiled by expert Thomas Armstrong.

Have students explain their answers to the following questions.

• Why do you think the portfolio is being assessed by things that reflect a variety of intelligences?
• Is this better than basing assessment on items that only reflect logical/mathematical and linguistic intelligences?
• Do you believe students should be assessed in a variety of intelligences?
• Which item in each category did you select? Why?
• How did your list compare with the list compiled by Thomas Armstrong?

Return to Handout 8.A "My Personal Portfolio." How will your personal portfolio demonstrate Multiple Intelligences?

Answer the following questions in the space provided.