TEFL-Portfolio – The E-Portfolio for the EFL Teacher Training
Since the winter semester of 2020/2021, all English students in the teacher education program will have an e-portfolio, which accompanies the students from the beginning of their Bachelor’s until the end of their Master's degree.
The "TEFL Portfolio" was designed by the Future Center for Teacher Education (ZZL - Zukunftszentrum Lehrkräftebildung) and the participating teachers of the Institute of English Studies. It is implemented, supervised, and researched across modules by Gitte Köllner.
The TEFL portfolio aims to combine the disciplines and study elements involved in EFL teacher training through reflection tasks. That is English Didactics, English Linguistics, English Literature, Area Studies, English language Practice, the teacher training program's various practice and research phases, and the obligatory study-relevant three-month-stay in an English-speaking foreign country. In addition to the modules, the e-Portfolio prepares students for upcoming internships, their teaching practice, and their future profession as an EFL teacher.
The reflection assignments offered each semester, based on the curriculum, aim to:
- making connections to the future profession as an EFL teacher
- exploring motives for career aspirations
- developing the professional identity
Reflection assignments, in which peer feedback is a core element, allow students to (further) develop two core teacher competencies:
- Reflection (internal-oriented)
- Peer Feedback (Give & Receive)
At its core is the encouragement of examination of one's own experience, development, knowledge, skills, feelings, motivation, and attitude concerning their Professional Self as an EFL teacher.