Implementation of Portfolios within Australian Initial Teacher Education: Who’s Leading the Charge?

Abstract

Recent changes to national accreditation requirements have emphasised portfolios as the required mechanism for initial teacher education providers to demonstrate the impact of their programs against the Graduate Teacher Standards and to prepare graduates to be classroom ready. This paper presents findings from a national survey of teacher educators developed to capture how and where implementation of portfolios of evidence has been occurring. Discussion focuses on the reported concentration of activities within small programmatic teams and the comprehensive level of involvement that champions of portfolios are assuming. The priorities pursued by these individuals and teams are presented alongside possible implications of the limited uptake across faculties, as well as the need for further study to better understand the current extent of implementation.