3.4.1. INTRODUCTION

There are many reasons for resorting to portfolios in the classroom. Personal beliefs or goals will motivate their use. Portfolios can also be used in the classroom in a variety of ways:  as a tool for showing students’ academic growth over time; to provide concrete evidence of their author’s achievements; to develop higher order reasoning skills, etc.

Whatever the reason for using portfolios, Carol Rolheiser, Barbara Bower, and Laurie Stevahn (2000), the authors of the book The Portfolio Organizer, emphasize that “identifying the purpose of the portfolio is an essential decision that will influence many facets of organizing the portfolio” (p. 2). In other words, without a clear purpose or goals for the portfolio, all other aspects of the portfolio––such as type, audience, and time frame––cannot be established.