Portfolio

The word portfolio is primarily used in the field of art for a folder in which special documents are stored. As early as the Renaissance, architects or artists carried references in such a portfolio for the purpose of applying for a building commission or an academy place. A portfolio for the learning sector also shows the skills, working methods and development of the learner in a similar way to the portfolio in the artistic sector. On the one hand, it is linked to the presentation and assessment of skills. On the other hand, the focus is on the further development of these skills. In the portfolio, one’s own skills are presented on the basis of self-selected learning or performance products (presentation of competencies). The learning or performance products are created in the course of learning activities that are as self-determined as possible. This requires freedom in deciding on goals, in planning and carrying out learning activities and in evaluating them (self-determination). Learning products and processes are equally visible in portfolios. The connection between product and process presentation is established through (self-)reflection. These bring about and promote the conscious acquisition of learning skills alongside the acquisition of subject-specific skills (connection between product and process).