M.Ed. Final Portfolio and Presentation

The final examination is an opportunity for students to reflect upon and synthesize their experiences in the program in reference to their professional goals as scholars and educators.

Process: The final comprehensive examination for the M.Ed. in TESOL and World Language Education consists of (1) a portfolio, and (2) a presentation to faculty and students.

Written examination: Portfolio: The development of a portfolio is an on-going process that begins as soon as you enter the program. You are responsible for saving materials from coursework and other degree requirements that demonstrate significant learning. As you near the end of your program, you should select the best samples of your work for inclusion in the portfolio. You are responsible for notifying your advisor of your intent to take the comprehensive examination by the first week of your final fall or spring semester in the program. You will then be informed by UGA email of the due date for your portfolio and of your presentation.

You will need a Google account to create your portfolio online in Google sites. Please follow these linked instructions:

Instructions for creating a Google sites TWLE portfolio

Your portfolio will be based upon five to seven projects, written work assignments, or other activities that demonstrate your accomplishments of the following program objectives:

• knowledge of the target language linguistic system, differences and similarities among languages, and the principles of language acquisition and multilingualism
• knowledge of sociocultural contexts and cultures associated with the target language and how these shape language learning
• ability to design, implement, and manage content-based language instruction in accordance with local and national standards, and to use materials and technology effectively
• knowledge of premises and issues concerning language assessment, and ability to use and interpret assessments
• conversance with research in and history of the field of applied linguistics, TESOL, or world language education; and ability to engage in professional development and advocacy in TESOL and world language education

(For further elaboration on each of these areas, please see teacher education standards in K-12 World Language Education, K-12 TESOL, or ESL/EFL teachers of adults)

Contents of portfolio (to be generated on Google Sites):

1. Title page with name and date
2. Student’s resume/vita
3. Program of study (Numbers and names of courses taken, semester taken, and final grades if available)
4. A three to five page written statement that:
   1. demonstrates your ability to synthesize your experiences in the graduate program as they relate to program objectives and your professional goals as a scholar and educator
   2. describes your professional objectives for the future
5. A one page abstract for each of the five to seven projects described above. Each abstract must articulate how the project meets one or more of the program objectives.

Scanned documents, digital photos, or original Word documents can be included in the portfolio. If the project is not easily scanned or photographed (e.g., a poster presentation), the original project should be submitted to your advisor on the same date as your portfolio.

(2) Oral examination: Presentation: Students will prepare a 15 to 20 minute presentation on a project contained in the portfolio. At a designated time in the last half of the semester, an oral examination will be held for examinees who have passed the written portfolio examination. The examination is open to all students and faculty. Two faculty members from the Teaching Additional Languages program will be present to evaluate oral presentations. Each student presentation will be followed by a discussion in which faculty will ask the presenter to expand on the synthesis and reflection on their experiences in the program that they undertook in their portfolio.

Samples of previous comprehensive examination portfolios are available–please consult with your advisor. You are encouraged to look through these examples and to attend a comprehensive examination presentation session in preparation for the examination.

Project presentation description:

Students are encouraged to select any artifact from their portfolio for the presentation defense.  Once you have selected the artifact you will develop a 15-20 minutes presentation for a team of TWLE faculty and an audience of your peers.  Your presentation should include the following:

1. Introduce the artifact and the context in which it was produced and to what ends
2. Identify the knowledge you acquired from this work.  Please address at least two of the following questions related to TESOL & World Language Education:
   1. What did you learn about theoretical frameworks in our field? (e.g. Socioculturalism, Sociolinguistics, Critical Pedagogy Second Language Acquisition, Post-structural theory, Applied Linguistics, SFL and many others introduced to you in your coursework)
   2. What is the practical application of the artifact? (e.g. how might you apply the knowledge learned to future teaching activities)
   3. What relationship does this artifact have to TESOL & World Language Education policies in local, regional, national, and international contexts?
3. What implications do you draw from your production and analysis of this artifact in terms of your future career aspirations?