Professional Development Portfolios - Report on the process of developing guidelines for school-based educators in compiling professional development portfolios

Oct 19, 2026

Uploaded by Aran

A formal report on the initial stage of developing guidelines for school-based educators to compile Professional Development Portfolios (PDP). It outlines the rationale and twofold purposes of the PDP, summarizes the pilot phase conducted across South Africa’s nine provinces, and explains how insights from advocacy and three six-month-spaced workshops informed the guidelines. The document then describes development processes and links to broader policy, concludes with recommendations to deepen educator engagement and understanding of how educators compile their portfolios.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages38

Reading Time1 h 36 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Purpose and background of the PDP

Development of the guidelines

Pilot project overview and insights

Process of guideline development

Connection to policy framework

PDP project implementation and evidence

Advocacy phase and workshops

Participation and outcomes

Guidelines and recommendations

SOUTH AFRICAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATORS Supporting educators in compiling … Professional Development Portfolios Report on the process of developing guidelines for school-based educators in compiling professional development portfolios Prepared by Glenda C. Raven (Ph. D, Rhodes University) GLENDA RAVEN: EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CONSULTING SERVICES cc 1998/58490/23 P.O. Box 302 Noordhoek, 7979 * 39 Turquoise Way, Noordhoek, 7985 (021) 789 0226 * 083 379 1305 * (021) 789 0660 (fax) * [ercs@absamail.co.za](ercs@absamail.co.za) The South African Council of Educators (SACE) is a professional body aimed at enhancing the status of teaching and learning, to promote the development of educators and their professional conduct. Towards these aims, one of three sections within SACE is the Professional Development Section, which aims to support the continuous professional development of all educators. In supporting the continuous professional development of educators, the Professional Development Section of SACE has introduced the Professional Development Portfolio with a twofold purpose. Firstly, and foremost the professional development portfolio is intended to engage educators in a process of ongoing professional development that enhances teaching and learning processes. Secondly, the professional development portfolio provides educators with an opportunity of collating a range of evidence that reflects their ongoing professional development. SACE has to date engage in two phases of promoting the compilation of professional development portfolios amongst educators in South Africa. The first phase involved the launch of the Professional Development Portfolio Project as a pilot phase of introducing educators to processes of compiling the professional development portfolios in all nine provinces of South Africa. Drawing on experiences and insights developed through this pilot project, the second phase involves develop broader processes of support for educators in compiling their professional development portfolio. The first stage in this second phase has involved the development of a set of guidelines that would support educators in compiling their professional development portfolios through a process of self-study. This document reports on this initial stage of the second phase. It focuses specifically on the processes involved in developing the guidelines that would come to be used in further supporting educators to engage with processes of, and compile their professional development portfolios. Firstly, it provides a broad sketch of the pilot project, some of the insights gained through this pilot phase and how these insights have come to inform the guidelines developed through the initial stage of the second phase. The report then also provides an overview of the processes through which the guidelines were developed and then also provides some insight into the links of these guidelines within the broader policy framework for the professional development of educators. It then provides the detail of the guidelines to support educators in compiling their professional development portfolio and in conclusion highlights some recommendations that might better support educators in engaging in processes of compiling their professional development portfolios as well as generate deeper insights into how educators engage within these processes. In November 2002 SACE’s Professional Development Portfolio (PDP) Project was launched. To date the project has been introduced to a sample of educators across all nine provinces in South Africa over a period of three years. The intention with this project is to encourage all educators to take responsibility for their own professional development through the compilation of professional development portfolios. The PDP Project was launched through a wide scale process of advocacy around the professional development portfolio, exploring its role and purpose in supporting the ongoing profess

FAQs

What is the purpose of the Professional Development Portfolio for educators?

It is designed to engage educators in ongoing professional development that enhances teaching and learning, and to provide a structured opportunity to collate evidence reflecting that professional growth.

How were the guidelines for compiling PDPs developed?

They were informed by an initial pilot phase, advocacy activities, and a set of workshops, with the resulting insights shaping the guidelines for educators’ self-study and portfolio compilation.

What approach did the PDP project use during implementation?

After advocacy through multiple publications, educators participated in three workshops spaced six months apart, using PDP training materials to guide them through steps for compiling evidence.

Oct 19, 2026

Uploaded by Aran