Interpreting Evidence
Guidance in effectively interpreting evidence on teaching for others
As any scholar knows, evidence does not speak for itself. It must be carefully interpreted and, ideally, persuasively presented. So, too, with evidence for teaching. Indeed, one of the most common complaints among administrators who encounter teaching portfolios is that they are often uninterpreted.
In the context of a teaching portfolio, interpretation means (at least)...
- consolidating complex data (especially from numerical or tabular form to visual, graphical form)
- showing connections, especially between disparate items
- summarizing many examples
- highlighting significant trends or patterns
- using illustrative examples, perhaps in a narrative format
- articulating key examples
- commenting on the meaning of a sample piece of work
- clarifying the link between general claims and specific events, behaviors or outcomes
- detailing elements of a teaching philosophy in practice