Learner

Portfolios:
Who Is at theControls?
Stephen J. Davies
Miyazaki Internationa
Collegesdavies@miyazaki-mic.ac.jp
Now thatI've finished writing this chapter, I am writing the abstract. Does thatsoundstrange toyou? Well, maybe it is a bit odd. But, on the other hand, t wasn't exactly sure what 1 wasgoingto write about in the chapter untilI got started. And now that I've finished writing, I'm not sureexactly what I've said. Still, I have to write something here. So...I think I'll tell you a little story.
Last year I went to a conference in Korea. On the first day, I went to eat my breakfast
in a small cafe on the corner of the street. I decided to have one of the tasty looking pastries
with my coffee. Imagine my surprise when I bit into it and found a pickled gherkin. I
decided to just act cool and finish the food. But my next mouthful was pastry, gherkinand, waitfor it, a piece of fish! What was I eating? What was a piece of fish doing insidea pastry? I had no idea. But I did my best to eat it all, paid the bill and left the cafe.
Later, I thought a lotabout that incident. Really, there was nothing wrong with the pastry; itjust
hadsome stuffinside it thatI hadn't expected tofind.
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Davies'With windlasses, and with assays of bias,

By indirections find directions out.'
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Hamlet Act 2: Scene 1'When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain.'
JohnKeats (1795-1821)

This paper may surpriseyou. Sobefore you start to read it, here are a few words to help you
understand what it's about. To begin with, I should say that I'm interested in second language
acquisition, learning theory, and the experiences of learners. I'm also curious about popular
culture and how it can be used in language teaching.

My first idea, put simply, was to write a descriptive paper about learner portfolios. I wasgoing to write about the contents of the portfolios and why I thought portfolios can be aneffective way of learning about language and culture.
Perhaps I should have done just that. But, somehow, I began to sense other possibilities.
Rather than just writing about portfolios, why not write about the process of deciding to use
the portfolios? That way I could focus on negotiation and involve voices other than my own.
This, in turn, got me thinking about different genres. Would it be possible to combine academic
writing with fiction?
I didn't know, but I wanted to try. So I've written a story that also contains information
about learner portfolios. My aim, I suppose, is to emphasize the power of collaboration andself-discovery. On another level, I'm concerned with cross-cultural communication, thedynamics of power, and the willingness to take risks.

But before I go any further, I have to giveyou some background information to help you
understand my story Then we can get started.
You're probably familiar with schema theory (Wadsworth, 1989). Schemata are mental
frameworks in which we store information. We are used to thinking in terms of categories
because we are surrounded by many animate and inanimate things. We classify them according
to their particular characteristics. For example, we know that animals have various appendages
such as heads, legs, and tails. Insects have hard exoskeletons. Fish are cold-blooded. And soon. But what can we do about imaginary beings? How can we understand them if we lack theappropriate schemata?
For in my story there are three kinds of imaginary beings: the Metakin, the Clarissa,and the Naal.
The Clarissa are highly evolved 'plants' with exceptional mental powers. Originally, they lived
as free-ranging galactic spores. Clarissa can sub-divide or fuse at will. They believe in a non-

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Mike Nix and Andy Barfield for allowing me to write this paper in the waythat I wanted to. Steve Brown also encouraged me, and Etsuko Shimo made some importantsuggestions at a crucial stage in the writing. Debra Occhi carefully read my paper several times
and listened patiently to my strange ramblings about imaginary creatures. Finally, Sierra Cobb didsome great drawings that made everything seem more real...

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Learner P o r t f o l i o scompetitive, nurturing wayof life. They are an ancient, intelligent species. Some researchers
believe that the Clarissa may have been the first life form in the universe (Kroll, 3017).
However, the Clarissa keep no written records. All information is stored in their collective
consciousness. Although 'telepathy' is the closest English equivalent to their preferred mode ofcommunication, it is not an accurate description. The Clarissa usually access the brain througha special tentacle. They can channel thoughts through this and also receive information. They
can also communicate with sound waves by using a special external membrane.
The Clarissa lived peacefully for millions of years until they were suddenly attacked by arogue parasite.

In desperation, they visited the planet Talem'hea, which is the home of the Metakin.
Eventually, they established a comfortable life of symbiosis with the Metakin and were able tosurvive and prosper. In return for protection, the Clarissa introduced advanced brain surgery
techniques to the Metakin. Soon the Metakin began to evolve rapidly and became a highly
advanced species.
The name 'Metakin' comes from a combination of'metal' and 'kin,' and literally means'metal people,' although they would most likely object to that description, I'm sure. The
Metakin are machine/animal interfaces with both feelings and consciousness. Their positionin the universe is secure. They are powerful, aggressive beings, driven by strong impulses. They
especially like to explore new places.
The Metakin have no need for 'education' since, thanks to the Clarissa, they have learned
how to surgically enhance their own brains. All that is required is the implanting of memory
chips or other components to boost their intelligence, which increases exponentially. As aresult, they are constantly progressing and making new discoveries.
In the past, they had a bad record as colonizers and exploiters of other beings. However,since the signing of the Galactic Peace Concord in 4000, and the disappearance of the few
remaining troublesome species, peace has prevailed throughout the galaxy.The Metakin areproud of their technology, but they are disadvantaged in one area: They lack the resources tofuel the machines that they use for deep space exploration. The engines of their vessels run onplasma, a colourless fluid derived from the fruit of seragon trees. These trees only grow on theplanet Gaauron 4. This planet is the home of the Naal.
The Naal are a slow-moving species that is often in bio-stasis. This is called nawalan in thelanguage of the Naal. Bio-stasis is often protracted and may last for months. It is not found inany other intelligent species.

The Naal's existence and economy depends on plasma farming.
When the Metakin scientist Robilt (4056) discovered that enriched plasma could be used asa high-grade fuel, the price of plasma rose to unbelievable heights. Speculation in the galactic
plasma market increased, and many Naal fortunes were made.

This suited the Naal because they had always been a home-loving species, fond ofcomplicated mind-games and rarely going anywhere. Their slow metabolism meant that
one meal could sustain them for several months. In addition, the ability to uptake water andmineral nutrients through a feeder root system enabled the Naal to exist happily in the same
spot for years if necessary.
In fact, with the increase in wealth from the plasma trade, many wealthy Naal had adopted
a semi-vegetable lifestyle in certain selectareas of their planet. They took delight in composing
elaborate written texts, using the rich resources of their own language, before slipping back into
bio-stasis.

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DaviesBut the trade in plasma was bringing more and more visitors to Gaauron 4. And the mainbuyers of plasma were the Metakin. Although some Naal linguists had mastered the Metakin
language known as Talem, many others found it excessively difficult to learn. The main reason
for this was that the Metakin communicated mainly through speech. The Naal, on the other
hand, preferred writing, which they considered to be a better way of expressing the poetry of
their rich inner lives.

Nevertheless, in 5007, the High Council of the Naal finally decided that all young Naal wereto study Talem. To facilitate this, they set up a special experimental language institute andinvited Metakin language teachers to come and teach Talem.At first, few Metakin teachers
wanted to travel all the way to Gaauron 4 to work. And those that did make the journey seldom
stayed very long.

Many Metakin teachers find the Naal difficult to teach. Although a special academy has
been set up on Talem'hea to train Metakin teachers to teach creatively, few Metakin are willingto take many risks in the classroom. In particular, they believe in methods that allow them tocontrol their learners. They also have strong beliefs in the primacy of speech. Since Metakinlearning is now activated through implant technology, Metakin researchers often consult the
Clarissa for advice about appropriate teaching methods.
But what would work with the Naal?

Th e CastOn Talem'hea: The Metakins and the Clarissa

FentonJoe Artemis
Ruri Lao Tse

The Chief of the Language Academy
A young Metakin language teacher
An implant scientist. Joe's girlfriend

The Clarissa

A plant-like species with a collective consciousness* The Clarissa are many and one, and so I have used various pronouns to describe themincluding'it,' 'they,' 'she,''he,' etc. I apologize if this causes any confusion, but the Clarissawere
most insistent that I used this style.
On Gaauron 4: The Naal

Vogon
GwsangChief of the Naal Language Institute
A Security Chief. Father of Gana

Gana

A student at the Institute

THIS STORY IS FICTION. ANY RESEMBLANCE TO REAL PEOPLE OR INSTITUTIONS ISENTIRELY ACCIDENTAL.

Joe Artemis has a meeting with Fenton
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Learner P o r t f o l i o s'Thank you.''Anything to drink?'

Joe's head was still sore from the night before. He'd been out on the town with his girlfriend
Ruri.

A glass of mineral water, please.''Fine. I'll see what I have.'

Artemis noticed the Clarissa behind Fenton's desk. It was sleek and well-fed. Judging fromthe colour of its ceretopox, Fenton had been stroking it regularly Its tentacle was coiled up, but
Artemis could see a drop of juice like a shiny pearl on the end.
It's waitingfor me.
'Here's your water.'
Fenton handed Joe a glass. Joe
looked at the clear liquid.
I should have drunk some water

before I slept.
Fenton looked as though he hadsomething important to say.

'Artemis, I'll come to the point.
You must be wondering why I
asked you here today. It's not every
day you get to visit my office, eh?''No, sir.'

In fact, Artemis had a goodidea why he'd been asked. The oldcyborg at the library had passed on
the news. There was more trouble

in deep space with the Naal. The
word was that things needed to be
fixed out there. They were going tosend some more teachers to sortthings out. Artemis guessed hemight have some extra work to doat the Academy to cover for them.

'The thing is, we need you to
do something special. Artemis, are
you listening to me?''Something special, sir?''Yes, to put it bluntly, we've got
a hell of a situation on our hands.

The Clarissa will fill you in on thedetails. But before he does, I can

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Daviestell you that we need to sort this out fast. And when it's done, I'm sure we can come to somearrangement. Bump you up a bit. See about some housing adjustments. That kind of thing.''Housing?'
Artemis knew that good housing wasn't easy to get. If Fenton was offering housing, thensomething big was happening.
Ruri really wants to buyan Orbit 2. Orbit 1 isjust toosmallfor us.
'Sir, I don't understand.''It's the Naal again. You know the kind of trouble they can make. Well, things are getting outof hand. The Institute on Gaauron 4 is in a mess. They are still up to their old tricks. Refusing
to learn anything. Not cooperating. Sleeping for days on end or whatever they call it. So...I
need you to get out there and find a solution. Do whatever it takes.''Me? But the Institute is in Deep Space, sir.''That's right Artemis, it is.'Fenton's cheeks were turning red. He was losing patience.

'Artemis, I know this won't be easy. Look, I'll let the Clarissa do the talking. He'll implantyou, and then you'll have the details. Get back to me after you've thought it through.'
Fenton stood up, shook hands with Artemis, and left the room.

The Clarissa began to vibrate softly. She extended her tentacle until the tip touched the sideof Artemis' head... This won't hurt, at all. Just relax...

Joe talks with Ruri about his mission

Joe was back in Orbit 1. He knew that he'd been thoroughly checked over by the Clarissa.
He'd been given a brain implant that contained enough information about the current
situation with the Naal to allow him to complete his mission. He was sitting at his deskscanning the file, when he heard the door de-sealing.
'Ruri!''Joe, what happened to you?You look awful.'

T just had a Clarissa playing about with my neurones. There's a file in my backbrain as big
as a bagel.Want to take a look?'
Artemis gestured at the bandage on the side of his head.
'It's probably almost healed,but you can stillsee something.'
Ruri thought for a second.

'No, I've seen enough at the clinicfor one day. Justtell me what's going on.''I'vebeen given a newassignment in Deep Space. Atthe Naal Institute. I have to find out
why the language programme isn't working.''What? You mean the Naal farmers on Gaauron 4?''The same.'— LD SIG 2003 A n t h o l o g y —

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Learner P o r t f o l i o s'That's so far away! How long will you be gone?'
T don't know. But it's a really good chance to get ahead. And ...Fenton's promised help withhousing.'
Ruri looked at Joe for a moment.

'That means they're in a mess out there. What's the problem?''You know how we signed all those agreements with the Naal a few years ago? Guarantees tokeep the plasma trade flowing? Well, the Naal elite soon realized that the plasma trade would
make them incredibly rich. Just like oil did in the Late Middle Phase. They thought that if theirkids could learn Talem, they'd have a head start in the job market. Improve their marriage
prospects, that kind of thing. But, as you know, they have this unique culture. They stillcommunicate mainly by writing. Speech came much later, and even then it was for the lower
castes. Most of the kids at the Institute are elite Naal. They don't want to learn to speak Talemand they hate the methods of the Academy Nothing seems to work with them. But we have to
do something. Nothing can disrupt the plasma trade. Shit, I'm tired.'

Joe Artemis travels to Gaauron 4

The space transporter moved silently through tracts of cold, empty space. Artemis lookedat the white interior of the ship. There was a smell of plasma from the engines. No matter how
much filtration was used, the smell never went away.
Artemis thought about Ruri again.

Saying goodbye toRuri wasn't easy. I'm notgoodat thatstuff. I hope she understands thatI haveto do this. After all, I can't ignore an order. No way. Things will turn out okay.
Artemis turned to the Clarissa.
'Can I talk?'

There was a pause.

'You know I don't like it that way. Why don't we change modes?'The Clarissa's membrane box crackled. Artemis felt uneasy.

T still have a headache from that implant at Fenton's office. My brain is like chopped liver.
The painkillers are no good. You Clarissa are brain butchers.''All right, Joe. Asyou wish, I'm sorry if we were a little... er... these time words are so
confusing...hasty But why don't you read this first, then we'll talk.''What is it?''Something...that will interest you. A manuscript.''What's it about?''A kind of project.''Show me.''It's in my pouch.'— Autonomy You

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Artemis reached under the fleshy fold of skin and pulled out a book. The book had no title.
It looked very old.
'It's Middle Phase right? No, before then. Early atomic''That's right. 2003,1 think.'
Joe opened the book. It was written in English.The words were still legible, although severalof them were unfamiliar. It would take time to read it.

'I'm not a medieval scholar. I can't read this old stuff. Where did you get this?''It's from the Academy archives. Try to read it, Joe. I've already written some notes to help
you understand it.'
'What's it about? Will this help me teach the Naal?''Joe, you're getting ahead of yourself. Typical Metakin. Always in a hurry'
Joe realized he would have to be patient. No point in upsetting the Clarissa. There was a lotof work to do.

After a few seconds, the Clarissa started to talk again.

'To put it simply, a long time ago a teacher gave some students a questionnaire to fill out.
When he read their answers, he found that they didn't like having tests. So he did some more
reading and then he came up with the idea of using learner portfolios.''Why the hell did he need to ask the students anything? We all know the way to learn stuff.
Through implantology. It's simple. Stuff the back brain with extra storage and implant data as
needed. No different from refueling a transporter or gassing up your transit pod.''Joe, have you got a history file in there?'
The Clarissa stretched her tentacle towards Joe. Joe jerked his head back.

'Hey, no need to get so friendly. I know my stuff. I'm just a bit rusty about the time period
before Marcus.''Ah yes. Marcus (2777) and the cereblex. A major breakthrough. Well, before that time,
the humans had no way of understanding their own mental processes. They based theirunderstanding on observation of behaviour. Or they got people to introspect on their own
thinking. Both methods were a little, how should I saythis? Imprecise. But why don't you startreading? My membranes are getting stiff''Okay, I'll try'

Joe opened the book and began to read. The Clarissa's writing was highlighted in bold.
The first part is a letter explaining what the teacher, Steve, was about to do. You see, as well
as experimenting with these portfolios, he also wanted to publish an account of his work in
an anthology.

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Joe looked up.

'Hey, this is weird. My deep memory chip just activated. Suddenly, I can remember so muchmore. But there's something strange here. This looks like it was published in Japan. Wasn't'Japan' a Zone 4 nation state on earth? And wasn't 'Steve' a Zone 1 name? Was this a guy a neocolonialismor what? I mean, what was he doing in Japan?'
The Clarissa started up her membrane voice.

'Really Joe, I thought you'd started reading. Will an old plant like me never get any rest?
But to answer your question. Those old English language teachers were a bit like their Jesuit
forebears who spread the word of God. Only their doctrine was the word of English. It was a
tough job by all accounts, but then there were some teachers who were willing to go out andtry. But ultimately, they never managed to make English the language of their planet. There
were just too many different countries and too many languages. There was even an attempt tounify Europe, but that came to nothing because of disagreements about language.''Wow, so the humans never settled on a common language. No wonder they died out.'
Joe...

The Clarissa seemed to want to say something.
Joe thought: She's hidingsomethingfrom me. I wish Ruri were with me. She's so capable.
Together we couldpull this thing off. Why didn't Fenton tell me more?
Then he went back to reading the manuscript. It began with a letter:4 December, 2002
Dear Editors:

I'm writing to you with an article outline for your anthology. My idea, in brief, is this.
I'm currently involved in team-teaching a class with a content partner whose fieldis history. The class is called 'Japan/Great Britain Relations.'Although the classsyllabus has remained the same for a few semesters, we are currently about to makeone major change by having the students make a portfolio. The exact rubric for thecontents of the portfolio has not yet been decided. The change is being brought about
in response to an evaluation of student needs given in the last class of the springsemester.

Now, my idea is to present an account of the genesis of the portfolio idea, theteacher negotiation about its content, the responses of other faculty to the idea,
its implementation and student responses, both in terms of the contents of theirportfolios, and their responses to the task itself. So, essentially, this will be an ongoingpiece of descriptive writing, a verbal scrapbook, if you like, grounded in student
needs, but including many other voices. In fact...

There was a slight wobble as the ship locked on to a new navigation beam. Joe stopped
reading. The Clarissa seemed to be resting.

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DaviesIs thissome kind of test? Why did shegive me this to read? It doesn't make any sense. Am I
supposed to learn somethingfrom this thatI can usewith theNaal? But the rules of theAcademy
are so strict...

The text seemed to change in the next part. There were some diary entries. First, he read theClarissa's notes.

Joe, these are some diary entries about Steve's research into portfolios. In this part, you'll
meet Micheal, Debra, Etsuko, and Tim. They were all Zone 1 teachers, except Etsuko. She
was a bilingual Zone 4 teacher. I've highlighted a few of the more important points in bold. I
hope it won't disturb your reading.
Tuesday 17 December, 2002

5:12 pm. I'm thinking about the portfolios. I've just read an article in the English
Teaching Professional about materials free teaching. Nerina Conte had herchildren compile scrapbooks instead of textbooks. She describes the scrapbooks
as 'a portfolio of texts and illustrations that would emerge from their theme-basedclassroom work.' That sounds like what we're trying to do, but how much freedom canwe allow the students? I need to talk with Micheal about this.

Wednesday 18 December, 2002

5:27 pm. I did a bit of research on the net about portfolios. It seems that the portfolio
concept is still evolving and getting more popular. I found this definition of portfolios:"A purposeful, collaborative, self-reflective collection of student work generated during
the process of instruction."
Another important word is 'reflection.' Portfolios are not really about quantifiable
testing. They are about evaluative feedback and self-reflection. There are two kindsof portfolios: process oriented and product oriented. I think we should use productportfolios, but I'll need to talk it over with Micheal, although he seems busy thesedays. Product portfolios display students' best work, but they can include selfreflection. Process portfolios contain multiple drafts of student work. Students canview their progress by looking at the different stages that they have been through.
Thursday 19 December, 2002

1:49 pm. Ijust talked with Micheal about the portfolios. He suggested that we follow
a process and product approach; that way, we'll get the best of both worlds. I see his
point.

Tuesday 7 January, 2003

3:57 Been surfing on the web. Read an account of portfolios done in a Finnish highschool. The authors stressed the usual stuff about empowerment and so on, but also
included some student comments about the portfolios themselves. So, I started tothink about what we might want in our portfolios. Maybe this?

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Learner P o r t f o l i o s .

1. Language Section
A personal dictionary of new words.

(How many words? Drawings?)
Learning Logs
To include some element of critical self-reflection.

2. Expressive Writing Section
Short responses to videos. Other stuff?
3. Japan/Great Britain Culture Section
4 pieces of writing on academic topics?
4. Reflective Comments on the Portfolios

Joe. The next documents are transcriptions of what was then called 'email.' This wasproduced by sending electrical signals along fibre optic cables that linked computers. The
system disappeared from common use around 2050 when the first brain-pulse transmitterswere developed from mobile phones.

In this part you'll meet Tim, Debra, and Etsuko. Both Tim and Debra worked with Steve.
Incidentally, Tim and Etsuko also wrote pieces for the anthology.

Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 09:23:57 +0900

Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v548)
Subject: autonomy project
From: Tim Stewart <tstewart@miyazaki-mic.ac.jp>
To: Steve <sdavies@kokusai.miyazaki-mic.ac.jp>
Steve,

Saw your name on the list of contributors to this autonomy project.
That makes three from tiny Miyazaki and two from MIC!
Let's talk about it a bit when we get more info. We might want to work
together. I can introduce you to the techniques that Edge has developed
for talk about teaching if you have an interest.
cheers, Tim

Yes, I thought we might be heading in the same direction when I talked with you
before. This confirms it.
I met the Learner SIG crew at JALT.

I think they have me paired up with Etsuko (?), as she's doing something similar tome.

Anyhow, let's get together some time.

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DaviesI'm in the US from 3rd Feb for a month.
Steve

Steve,

Thanks for sharing your ideas. I'm curious to see how they work out in realtime. Probably the closest I've gotten to the portfolio model is in the useof student notebooks used for free and directed writing, notes, projects
etc. On the content teaching side, they seem to be really useful. I still
feel that I need to implement the English side a little better.
As an English teacher, I'd like your ideas about appropriate feedback
including language error corrections...how do you approach it?
Debra

Debra:You seem to be saying that the portfolios that I'm proposing to use will be usefulfor picking up on student errors. Actually, I'm not really looking at them that way. I
want the students to get into the habit of thinking about how they are learning (or notlearning). The idea is to develop some awareness of language learning strategies andto do some individual research and increase the sense that they are responsible for
their own learning outcomes. If that makes sense.
Anyhow, more later.
Steve
Hi Etsuko:

My name is Steve Davies and I'm an English teacher at Miyazaki International
College. Have you ever been to Miyazaki? We don't get much snow, but we do have a
lot of cold wind blowing from the north in wintertime.
Anyway, it seems that we are both working on portfolios. Right now I'm still in
the planning stage deciding about what I want the students to include. I'll be teamteaching a class called "Japan and Great Britain Relations" with a teacher called
Micheal Thompson. He is a historian from England.
So please email me and then we can start collaborating in more detail.

I look forward to hearing from you,Yours sincerely,
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Dear Steve Davies,

Hello, this is Etsuko Shimo. I'm paired with you for the anthology
project. As you might have seen in my self-introduction on thelist, I am now teaching at two universities in Aichi-ken. I am living in
Nagoya now, but am originally from Kagoshima, and visited Miyazaki manytimes. I liked it there very much! The mild weather, beautiful beaches,and nice people.
The integration of portfolio evaluation into my classes is still at theexperimental level, but I am just hoping that I could find something usefulor interesting that me and other teachers could consider for our futureteaching...
I am very much interested in your students' portfolios in the content-basedclass.

Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu
Best regards,
EtsukoJoe stopped reading. The Clarissa was alert. Joe could tell that she wanted to start the
telepathic link. As the tentacle extended, he rolled his eyesback slowly and waited for the
implant. The Clarissa juice numbed him with a soft, sweet blow. Then she was in his mind...
'So what did you think about the manuscript?''Interesting. But I didn't understand some parts.''For example?''Isn't it dangerous to give students freedom? They might just mess around. It could backfire.
The Academy always stresses control and discipline.''Yes, I know that. I've read the manual. The Metakin have categorized every aspect oflearning. The cognitive and psychomotor section even includes information on manipulation.''What's wrong with that?''Nothing, I suppose. But that manual is a product of Metakin culture. That's why it isn't
working with the Naal.''But what the hell can I do? We can't implant them. It's forbidden. The Academy sets therules. Anyway, I still don't see the point of this Steveguy's paper.''Joe, let me explain more clearly. I know his writing is a little vague or 'discursive' as I
believed he called it. You've just read the part that showed you how the portfolios were
designed. Well, the key words were experiment, freedom, reflection, collaboration, andexpression. Those are the things that will help you on your mission.''How?''Joe, maybe I could just give you another implant?You seem to be missing so much.'Autonomy You

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Davies'No. I like to communicate directly with you. Besides what else is there to do? It'll take days
to get to Gaauron 4.''All right, I'll go on. The Naal love writing.'
T know that. My job is to get them to speak.''Yes, but what do they write? Do you know?''Usually, it's that religious stuff. Copying out their sacred scriptures. Those weird, ancient
mythologies. That kind of thing.''That's true. So you have an opportunity''For what?''To get them to write creatively. Let them express themselves. They can work with each other.
They must be bored with all that formulaic writing. Try and make your teaching responsive totheir needs,' (Tudor, 1996).
'What? You mean have them write ...stories?''Yes, if you like. Or personal journals. They can make portfolios. Win their trust. When they
trust you, they'll listen to you. They may even teach you something.''Yeah? Well let me teach you something. I know all about autonomy''Steve didn't mention autonomy''You were taking about freedom, reflection, and taking responsibility. That adds up toautonomy''Autonomy doesn't mean taking "responsibility"''How about this: "The individual is responsible for all of the decisions connected with herlearning...'" (Dickinson, 1987).
'Joe!''What?''Listen to me. You're getting carried away. I can tell that you're very tired. Let's stop arguing.
Is there anything I can do?''Yes. Send me a simulation, then maybe I can rest.''Okay'A small, fragmented image appeared in Joe's mind. It got larger and took shape. A classroom.
The Naal. Writing in books. Then there was another image, something that a Naal had drawn.
A shape. Unmistakeable. Suddenly Joe was scared. He waited for the Clarissa to regulate him.
'Joe, I'm sorry, but I wanted you to see that.''Why? What does it mean?''You'll soon find out.''Will I be punished for this? Exiled?''No.''But why me?''You have been chosen. That's all I can say for now.''But now you must rest. I'll send another simulation. We can talk again later.'LD SIG 2003 A n t h o l o g y

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Learner P o r t f o l i o s .

Joe was in a forest glade with Ruri. They were sitting near a deep river pool. They could see
small fish in the water. Brightly coloured insects flew past them. Together,they listened to thesound of the water.

The simulation was intense and beautiful.

Then it began to fade away...
Joe slept deeply

A hot day on Gaauron 4
Soon the workers would be arriving at the vast plantation of seragon trees. The earlymorning was the best time for harvesting the plasma, when the fresh dew was still on theoutside of the fruit. Plasma apples needed careful handling. In fact, a ripe plasma apple was
now worth 200 krojat on the galactic market. Surveillance devices constantly monitored theplantation.

Gswang, who was the security chief, had arrived early to check the data on the surveillancesystem in his office. Recently there had been more rumours of plasma raiders trying to get into
the plantation, although no fruit had actually gone missing. And yet...
Gwsang sighed.

I need toget this reportfinished. Everything seems to beokay. I'm so lucky that the boss is in biostasis. I wonder how Gana isgetting on?
Gwsang looked out of the window across the plantation towards the enormous whitebuilding in the distance. His son Gana was a student at the Institute. Gana had always been agood student. He was a conscientious, polite boy, and Gswang and his wife had been thrilled
when Gana had won a place there.

But somehow things were not going according to plan. There were a few troublemakers inGana's class, and Gana seemed to be friends with some of them. He had even been implicatedin the recent dismissal of the young Metakin teacher. Since then the study of Talem had beensuspended, but the parents had been told that classes would soon begin again. Most of themwere glad about that. Even though they mostly didn't understand Talem, they knew it was thelanguage for the future. In fact, Gswang had just read in his newspaper that a new Metakinteacher called Joe Artemis was on his way to the Institute.

Joe Artemis. That's an unusual name. I wonder what he's like? Is he a real, qualified teacher?
Surely, this guy can't beas badas the one they fired?

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Davi esGwsangyawned. He looked back at the plantation. The first workers were arriving. The
strong Gaauron suns would soon begin to dissolve the fresh dew on the plasma apples. Gwsang
activated the solar shield. Its strange, long shadow began to spread across the trees. The workers
looked up at the bright orange sky for the last time that day.
Joe begins work at the Naal Language Institute

Joe's arrival on Gaauron 4 was uneventful.Apart from the usual problems with slow-moving
workers at the space station, he'd had no further difficulties. In fact, he felt rather pleased withthe way things were going.
His apartment was on the campus. It
had a good view of the countryside. To
stay in shape, he'd been taking regular
early morning walks. The only problem
he'd encountered was with the heavydew, called 'sralah' in the Naal language
Nakkachuk. The dew could really messup his circuits if he didn't take thenecessary precautions. Luckily, Ruri had
packed some lubricant cream for him.
The downside to life was all thesurveillance. The Naal had cameras

and tracking devices everywhere. They
were terrified of plasma raiders andspace vandals, who they thought weredestroying the communication satellites
that circled Gaauron's moon. This moonwas called Gaauronya or 'Little Gaauron'in Nakkachuk. One of his students,

Gana, had written a short poem in
Talem about the moon in the first classwith Joe. Joe had been so pleased with itthat he'd made a copy of it and pinned iton his wall.

Bright moon, bright moon,
I see you every day,Why do we hate you?

Bright moon, bright moon
I see you every day
Why do we love you?

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Learner P o r t f o l i o sThat first class had begun well. First,Joe introduced himself. He kept his Talemnice andsimple. Then, he showed the students a picture of Orbit 1.
'What's this?' one of them asked.

'My home.''You live here?''Yes, with my girlfriend.'
There was a sudden surprised hissing in the room. Naal society had strict moral codes, andcohabitation was frowned on.

A few moments passed. Then another question.
'You sex her?''Yes!'

More loud hissing and slapping noises.
Suddenly the door de-sealed. The students fell silent.
Director Vogon walked in dragging his roots behind him.

'What's going on here? What's all this noise? Open your notebooks and do some writing.
Psalm 77. Mr. Artemis, this way please.'
Joe followed Vogon along the corridor.

I'm infor it. Fired on thefirst day.
'Step inside.'
Vogon's office was plush.
'Sit down, Artemis.''Listen, I'm sorry. I...''No need to apologize to me. It's the parents that I worry about. Can't have them thinking
we're, umm, encouraging talk about that sort of thing. Not here.'
T understand.''Do you? It seems that you've brought some unusual reading material with you from
Talem'hea. Metakin archive material, if I'm not mistaken. We found this in your apartment. I
assume you've been authorized to borrow it.'
Vogon pushed Steve's manuscript Learner Portfolios: Who Is at the Controls? across the desk.

'What were you doing poking around in my place?''Just a routine search.Standard procedure with new arrivals. So where did you get this?''A Clarissa gave it to me.'T see. Probably the same Clarissa that I just talked to. Still it's hard to tellwith those spores.
You never know whereone ends and another begins. However, I do understand that your work
has top-level clearance. But listen to me, Artemis.'

Vogon lowered his voice and looked directly at Joe.
'Do what you have to do. Have them make portfolios if needs be. But I won't have themlistening to any more of your smutty stories. Do you hear me?''Yes, I understand. Is that it?' Joe stood up to leave.
Artemis!''What is it?'—Autonomy You

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Davies'One more thing. Don't forget the manuscript. I wouldn't want the responsibilityif it went
missing. I know how valuable some of these ancient texts can be.''Thanks.'

After a few more classeswith the students, Joe decided to let them get started on theirportfolios. He talked again with the Clarissa in a nearby restaurant called Mr. K's. It was owned
by a famous Naal novelist and cat lover. (Afterthe demise of the human species, a Noah's Arkof surviving animals had been hawked around the galaxy by deep space pirates. The Naal hadtaken a particular liking to cats. In fact, many Naal later became skilled as cat breeders.)
After finishing their lunch of cat pie and bottled sralah, Joe and the Clarissa decided on thecontents of the portfolios:
1 Vocabulary
2 Lecture Notes

3 Learner Journal

4 Creative Writing

This format was loosely based on Steve's ideas. But Joe was worried by something else
he'd found in Steve's manuscript. It had been written after Steve's students had begun theirportfolios.
Tuesday 15 April

Collected in the portfolios today for the first time. Realised that the students haven't
understood at all about where to put their papers. The different categories i.e., 'class notes,''writing' don't mean anything to them. Another problem: We need to follow the same orderi.e., following the Western style of reading from the left. Also clearly put the date on the topof each sheet that goes into the portfolio. A couple of students are using the wrong kind ofbinder. Also, it now occurs to me that we might need much bigger portfolios than the ones
they are using because of the number of handouts in the class. I wonder whether I shouldhave some system of points awarded for organizing the portfolios?

It seemed as though Steve had hit on some problems he'd not anticipated. Would it be thatdifficult to get the Naal students to organize their own work? Would they understand Joe's
instructions?

In fact, he needn't have worried. The students liked the idea of portfolios. Joe hadn't
expected so much enthusiasm. Especially when they found out that he wouldn't be giving them
the usual daily tests. But they were very insistent on their own ideas about content.
'No vocabulary!''Why not?''Boring!'— LD SIG 2003 A n t h o l o g y

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Learner P o r t f o l i o s'Come on, vocabulary is important.''Boring! And no note-taking!''Why?''We like whole sentence, not notes.'

Joe realised that he'd have to compromise. In the end, the students' arguments convinced
him to have just two sections:Free Drawing

Free Writing

The portfolios would be assessed holistically at the end of the semester. The trade-off wasthat the students agreed to speak Talem to Joe whenever he had a question about their work.
This worked well enough with most of them, but there were a few students who mostly stayedsilent.

At least they're not disrupting the class, Joe thought as he walked around the classroom. Someof this art work is actuallyprettygood. I really think I'mgetting better at teaching. Maybe I'll put
infor promotion when I get back to Talem'hea. Ruri will beamazed!

The Naal students seemed to genuinely enjoy creative writing and often talked with Joe in
Talem to ask him questions about something. For example, in one class, Joe had shown thestudents a picture of an extinct creature from the planet Earth as a prompt for their drawing.
This creature was known as an 'octopus' in English. Joe knew, of course, that in Talem it wascalled a baraho, but he was very surprised to find that the Nakkachuk word for octopus wasbahaho. Why were the words so similar?
That class had been a lot of fun, because the students were amazed by the picture of theoctopus. Joe guessed that they noticed some similarity between the octopus' tentacles andtheir own highly dextrous fingers. But, they were really shocked when they found out thatthe octopus had never learned to speak, and spent most of its time hiding among rocks at thebottom of the ocean.

MEMO
Date:

17:13 5777

From: Vogon, Naal instituteTo:

Fenton, Talem'hea Academy.

Re:

Artemis, Joe.

<This teacher is not using the textbook. He is encouraging creative thinking and writing. In
short, I request that you order him to return or I'll fire him myself. >President Vogon stared silently at the screen in front of him. What did Artemis think he wasdoing now?

—

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Davi esWe've never had this kindof trouble before. Hell, some of those kids are even beginning to speak
Talem. If the word gets out, we'll beoverrun with Metakin linguists, educators, psychologists, andwho knows whatelse. When will we ever befree of them? They're even talking about teaching us
how togrowplasma.And we've been doing itfor centuries...
T wouldn't send that message.'
Vogon turned round sharply. A Clarissa was standing behind him.
'How did you get in here?''Never mind. There's no time to waste. Look at Screen 6.'

Vogon looked at the monitor. It was relaying signals from Artemis' classroom. The students
were sitting in small groups all drawing in their notebooks. Artemis was circling the room, or'facilitating,' as he called it in his teaching reports.
'So? That idiot is up to his usual games.''Look at the screen again, Vogon. It might be your last chance.'

Joe was now standing very still. He was staring at a picture that a student had drawn. He
picked it up and looked at it very closely.
Surprise and disbelief shot across his face.
He ran out of the classroom.

T have to leave,' said the Clarissa.

By the time Joe got back to hisapartment the Clarissa was alreadywaiting for him.
'Look at this!' he said.

'I've seen it already''What do you mean? This drawing
is the same as a picture that I saw inan ancient manga text in the Academy
archives. How could that Naal kid havedrawn the same picture? Those sacred
texts are secret. They tell of the originsof the Metakin, the first flesh/machine

fusions, the trans-gendered worlds, the
new consciousness...How could he know

about those things?'
The Clarissa regulated Joe.
When he was calm, she extended hertentacle. She found the soft spot at theback of his head and pushed through into
his soft brain core.

'Joe, there is something I have to tell
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Learner P o r t f o l i o syou. You have reached the end of your mission on Gaauron 4.''Why? What's happening? You made me see that simulation in the transporter. You never
explained what it meant.''Joe, try and be calm. Long, long ago things were very different. The Metakin were different
too.''What do you mean?''The Metakin were mammals. Living on a different planet. On the Earth.''With the humans?''No, Joe. In the beginning you were humans. Then, much later, you evolved into theMetakin. We Clarissa were looking for a safe planet. We thought that the humans had potential
as symbiotic hosts, but their world was very confusing for us. They were too aggressive. We
tried to selectivelybreed out their dangerous characteristics, but we couldn't do it. We kept
looking for a way forward, and then we found some Japanese manga comic books. That was
the beginning of our interest in brain surgery and metal/flesh fusion. We bred many hybrids.
Of course, most of them died, but one type mutated and developed the capacity to reproduce
itself.''The Naal?''Yes, Joe. So you see you are related.We placed the Metakin and the Naal in different partsof the galaxy, but we had no idea that the Metakin would evolve so quickly. Then, when you
learned about plasma enrichment, we knew you would soon discover the truth. In fact, weknow that some leading Naal and Metakin scientists are already close to learning about theirreal origins.'
49:17:5777

From the Clarissa consciousness:

Project DS777 is over.

1. Begin retro-evolution.

2. Recreate the Naal and Metakin as human beings.

3. Suspend other projects until work is completed.

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Davies

Critical Reader Response i

Richard Pemberton

Wow! That was my reaction on finishing Steve's story, and I suspect it may have been yours
as well. Unexpected stuff, indeed. How often are we transported to other worlds when reading
an academic article?! And how often do images and scenes stay with us once the article is set
aside? I suspect the Clarissa, Metakin, and Naal will be with me for some time.

This for me is the major contribution of Steve's chapter: It has (I think for the first time)shown me that an academic article can make me think and (Heavenforbid) be entertaining
at the same time. As language learners and teachers, we know the importance of motivation
for learning. But, Vogon-like, we tend to regard the academic world as one in which fun issomehow inappropriate. I also like the way Steve records the stages he (and Joe) went throughin implementing a portfolio approach, mentioning problems faced along the way. Honest
narratives such as these, which record the rough with the smooth, can provide fascinating

insights into how autonomous learning has been carried out or promoted in particular
contexts (e.g.,Benson & Nunan, 2002; Karlsson, Kjisik, & Nordlund, 1997).
I mentioned that the chapter made me think, and that's clearlyimportant, or we'd be left
with the 'wow' factor and nothing else. For me the issues that resonated were: the controllinginfluences of the Metakin and Naal institutes—and how these can be worked around; the needfor cultural sensitivity—and at the same time, the need to avoid cultural stereotyping, andbelieving that cultures are immutable; the importance of reflection (highlighted by Steve—although apparently absent from the portfolio components negotiated by the Naal students?);
and the success that can ensue when portfolios reflect the aims of the learners rather thanof the institution (e.g., Elbow & Belanoff, 1997). I would have liked to hear more about thenegotiation involved in getting the portfolio approach accepted by Steve's own institution, orof his feelings about taking risks within his institutional culture. But there's clearlya trade-offin terms of how much 'real-world' information you can provide when creating an involving
imaginary world. Perhaps that's something for future reports.
My final thought is that we may have been too restrictive about what we consider acceptablein research articles. I applaud Steve for writing the paper,and Mike and Andy for publishingit, and look forward to a wider range of genres in future learner autonomy publications. Whatform might such pieces take, and what is the most appropriate balance between entertaining
and promoting reflection? Mm, time for a telepathic link with a Clarissa ...

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Learner P o r t f o l i o s .

Critical Reader Response 2

Cath Malone

I really enjoyedreading this innovative approach to writing about teaching and learning. Steve's
use of a narrative to explore these issues is intriguing. The futuristic setting gives him a freedom
to fully explore what it really means to be a foreign teacher of English in Japan, 2003. The way
he uses humour, the futuristic setting: The sci-fi story succeeds most for me in describing
aspects of "cross-cultural communication, dynamics of power, and willingness to take risks"
in the classroom. These are defining aspects of the context in which we find ourselves. And, inspite of his disclaimer, there's an authenticity to many aspects of his story that I am sure willring true with many teachers across Japan.
Steve at the outset describes the evolution of the format of this paper. He describes acollaborative process of course design, which gives the students greater control over what andhow they study and are assessed. Byallowing his students greater freedom, Steve begins to
explore creative opportunities himself. The format of this piece itself demonstrates the reflexive
nature of the relationship between student autonomy and teacher autonomy. This resonateswith my own experience of attempts to foster student autonomy. When teachers explore new
ways in the language classroom, which allow learners greater control, this often results in acreative surge which can be infectious.

In terms of exactly how and why portfolios are used and who is at the controls, I was left
with a number of questions. I was particularly curious about the process of negotiation andthe position the teacher Joe/Steve is negotiating from. Original objectives regarding language
study, learning to learn more effectively and the content of the Japan/Great Britain studies
course appear to fall by the wayside. Why? Do these not appeal to the students? Do the students
understand them? Is the teacher convinced that these are worthwhile objectives? The students
determine the portfolio contents, and there's no language component, although students agree
to talk in class in the target language. Does the teacher assess use of language in class? What
happens with the learners who don't talk? Is it enough that this results in classes that are "fun"and that "Hell, even some of those kids learn to speak Talem," (for which we may read English).
It's difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of portfolio use without more detail about the course
objectives.
Similarly, Steve suggests that "portfolios don't lend themselves to quantifiable evaluation,"
which I would agree with. However, I would like to know more about holistic evaluation of
portfolios that are based on compilations of free writing and free drawing. Again the questionthat occurs to me is: What is this course trying to achieve? There is a neat counterpointingof characters in the story, which polarizes the notion of control being located either with theteacher or the learners. As a function of the narrative, it seems an either/or proposition. This iswhere I think the effectiveness of the story may work against Steve's purpose of describing how
the course evolved, how portfolios worked for him, and why were they a success.
Perhaps I perceive autonomy as a means rather than an end in itself. I conceive ofautonomous learning as a means of gaining ownership of intellectual material. It is a wayof helping learners grapple with new information and relate it meaningfully to what they
already know—make it in some way their own. The larger objective is concerned with the
democratization of learning. There is however the need to understand (and, because we workat universities, demonstrate that you understand) that material, the content of the course.

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DaviesThere is also an important function of becoming part of an intellectual community.
The resolution of the story suggests a need to value the 'other,' to be open to different
worldviews, and different ways of learning. I would like to see closer examination of thatdelicate balance where a new relationship is struck between student and teacher as they decide
how to learn together. And where exactly does Joe gofrom here?

LD SIG 2003 A n t h o l o g y