i just submitted my application package for a teaching position... although it wasn't a teaching portfolio per se maybe this will point you in the right direction... my package included:

1) cover letter
2) curriculum vitae
3) abbreviated design portfolio (7 projects including 1 as a thesis advisor)
4) statement of pedagogical/research interests

each of the projects in the portfolio were somehow related to the pedagogical/research interests that i outlined in my letter...

teaching portfolios will typically include examples/proposed course syllabi and examples of student work... i didn't include any syllabi in my package, but did say that they were available upon request...

hope this helps... i was able to find a lot of stuff about teaching portfolios just by searching google... of course none of the information is geared toward architecture/design, but it's not a difficult leap...

thanks architphil.

sounds as though you've had a teaching gig before.
do you have any advice for a newbie with nothing formal beyond studio t.a. and teaching at a local contemporary art center?

actually i haven't taught before, just hoping to get my first teaching gig... i've done a few juries at the school that i'm applying to and was also on a thesis committee there for one of my former coworkers... i included his project in my portfolio as "student work/thesis supervision"

also, i have a couple of proposed/draft syllabi ready for the types of seminar/lecture courses that i would like to teach...

one of them is based on one of my favorite courses from grad school, but tweaked a bit to focus on my particular interests...

another takes pieces of several classes from grad school and combines them into a new course...

i taught a model building class(1 semester).... and ran the wood shop(4 years)....

i'm not 100% sure but i would think a design/detailed port would work along with a criteria layout....

2:37am

architphil -
thanks, you've given me some great ideas. especially the draft syllabi

the position i'm applying for asks for a statement of teaching and research/creative activity goals as well. i'm guessing that takes the place of a traditional cover letter.

i've been taking all sorts of online 'teaching style assessment' tests - i think it's helping me pinpoint what styles i found helpful as a student and how i would conduct myself in the position of a professor.

when do you find out about the position?

When it comes to a portfolio for applying for academic positions I've found that "less is more" works pretty well. For architecture schools or other design programs the most important thing seems to be examples of your students' work, and the second most important thing is examples of your own BUILT work. This doesn't necessarily need to be magazine- or award-worthy, or even particularly innovative. The more important thing is that most programs are looking for that blend of academics and practice - so some solid evidence of practice (i.e. experience in the real world) is absolutely critical. Anything else that you want to include (unbuilt work, your own academic work, etc.) is ok in moderation, but just doesn't seem to generate as much interest.
I've never included a syllabus in anything I've sent in application for (or in an interview for) any academic position. A written statement is important - but I'm somewhat convinced that this is more for purposes of evaluating your writing and ability to expound upon some idea - any idea - convincingly than it is to really choose faculty based on their philosophy or manifesto.
Usually I've limited the text within the portfolio to the minimum: what is it, where is it (in the case of built work), when was it done. If it's a student's work then: who did it, for what course at what school, what's the name of the assignment, what's the medium, when was it done. I have often sent full-page images in a regular black binder with clear plastic sleeves - not the sort of big-production portfolio that people often use for applying to grad school and such.
One time I got a teaching position based solely on this portfolio and my references - there wasn't any interview. But most often there's a long, talky interview where you have to speak about your teaching philosophies, professional interests, etc. But be prepared: some of the things you'll often be asked are less lofty and more concerned with things like whether you've ever successfully dealt with disruptive students, what to do about a student who seems depressed, whether you understand the importance of following various bureaucratic regulations of the university and the department, what your availability is to work on misc. extra projects, advise student interest groups, serve on university committees, and other time-consuming etceteras.

athenaeum-

in general the statement of teaching/research/creative activity goals should be a separate document from the cover letter... but, of course, this depends on what the school you're applying to is looking for... as bloopox said above, including a few syllabi is not something that you would normally do, unless the school is specifically asking for a "teaching portfolio"... i also agree with bloopox that evidence of strong professional work is important... in my small portfolio of 7 projects i included only 1 academic project (my thesis), 3 design competition projects completed as a professional, 2 professional projects, and 1 thesis supervision project...