Writing Your Teaching Philosophy

Writing a Statement of Teaching Philosophy

Margarita Nafpaktitis Charles E. Young Research Library

Teaching philosophies are becoming a common component of job

applications & also of tenure and promotion materials.

Purposes of a teaching philosophy:

Self-reflection

Introduction to a teaching portfolio

Communication with students

If “philosophy” seems too pretentious,

you might prefer “reflective statement on

teaching” or even just

“statement on teaching”

Just because you’ve never written a statement of

teaching philosophy doesn’t mean you don’t have one!

Critical IncidentThink back to an important learning experience you’ve had (in either a formal or informal educational setting)

What made that learning experience positive or negative for you?

How did it affect the way you think about teaching or learning?

Can you derive a principle from your experience?

Definition of Learning & TeachingHow do YOU define the phrase “to learn”? (Think of a time when you felt you really learned something.)

How do YOU define the phrase “to teach”? (Think of a time when you felt you were effectively teaching something.)

Choose a metaphor for learning/teaching

Helping someone learn is like...

Learning is like...

Reflecting on your teaching identity

1

2

3

Choose 3 adjectives that best describe you

as a teacher &/or the way you teach:

General guidelines for writing the teaching philosophy:

Keep it BRIEF! (1-2 pages)

Use a narrative, 1st-PERSON approach

Make it REFLECTIVE & PERSONAL

your GOALS for your students

the METHODS you use to achieve those goals

and the ASSESSMENTS you use to find out if students have met your expectations

Discuss:

your specific disciplinary context

use specific EXAMPLES of your practice

Explain:

Showcase:your strengths

your accomplishments

And then remember...

Keep it brief! (1-2 pages)

Use a narrative, 1st-person approach

Make it reflective & personal

Map your philosophy:

The teaching philosophy is an EVOLVING DOCUMENT

that will change as you gain more experience as a teacher

& as your beliefs about effective teaching

& learning develop over time.

Returning to your teaching philosophy statement throughout your career can help make your current teaching practice more

explicit and deliberate.

Questions for further reflection:

Not all of the questions that follow will resonate for you, but thinking about how you would answer some of them may be helpful as you continue to develop your teaching philosophy...

What are your beliefs & values about learning?

What do you fundamentally believe about how people learn?

What are the beliefs & values that inform your teaching?

Why is teaching important to you?

How do you put your beliefs & values into practice?

What do you enjoy most about teaching or find most rewarding? Why?

What do you think “good teaching” (teaching that promotes learning) is?

What does “good teaching” look like in practice?

How would people describe your teaching?

How do you assess what the people you have taught have learned?

How do you assess your teaching effectiveness?

How would you describe the ideal outcome of your teaching?

What should the person(s) you have taught know or be able to do?

How is your teaching affected by your identity & background

How is your teaching affected by the identities & backgrounds of the people you teach?

How is your teaching influenced by the theory & skills required for learning in your discipline(s)?

How have you changed & developed as a teacher?

What caused those changes?

How do you want to improve as a teacher?

How would you go about making those improvements?

Helpful resources for further developing your teaching philosophy:

!

http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts !

Find these slides online: !

bit.ly/teaching-philosophy