Creating an effective teaching philosophy statementJanuary 19, 2013Julie Lepine

Outline

The WHAT, WHO, and WHYs of teaching philosophies

Five components of a teaching philosophy

Guidelines for developing a teaching philosophy

Tips and resources

What is a teaching philosophy?

A self-reflective statement of your beliefs about teaching and learning

Written in first-person, narrative style

1-2 pages, single spaced

Who asks for a statement of teaching philosophy?

33% initially

30% during hiring

process

63%

“…those who are truly interested in teaching will submit a statement of teaching philosophy without being asked to do so; therefore, we never asked for this specifically.”

Meizlish, D. & Kaplan, M. Valuing and evaluating teaching in academic hiring: A multidisciplinary, cross-Institutional study. The Journal of Higher Education, 79 (5), 489-512.

Why should I compose a teaching philosophy?

Where do I begin?

Components of a successful teaching philosophy

1. Conceptualization of learninga. Metaphorb. Describe a learning episode

“The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education”.

~ Albert Einstein

Components of a successful teaching philosophy continued

2. Conceptualization of teachinga. Facilitate?b. Role?c. Atmosphere?

“80% of success is showing up”. ~ Woody Allen

Components of a successful teaching philosophy continued

3. Goals for studentsa. Course content and other skillsb. Beyond your classroom

A successful student should …

Components of a successful teaching philosophy continued

4. Implementation of the philosophya. Translation of concepts & goalsb. HOW

Did you know that Newton was reported to lecture with his

back to students?!?!

Components of a successful teaching philosophy continued

5. Personal growth plana. How have you grown?b. What are your goals?

“Teachers are born not made”.

What do you think? Complete the following sentences:

The most important factor in the student-teacher relationship is __________.

Learning occurs best when __________.

I would like my students to learn __________ or be able to __________ when they leave the classroom.

Huh?

The formula

1. A general principle

2. An explanation

3. A resolution

General principle

Explanation

Resolution

Learning occurs best as a social

enterprise.People learn best in

groups as this setting forces communication

and participation, thereby reinforcing

content. My classroom is typically

composed of a small number of

students, so pairwork is an integral part of daily lessons.

In closing, here are some tips

1. Use discipline specific vocabulary, but don’t use overly technical jargon.

Linguistics Your Discipline

• language acquisition

• second language learner

• communicative competency

• content-based learning

• names of theories • ????

Tips continued

2. Know your audience

3. Don’t say “I…, I…, I…, …”

4. Ideas for future growth a. Implement classroom technologyb. More hands-on learning c. VARKd. Continually improving lessons

Resources (see handout #2)

Step-by-step guide from University of Guelph

http://www.uoguelph.ca/tss/id/ta/tapdfs/A%20Workshop%20on%20Developing%20a%20Statement%20of%20Teaching%20Philosophy.pdf

Sample philosophies from University of Saskatchewan

http://www.usask.ca/gmcte/resources/portfolio/samples

Other various resources