CTD WEEKLY WORKSHOPS:
WRITING A SUCCESSFUL
TEACHING STATEMENT
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
[email protected] @polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd
slides and resources: ctd.ucsd.edu/programs/fall-2013-weekly-workshops/
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
12:00 – 12:50 pm Center Hall, Room 316
End of grad school/postdoc = stress! 2
defense
thesis
Research Statement
Teaching Statement
job search
funding/grants
CV
references
publish thesis in journal
moving
visa/immigration
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
Job announcements
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
3
Most job announcements require applicants to submit a
“Teaching Statement”
http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/aps/adeo/recruitment
/jobdetails.asp?PositionNumber=10-592
“A Teaching what ?” 4
Teaching Portfolio
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
Purpose of a Teaching Portfolio
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
5
Collect in one place all your evidence of teaching
teaching philosophy
teaching statement
evaluations (like CAPE)
examples of your work: slide deck, assignments,
exams
Feedback from students, colleagues, bosses
start collecting NOW
“A Teaching what ?” 6
Teaching Portfolio
Teaching Philosophy
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
Purpose of a Teaching Philosophy
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
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Thesis statement for a broader teaching portfolio
Helps tie together and synthesize evidences
Demonstrate that you are reflective about
your teaching
Communicate your goals and actions
As you revise, it may shape how you teach
Help you set goals for professional growth
“A Teaching what ?” 8
Teaching Portfolio
Teaching
Statement
also known as…
• Statement of Teaching
• Statement of Teaching
Philosophy
• and more…
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
Teaching Philosophy
Purpose of a Teaching Statement
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
9
Be hired in your desired position
Demonstrate that you are reflective about
your teaching
Communicate your goals and actions
Thesis statement for a broader teaching portfolio, if
one will be included in your application
A Teaching Statement gives…
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
10
Your conception of how learning occurs
A description of how your teaching facilitates learning
A reflection of why you teach the way you do
The goals you have for yourself and for your students
How your teaching enacts your beliefs and goals
What, for you, constitutes evidence of student learning
The ways in which you create an inclusive learning
environment
Your interests in new techniques, activities, and types of
learning
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement in
wordle, with keywords only 11
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884593/Teacing_Statement_content_from_Vander
bilt_CfT_-_keywords_only Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement in
wordle, all words 12
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884639/Teaching_Statement_content_from_Vande
rbilt_CfT_-_all_words Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
Example - Linguistics
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
13
I hope to engender in my students the same enthusiasm for the study
of language that I possess myself, and to foster an interest in linguistics that
motivates them to consider further study. In my classes, I create a relaxed and
stimulating learning environment that attempts to build relationships that
close the ‘gap’ between teacher and student, thus ensuring my students are
comfortable sharing their thoughts, knowledge and experiences. I aim to both
encourage critical thinking about the complexities of language and its daily
use, and to help students develop analytical and argumentative skills, even
in an Introduction to Linguistics class. These are skills I believe will serve them
well, complementing the content knowledge needed to be a successful linguist,
regardless of whether these skills are ultimately applied within the field.
When I am instructor of record at the University of California, San Diego, I
use peer instruction with clickers and portable whiteboards to support a
flipped classroom in which prepared students actively engage with the
content and skills and with their peers, an approach that enables students to
reach detailed learning outcomes specified at the beginning of the course.
Count the
number of I,
me, my,…
www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpum
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
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How do I get all this…into that? 15
LEGO image: wrenfieldrambling.blogspot.com
Shuttle image: itsfullofstars.tumblr.com Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
Step 1
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
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sit and think Step 1
sit and think
Just a thought by gintoxin78 on flickr (CC)
Discussion question
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
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Which of these do you feel is your primary role as an
educator?
A) Teaching students facts and principles of the subject
B) Helping students develop basic learning skills
C) Helping students develop higher-order thinking skills
D) Preparing students for jobs/careers
E) Being a role model for students
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
Teaching Goals Inventory (Excerpt)
© 1993 Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross.
tinyurl.com/TeachingGoalsInventory
Please rate the importance of each of the […] goals listed below to the specific course you have selected. Assess each goal's
importance to what you deliberately aim to have your students accomplish, rather than the goal's general worthiness or overall
importance to your institution's mission. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers; only personally more or less accurate ones.
Indicate whether each goal you rate is:
(1) not applicable – a goal you never try to achieve
(2) unimportant – a goal you rarely try to achieve
(3) important – a goal you sometimes try to achieve
(4) very important – a goal you often try to achieve
(5) essential – a goal you always/nearly always try to achieve
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Goal
17. Improve mathematical skills
18. Learn terms and facts of this subject
19. Learn concepts and theories in this subject
20. Develop skill in using materials, tools, and/or technology central to this subject
21. Learn to understand perspectives and values of this subject
22. Prepare for transfer or graduate study
23. Learn techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in this subject
24. Learn to evaluate methods and materials in this subject
25. Learn to appreciate important contributions to this subject
26. Develop an appreciation of the liberal arts and sciences
Center for Teaching Development, UCSD ctd.ucsd.edu
General Guidelines
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
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Make your Teaching Statement brief and well
written, typically 1-2 pages in length.
Use narrative, first-person approach. This allows the
Teaching Statement to be both personal and
reflective.
Be sincere and unique. Avoid clichés, especially ones
about how much passion you have for teaching.
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
General Guidelines
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
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Make it specific rather than abstract. Ground your ideas in 1-2 concrete examples, whether experienced or anticipated. This will help the reader to better visualize you in the classroom.
Be discipline specific. Do not ignore your research. Explain how you advance your field through teaching.
Avoid jargon and technical terms, as they can be off-putting to some readers.
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
General Guidelines
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
21
Try not to simply repeat what is in your CV. Teaching
Statements are not exhaustive documents and should
be used to complement other materials for the hiring
or tenure processes.
Be humble. Mention students in an enthusiastic, not
condescending way, and illustrate your willingness to
learn from your students and colleagues.
Revise. Teaching is an evolving, reflective process,
and Teaching Statements can be adapted and
changed as necessary.
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
General Guidelines
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
22
Customize for the Department you’re applying to:
“I would be excited to teach introductory courses
like your MATH 10A and MATH 20B.”
“With my research background, I would be able
to teach graduate-level courses in European
history like HIST 554.”
Remove UCSD-specific acronyms like UCSD, CAPE,
SIO, SE, MAE, HIEU, SSPPS,…
General Guidelines
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
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Formatting: do everything you can to make it easy
for the hiring committee members to read your doc:
Add a header with your name, so that the reader
can easily associate your awesome words with
your name
full justification gives your doc a polished look
check your PDF very carefully for .docx to .pdf
conversion problems (esp. with bullet points)
KEY Guideline:
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
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You need a kick a** opening paragraph!
What distinguishes you from everyone else applying?
Why will the hiring committee remember your teaching
statement? Give them something to remember you by!
Imagine the hiring committee only reads the 1st
paragraph carefully and skims the rest. Hit ‘em with
your best stuff right away – don’t save it for the
concluding paragraph.
It’s okay to spend extra (way too much) time on the 1st
paragraph – it could get you (or cost you) the job
First paragraph rubric:
Write, rubric, revise, rubric, revise… 25
description of teaching experience
candidate stands out
format, layout, rhetoric, language
Strong Weak Acceptable
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
“Who’s this again?”
Five major components (Chism, 1998)
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1. Conceptualization of learning
How do people learn?
2. Conceptualization of teaching
How do I facilitate that learning?
3. Goals for students
Content and skills
4. Implementation of philosophy
What do I do in the classroom? Does it work?
5. Professional growth plan
How have I grown, and how will I grow in the future?
www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
Teaching Statement rubric:
Write, rubric, revise, rubric, revise… 27
Goals for student learning
Enactment of goals (teaching method)
Assessment of goals (measuring student learning)
Creating an inclusive learning environment
Structure, rhetoric and language
Excellent
Needs
Work Weak
www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
You’ve drafted it. Now what?
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement
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1. Ask someone you trust IN YOUR DISCIPLINE to read it.
Their familiarity with the subject may catch errors
specific to your field (eg, field work in geophysics)
2. Ask someone you trust NOT in your discipline to read it.
When they ask you what something means, it forces you
to think carefully and concisely about the concept.
People beyond the hiring-Department (eg, Faculty Dean)
may read it
Resources 29
Center for Research on Learning and Teaching University of Michigan www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts Teaching statement samples: www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpum
Center for Teaching Vanderbilt University cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning Princeton University www.princeton.edu/mcgraw/library/for-grad-students/teaching-statement
Center for the Advancement of Teaching Ohio State University ucat.osu.edu/teaching_portfolio/philosophy/philosophy2.html
Center for Teaching Development University of California, San Diego ctd.ucsd.edu
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement