CTD Weekly Workshops: Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

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


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Most job announcements require applicants to submit a

“Teaching Statement”

http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/aps/adeo/recruitment

/jobdetails.asp?PositionNumber=10-592

http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/aps/adeo/recruitment/jobdetails.asp?PositionNumber=10-592





“A Teaching what ?” 4

Teaching Portfolio


Purpose of a Teaching Portfolio


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


Teaching Portfolio

Teaching Philosophy


Purpose of a Teaching Philosophy


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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


Teaching Portfolio

Teaching

Statement

also known as…

• Statement of Teaching

• Statement of Teaching

Philosophy

• and more…


Teaching Philosophy

Purpose of a Teaching Statement


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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…


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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


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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


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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


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sit and think Step 1

sit and think

Just a thought by gintoxin78 on flickr (CC)

Discussion question


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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


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


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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.


General Guidelines


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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.


General Guidelines


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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.


General Guidelines


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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


23

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:


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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


“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


You’ve drafted it. Now what?


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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


Education

CTD Weekly Workshops: Writing a Successful Teaching Statement