PERSONAL TEACHING IDEAS: QUICKWRITE
When you think about teaching and learning at the undergraduate level, what is important to you?
ELEMENTS OF A STATEMENT OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
All statements of teaching philosophy should include the following elements.
1. What is important to you about teaching and learning
Articulate what drives you to teach, what you are passionate about, your view of teaching, learning and education.
What are your goals for your students? What do you hope they take away from your class? Frame this in a way that is about student learning and how you support/encourage it, rather than simply what you do. Think about this, combined with what is important to you, as your theme for your whole statement.
Describe how you implement your ideas and values about teaching and learning. What do you do in practice to met your main objective(s)? How do you facilitate your students meeting your goals? Include specific strategies and methods. Think about this as your evidence that you are carrying out your philosophy.
Think about how you can tell if your students are meeting your goals, rather than just about how you grade them. Also consider how you know your teaching strategies are working.
All statements of teaching philosophy should include the following elements.
1. What is important to you about teaching and learning
Articulate what drives you to teach, what you are passionate about, your view of teaching, learning and education.
- Example: I embrace teaching as an opportunity to inspire and empower my students to take ownership over the learning process.
What are your goals for your students? What do you hope they take away from your class? Frame this in a way that is about student learning and how you support/encourage it, rather than simply what you do. Think about this, combined with what is important to you, as your theme for your whole statement.
- Example: It is my hope that my students become independent thinkers and develop sskills that they will take away beyond my classroom.
Describe how you implement your ideas and values about teaching and learning. What do you do in practice to met your main objective(s)? How do you facilitate your students meeting your goals? Include specific strategies and methods. Think about this as your evidence that you are carrying out your philosophy.
- Example: In my quest to develop independent thinkers, I strive to promote cros-cultrual awareness and appreciation. As a native of Argentina, I try to bring as much of my culture into the classroom as possible. For example...
Think about how you can tell if your students are meeting your goals, rather than just about how you grade them. Also consider how you know your teaching strategies are working.
- Example: I give students timely feedback on their work so that they can incorporate suggestions, and so I have a sense of how individuals in my classroom are progressing through the semester.
Demonstrate that you want to improve and how you will do that.
1. Paint a vivid picture of yourself as a teacher
The reader should be able to visualize what your classroom looks like and what you look like in it. Ask yourself, can your readers picture in their minds the learning environment you create for students?
2. Be specific
Weave in experience and give lots of examples. This helps give a picture of you as a teacher, and demonstrates that you actually believe in the things you say!
3. Make your statement memorable and unique
Talk about your talents, special interests, etc. to convey what's special about YOU. You want to set yourself apart from all of the other applicants.
4. Write concisely
Keep it to 1-2 double spaced pages!
5. Use present tense
This is the most common and easiest for your audience to read.
6. Use simple organizational structure
Concise paragraphs enhance readability!
1. Negativity about teaching strategies
- Example: One of my goals as a teacher is to never take my teaching skills for granted. Each new group of students helps me learn how to better meet the needs of students in the future.
SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING A GREAT STATEMENT OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
1. Paint a vivid picture of yourself as a teacher
The reader should be able to visualize what your classroom looks like and what you look like in it. Ask yourself, can your readers picture in their minds the learning environment you create for students?
2. Be specific
Weave in experience and give lots of examples. This helps give a picture of you as a teacher, and demonstrates that you actually believe in the things you say!
3. Make your statement memorable and unique
Talk about your talents, special interests, etc. to convey what's special about YOU. You want to set yourself apart from all of the other applicants.
4. Write concisely
Keep it to 1-2 double spaced pages!
5. Use present tense
This is the most common and easiest for your audience to read.
6. Use simple organizational structure
Concise paragraphs enhance readability!
COMMON PROBLEMS WHEN WRITING A STATEMENT OF TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
1. Negativity about teaching strategies
- Bad: Lecture is a terrible way to teach.
- Improved: Although lecture is useful for... I find that my students learn most effectively when...
- Bad: I really disliked my performance in class that quarter and was disappointed in my evaluation.
- Improved: I have learned how to negotiate the difficult task of balancing... and..., and over the past three years of teaching I have seen my students' performance improve in X, Y, and Z ways.
- Bad: There is 'no point' to powerpoint presentations. They are lengthy and boring to students.
- Improved: I find that my students become disinterested with lengthy powerpoint presentations, so instead I prefer to have a set of keywords on powerpoint display while simultaneously asking my students to...
- Bad: The only way to teach is to use class discussion.
- Improved: I believe that students learn best when they are actively engaged in discussion with one another, so I encourage peer discussion by...
- Bad: I find transmissionist teaching is best for critical thinking.
- Improved: One of the most exciting projects I have participated in as a teacher was for Philosophy of Language, which I taught in the Spring of 2009. For this class, the students and I co-created a video explaining and, in some cases, acting out key terms in language philosophy. This project allowed the students to develop their understanding of the material by having to break down the complex terminology they learned in class for the 'lay man/woman.' It also gave students a sense of ownership over the material, and they were able to share this video via YouTube with friends and family members all over the world.
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