Job application season is not ramping up until the end of summer, but I'm bringing this topic up now because it might require some thought and introspection before applications get sent out.
Some ads ask you to make a teaching statement. Others ask you to also provide a teaching philosophy.
Those are the same thing, right? I don't think so.
A teaching statement explains what you have taught, what you're capable of teaching, how you have taught these courses and how you go about teaching on a day to day basis. It's important for a teaching school to know these things when evaluating a candidate. But some departments want more information. They also want to know your philosophy.
Keep in mind that many members of search committees don't give a damn about teaching philosophies at all. They'd be glad if you wrote a teaching statement, or if you needed to provide both, that you just got a little wordy in the philosophy. They won't care. But for those that do care, an excellent teaching philosophy can really make you stand out, with at least some of the teaching faculty who are doing the hiring.
- The Progressive education philosophy was established in America from the mid 1920s through the mid 1950s. John Dewey was its foremost proponent. One of his tenets was that the school should improve the way of life of our citizens through experiencing freedom and democracy in schools.
- A pedagogic philosophy such as mine demands that my teaching style be highly interactive, engaging students in a dialogue, and often putting students into dialogue with each other. I strive to structure my teaching around my students needs, rather than the demands of a particular concept or text.
- We surveyed thousands of teachers about their teaching philosophy and the results may provide some insights to help you reflect on your own approach to teaching. Authoritarian vs Liberals In an earlier Teacher Tapp survey, we asked teachers if they subscribed to a 'traditionalist' or a 'progressive' teaching philosophy.
- Philosophy of teaching statements are concise statements of what you believe about the teaching and learning of languages or literature, and possibly also about education in general. Most sources recommend that you keep your teaching philosophy statement between one and two pages in length, covering what you believe, why, and brief examples of.
You might be asking yourself, 'What the hell is a teaching philosophy? Do I have to have an actual philosophy about teaching?'
My Philosophy of Teaching A skillful educator builds good relationships with her students based on mutual respect and trust and sets the tone for a classroom community. When I think about my role as a teacher, the one thing that I constantly have focused on is the relationships that I have built with my students. I enjoy having conversations with.
My answer would be, 'Yes, you really should have one. Your teaching philosophy is your overall approach to teaching and a guiding principle behind all of the decisions that you make when teaching.'
Ideally, your teaching philosophy can be expressed in a sentence or two. And then it takes a few paragraphs to explain it. That's how you write a 1-page teaching philosophy.
What is the secret to writing a kickass teaching philosophy statement to get you that job interview?
The secret is to actually, genuinely, have a kickass teaching philosophy. If you don't have a few firm guiding principles that guide your teaching, this summer is a good time to develop them.
Instead of just telling you what a teaching philosophy is, let me give you some specific examples. I'm most familiar with teaching philosophies not from the university, but from K-12 science and math teachers. I've been involved in scores of interview panels for beginning and experienced teachers. One question that we always ask is: 'What is your teaching philosophy?'
All but the most nervous and least prepared teachers have their answer down pat. Most of them say a slight variant of:
Every child deserves an opportunity to learn.
I love that one. I think it is broadly applicable to many circumstances – dealing with economic inequalities, differentiating instruction for students with higher-level work, working with those learning English, and those with behavioral challenges. Everybody, despite the challenges that they face and those that they even create themselves, deserves the opportunity to learn. And it's the job of the teacher to create that opportunity. That's a powerful philosophy.
That philosophy, however, doesn't work for me in the university environment. Here's my philosophy, that I've had for at least the last eight years:
You don't truly learn something unless you discover it for yourself.
Someone can explain something to you, and you can understand it. But you haven't learned it. It hasn't been banked in memory or as something of substance unless you figure it out for yourself. Consequently, labs are important. Fieldwork is important. Discovery-based lessons in class are important. Interactivity during lectures helps. Making sure that students genuinely and deeply read helps. Creating an environment in which students feel an interest and need to discover matters. And so on. In my more recent job applications I spent a few paragraphs spelling out the corollaries and applications of this philosophy.
What are some other teaching philosophies that could work? Maybe:
University students learn best when they have both extrinsic and intrinsic motivators.
or maybe:
Learning is a social activity and interactions with others are a critical part of the college experience.
or how about:
Being able to communicate a clear understanding of a topic verbally and in writing is required for mastery.
or perhaps:
Learning is fun.
and lastly:
To be an effective teacher you must be a lifelong learner and create that spirit in your students.
or other stuff that you can just make up like I just did.
The best teaching statement is not one that you just made up, it's one that you genuinely believe.
Realistically, most people emerging from grad school and postdocs looking for teaching jobs have something less lofty on their minds, such as 'My philosophy is to do anything that results in good evaluations,' or 'My philosophy is to not entirely destroy the entire semester by not knowing what I'm doing,' or 'I just want to spend as little time on class as possible so that I can get everything else I need to get done finished so that I can actually keep my job.'
Those might be acceptable ideas. But it's not a philosophy.
So, how do you find your philosophy? Experience with teaching helps, but I think even more important is to spend time interacting with others who care about teaching, and care about understanding what works and what doesn't work.
You don't have to be an expert in the education literature, but you should be able to hold a respectable conversation with someone who is. (You don't need to know the acronyms but you should be able to understand the concepts.) You should be familiar with Bloom's taxonomy, if nobody's hit you over the head with it yet. Knowing about constructivism is a good idea. If you're going to spend even a small part of your career teaching, then understanding the way professional educators approach teaching is a good idea.
Beware, though, when you write your teaching philosophy, you actually have to be careful to not bust out the technical education terms, because that would piss off the majority of the faculty who harbor a genuine suspicion of educational theory.
Any search committee is likely to have some people involved who think, 'It's just my job to teach and their job to learn.' I actually think that's true, but the definition of good teaching and good learning is where I part way with those folks. The education folk like to make a distinction between the 'sage on the stage' versus the 'guide on the side.' I don't follow the Johnnie Cochran school of espousing teaching philosophies, though I think effective teachers guide rather than preach.
You'd hope that these people are fossilized enough that they're not reading blogs. Nonetheless, a dislike for anything other than bullet-point lecturing is common among many junior faculty who don't want to be bothered with student learning and instead think their job is to spew information. As in all things related to job applications, you don't want to express any view strongly enough that it would piss anybody off, even if that person is unreasonable.
The take-home message is that you are best off using your Statement of Teaching Philosophy to actually espouse a genuine philosophy of teaching. If you don't have one, it's not too early to develop your own!
Teaching Philosophy
If you have one you like, or would like feedback from folks on one, please share in the comments. You'll probably get some good comments. And we won't charge $100/hour.
What is a Philosophy of Teaching Statement, and Why is it Important?
Philosophy of teaching statements are concise statements of what you believe about the teaching and learning of languages or literature, and possibly also about education in general. Most sources recommend that you keep your teaching philosophy statement between one and two pages in length, covering what you believe, why, and brief examples of how you implement it in the classroom.
While a statement of your philosophy of teaching is an important item to include in your teacher portfolio, it also serves a much more important role. It guides and informs you as you prepare other portfolio items, it helps you prepare for a job interview, and it helps you to ensure that you are consistent in the way you answer job interview questions.
TiPPS HANDOUTS ON PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING STATEMENTS
Philosophy of teaching statements – 'Let the brainstorming begin!' (revised 2016)
BOOKS & ARTICLES THAT TALK ABOUT PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING
Bullock, Ann Adams, & Hawk, Parmalee P. (2001). Developing a teaching portfolio: A guide for preservice and practicing teachers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Murray, John P. (1997). Successful faculty development and evaluation: The complete teaching portfolio. Washington, DC : Graduate School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University.
Schönwetter, Dieter. J., Sokal, L., Friesen, M., and Taylor, K. L. (2002). Teaching philosophies reconsidered: A conceptual model for the development and evaluation of teaching philosophy statements. The International Journal for Academic Development, 7(1), 83 – 97.
Seldin, Peter (1991). Teaching portfolio: A practical guide to improved performance and promotion/tenure decisions. Bolton, MA : Anker Pub. Co.
Vick, J. M., Furlong, J. S., & Lurie, R. (2016). The academic job search handbook. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. [This excellent book is available online for University of Hawaii at Mānoa faculty, staff, and students.]
Download Warrior Mod Description: Attack On Titan Tribute game ia an action RPG game made and published by fenglee, released in 2013 for. Download Better Mod Download RC Mod for Windows/Mac/Linux. This is a public mod for the Attack on Titan Tribute Game by Feng Lee. What does it do? This mod is mainly known for customized skins, map editing, higher level and spawn control, and alternative game modes. Visit the README for more information. Changelog  attack on titan tribute gamers mods.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A STATEMENT OF TEACHING PHILOSOHY
Teaching Statements, Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.
A useful website that provides guidelines and strategies to help you write your philosophy of teaching statement.
Montell, G. (2003). How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy.
A handy article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Office of Faculty and TA Development, The Ohio State University. Writing a philosophy of teaching statement.
This site takes a comprehensive look at a philosophy of teaching, including definitions, the purpose of developing a philosophy statement, common major components, different ways of developing a statement, and benefits of having put one together. It also gives a number of sample statements. The authors try to provide multiple perspectives on the topic, as well.
or how about:
Being able to communicate a clear understanding of a topic verbally and in writing is required for mastery.
or perhaps:
Learning is fun.
and lastly:
To be an effective teacher you must be a lifelong learner and create that spirit in your students.
or other stuff that you can just make up like I just did.
The best teaching statement is not one that you just made up, it's one that you genuinely believe.
Realistically, most people emerging from grad school and postdocs looking for teaching jobs have something less lofty on their minds, such as 'My philosophy is to do anything that results in good evaluations,' or 'My philosophy is to not entirely destroy the entire semester by not knowing what I'm doing,' or 'I just want to spend as little time on class as possible so that I can get everything else I need to get done finished so that I can actually keep my job.'
Those might be acceptable ideas. But it's not a philosophy.
So, how do you find your philosophy? Experience with teaching helps, but I think even more important is to spend time interacting with others who care about teaching, and care about understanding what works and what doesn't work.
You don't have to be an expert in the education literature, but you should be able to hold a respectable conversation with someone who is. (You don't need to know the acronyms but you should be able to understand the concepts.) You should be familiar with Bloom's taxonomy, if nobody's hit you over the head with it yet. Knowing about constructivism is a good idea. If you're going to spend even a small part of your career teaching, then understanding the way professional educators approach teaching is a good idea.
Beware, though, when you write your teaching philosophy, you actually have to be careful to not bust out the technical education terms, because that would piss off the majority of the faculty who harbor a genuine suspicion of educational theory.
Any search committee is likely to have some people involved who think, 'It's just my job to teach and their job to learn.' I actually think that's true, but the definition of good teaching and good learning is where I part way with those folks. The education folk like to make a distinction between the 'sage on the stage' versus the 'guide on the side.' I don't follow the Johnnie Cochran school of espousing teaching philosophies, though I think effective teachers guide rather than preach.
You'd hope that these people are fossilized enough that they're not reading blogs. Nonetheless, a dislike for anything other than bullet-point lecturing is common among many junior faculty who don't want to be bothered with student learning and instead think their job is to spew information. As in all things related to job applications, you don't want to express any view strongly enough that it would piss anybody off, even if that person is unreasonable.
The take-home message is that you are best off using your Statement of Teaching Philosophy to actually espouse a genuine philosophy of teaching. If you don't have one, it's not too early to develop your own!
Teaching Philosophy
If you have one you like, or would like feedback from folks on one, please share in the comments. You'll probably get some good comments. And we won't charge $100/hour.
What is a Philosophy of Teaching Statement, and Why is it Important?
Philosophy of teaching statements are concise statements of what you believe about the teaching and learning of languages or literature, and possibly also about education in general. Most sources recommend that you keep your teaching philosophy statement between one and two pages in length, covering what you believe, why, and brief examples of how you implement it in the classroom.
While a statement of your philosophy of teaching is an important item to include in your teacher portfolio, it also serves a much more important role. It guides and informs you as you prepare other portfolio items, it helps you prepare for a job interview, and it helps you to ensure that you are consistent in the way you answer job interview questions.
TiPPS HANDOUTS ON PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING STATEMENTS
Philosophy of teaching statements – 'Let the brainstorming begin!' (revised 2016)
BOOKS & ARTICLES THAT TALK ABOUT PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING
Bullock, Ann Adams, & Hawk, Parmalee P. (2001). Developing a teaching portfolio: A guide for preservice and practicing teachers. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
Murray, John P. (1997). Successful faculty development and evaluation: The complete teaching portfolio. Washington, DC : Graduate School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University.
Schönwetter, Dieter. J., Sokal, L., Friesen, M., and Taylor, K. L. (2002). Teaching philosophies reconsidered: A conceptual model for the development and evaluation of teaching philosophy statements. The International Journal for Academic Development, 7(1), 83 – 97.
Seldin, Peter (1991). Teaching portfolio: A practical guide to improved performance and promotion/tenure decisions. Bolton, MA : Anker Pub. Co.
Vick, J. M., Furlong, J. S., & Lurie, R. (2016). The academic job search handbook. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press. [This excellent book is available online for University of Hawaii at Mānoa faculty, staff, and students.]
Download Warrior Mod Description: Attack On Titan Tribute game ia an action RPG game made and published by fenglee, released in 2013 for. Download Better Mod Download RC Mod for Windows/Mac/Linux. This is a public mod for the Attack on Titan Tribute Game by Feng Lee. What does it do? This mod is mainly known for customized skins, map editing, higher level and spawn control, and alternative game modes. Visit the README for more information. Changelog  attack on titan tribute gamers mods.
GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A STATEMENT OF TEACHING PHILOSOHY
Teaching Statements, Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching.
A useful website that provides guidelines and strategies to help you write your philosophy of teaching statement.
Montell, G. (2003). How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy.
A handy article from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Office of Faculty and TA Development, The Ohio State University. Writing a philosophy of teaching statement.
This site takes a comprehensive look at a philosophy of teaching, including definitions, the purpose of developing a philosophy statement, common major components, different ways of developing a statement, and benefits of having put one together. It also gives a number of sample statements. The authors try to provide multiple perspectives on the topic, as well.
Chism, Nancy Van Note (1998). Developing a philosophy of teaching statement.
Teaching Philosophy Paper
This article on developing a teaching philosophy statement is often cited on other sites. A concise guide to the task of writing your statement.
Center for Teaching Excellence in Learning & Teaching, Iowa State University. Writing a teaching philosophy statement.
SAMPLE PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING STATEMENTS
The websites that follow were found via an internet search and are designed for you to review and learn from. As you look at some of these statements, here are a few things to look for:
- Do you get a clear idea about this person as a teacher?
- Do you get a clear idea about what the teacher believes about learning? About teaching?
- Do aspects of teaching that are not included feel like they were omitted as a result of informed choices or as a result of a careless oversight that you feel should be rectified?
- Are there examples of how the teachers implement their philosophy?
PHILOSOPHY OF RESEARCH STATEMENTS
Teaching Philosophy Examples
For those of you needing to write a philosophy of research statement, here are some helpful resources: