Creating an
effective
teaching
philosophy
statement
January 19, 2013
Julie 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
 1-2
in first-person, narrative style
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 learning
a.
b.
Metaphor
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 teaching
a.
b.
c.
Facilitate?
Role?
Atmosphere?
“80% of success is showing up”.
~ Woody Allen
Components of a successful
teaching philosophy continued
3.
Goals for students
a.
b.
Course content and other skills
Beyond your classroom
A successful student should …
Components of a successful
teaching philosophy continued
4.
Implementation of the philosophy
a.
b.
Translation of concepts & goals
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 plan
a.
b.
How have you grown?
What are your goals?
“Teachers are born not made”.
What do you think?

Complete the following sentences:
The most important factor in the studentteacher 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
• language acquisition
• second language
learner
• communicative
competency
• content-based
learning
Your Discipline
• names of theories
• ????
Tips continued
2.
Know your audience
3.
Don’t say “I…, I…, I…, …”
4.
Ideas for future growth
a.
b.
c.
d.
Implement classroom technology
More hands-on learning
VARK
Continually improving lessons
Resources (see handout #2)





Step-by-step guide from University of Guelph
http://www.uoguelph.ca/tss/id/ta/tapdfs/A%20W
orkshop%20on%20Developing%20a%20Statement
%20of%20Teaching%20Philosophy.pdf
Sample philosophies from University of
Saskatchewan
http://www.usask.ca/gmcte/resources/portfolio/s
amples
Other various resources