Shelley L. Smith PhD
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Writing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement
What is a philosophy of teaching statement?
A philosophy of teaching statement is a narrative that includes
o Your conception of teaching and learning
o A description of how you teach
o Justification for why you teach that way
The statement can
o Demonstrate that you have been reflective and purposeful about your teaching
o Communicate your goals as an instructor and your corresponding actions in the classroom
o Provide an opportunity to point to and tie together the other sections of your portfolio
What is the purpose of developing a philosophy of teaching?
Faculty and graduate teaching assistants are increasingly being asked to articulate their philosophy of
teaching. This request may be in conjunction with the submission of a teaching portfolio for seeking
academic positions, or as a regular component of the portfolio or dossier for promotion and tenure.
Philosophy of teaching statements are also requested of candidates for teaching awards or grant
applications.
Why do teachers need to articulate their philosophy of teaching? What purposes does a philosophy of
teaching serve? It has been recognized by many teachers that the process of identifying a personal
philosophy of teaching and continuously examining, testifying, and verifying this philosophy through
teaching can lead to change of teaching behaviors and ultimately foster professional and personal growth.
In his book, The Skillful Teacher (1990), Stephen Brookfield points out that the development of a
teaching philosophy can be used for several purposes:
Personal purpose: “... a distinctive organizing vision–a clear picture of why you are doing what you are
doing that you can call up at points of crisis– is crucial to your personal sanity and morale.” (p. 16)
Pedagogical purpose: “Teaching is about making some kind of dent in the world so that the world is different
than it was before you practiced your craft. Knowing clearly what kind of dent you want to make in the
world means that you must continually ask yourself the most fundamental evaluative questions of all–What
effect am I having on students and on their learning?” (pp. 18-19)
Gail Goodyear and Douglas Allchin, in their study of the functions of a statement of teaching philosophy
(Goodyear and Allchin, 1998), identify another purpose:
“In preparing a statement of teaching philosophy, professors assess and examine themselves to
articulate the goals they wish to achieve in teaching.... A clear vision of a teaching philosophy
provides stability, continuity, and long-term guidance.... A well-defined philosophy can help them
remain focused on their teaching goals and to appreciate the personal and professional rewards of
teaching.” (pp. 106-7)
Sample Statements
#1: Biology (Anonymous)
Teaching allows me to fulfill what I believe to be a fundamental responsibility of biologists: to
communicate information to the public so they can make informed decisions regarding the environment.
There are basic biological principles that should be understood by college-educated citizens. Among these
are the process of evolution and a basic understanding of genetics, the interdependence of biological
systems, levels of organization in biology, basic human anatomy and physiology, and the basics of
scientific decision-making. I also want students to appreciate and value biological diversity and to leave
my class with an increased sense of stewardship for the earth. I have several objectives as an educator in
addition to teaching these basic principles.
Objective 1: Students should understand the relevance of biology to their lives. I emphasize relevance by
discussing current events pertinent to biology, by asking students to share their knowledge of the subject,
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and by discussing how I have found the knowledge useful. For example, I share my brother's struggle
with Hodgkin's disease when teaching students about the lymph system. As a professor, I want students to
have input into the course content so that the issues we address are relevant to them. Independent research
projects are one means to accomplish this goal because they allow students to choose the subject matter in
which they are most interested.
Objective 2: Students should know where to find information, how to evaluate that information, and how
to make an informed decision based on their understanding of the issues. To encourage excellent library
skills, I developed an annotated bibliography exercise for an animal behavior class. This exercise gives
students the opportunity to investigate a topic in which they are interested, teaches them how to locate and
read primary journal articles, and challenges them to synthesize and evaluate the information they find. I
also developed a laboratory exercise on human population growth for an ecology class that requires
students to critically evaluate predictions of population growth models and to discuss the implications of
their findings.
Objective 3: Students should understand that biological issues are interconnected with economics,
politics, history, and culture and should be addressed in context. One tool I use to reinforce this is roleplaying. I helped develop an ecology lab in which students watch a video of the Yellowstone fires, then
are assigned roles and are asked to reach a consensus on fire policy in the National Parks. Roles include
tourists, local business people, ranchers, congressional representatives, biologists, park service
employees, and others. This activity demonstrates the complexity of the issue, shows the value of
multiple points of view, and teaches skills of debate and persuasion. Teaching biology as part of a liberal
arts curriculum is an ideal setting in which to stress the interrelationships between disciplines.
Objective 4: Students should be actively engaged in the learning process. I have taken coursework in
cooperative and active learning techniques and I incorporate these techniques into my teaching. For
example, I have created a model of mitosis by having general biology students act as chromosomes and
walk through the processes of DNA replication and cell division. I find students learn and retain the
material more effectively with these activities. Comments from student evaluations support this view:
I enjoyed the labs where the class participated in setting up the example, i.e. chromosome division.
These models tend to really stick with me. The visual teaching, such as meiosis, mitosis, etc. were
extremely helpful. It was made much more clear than in the lab manual.
I have also taken the initiative to get students into the field in classes that do not include laboratory
exercises; for example, by volunteering to meet with animal behavior students on weekends to observe
animals and conduct short experiments. In part, my commitment to active learning comes from my
experiences as an undergraduate at Earlham College. Biology professors taught investigatory rather than
"cook-book" laboratory exercises and encouraged us to design our own research projects. The research
skills I developed in those labs have been invaluable in my graduate studies and I will continue to
emphasize them to my students.
Objective 5: Racial diversity and gender balance should be encouraged in all areas of science. Greater
diversity will bring fresh insight into our investigation of scientific problems and will demonstrate that
science is inclusive rather than exclusive. For my master's research in environmental education, I asked a
racially and professionally diverse panel of environmental educators to re-evaluate an influential model of
environmental education. The changes suggested by the panel, such as incorporating multicultural
perspectives into environmental education, are applicable to encouraging greater diversity in biology
education as well. As an outgrowth of this project, I am co-editing a monograph on multicultural
environmental education for the North American Association for Environmental Education. I have also
been active in the University of Minnesota's summer program to encourage minority undergraduates to
conduct research in biology. This program allows students to conduct their own research on critical
questions such as whether certain drugs are effective in controlling corneal transplant rejection and on the
mechanism of tumor development in ovarian cancer.
Objective 6: We should reach out to elementary and secondary school students to encourage interest in
science and math early in the students' development. This is especially important for women and
minorities who are traditionally underrepresented in these fields. Toward this end, I have visited local
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schools to talk about my research and led programs on bats and ecology for school groups at Hancock
Field Station in Oregon. My goals is to introduce students to basic biological principles by arousing their
curiosity about the natural world. Discussing cooperative food sharing in vampire bats seems to be
especially effective in achieving this goal! I also want students to see that the stereotypical "scientist" in a
lab coat carrying beakers of boiling solutions does not accurately reflect the diverse nature of the field.
My commitment to education can be seen in the work I have done to provide opportunities for graduate
students and other educators to improve their teaching skills. Currently, I am an education specialist for
the Teaching Opportunity Program for Doctoral Students, a program designed to give doctoral students
throughout the University of Minnesota training and experience in teaching so that they will be more
effective faculty members. I developed and coordinated College Biology Teaching, a University course
that brings together graduate students, university faculty, high school teachers, and community college
instructors to improve the quality of biology teaching. The integrated nature of the course allows new
teachers to learn from those with more teaching experience while introducing everyone to innovative
approaches to biology education. In addition, the course allows participants to learn about biology
education and biological research at other institutions. I also lead workshops sponsored by the Teaching
Assistant Development Program on laboratory teaching skills for graduate students. All of these activities
help develop my own teaching skills and enable me to improve the quality of biology education for
others. I am excited about being part of a faculty that supports and encourages innovative teaching and I
look forward to the opportunity to share teaching strategies.
#3 Earth Sciences (Elizabeth C.)
An earth sciences course should transform a student’s perspective on their planet. I like to create a feeling
of wonder at the processes that created the mountains, atmosphere, oceans, and people from stardust. I
want students to see their place in the vast scale of geological time and reveal the Earth and sister planets
as a natural laboratory, in which ancient and modern processes can be studied. Curiosity and wonder drive
scientific discovery. Tapping into those drives forms the basis for my teaching objectives:
o
o
To help students develop a “scientist’s mind.” Students should appreciate the evolution of
scientific thought and actively participate in that evolution.
To provide effective mentoring and in doing so, help prepare the next generation of scientists.
Taking a science course has inherent value for an undergraduate, both for majors and non-majors.
Students become “science literate,” learn problem-solving techniques, develop analytical and quantitative
skills, participate in the scientific process, and learn to construct and lucidly present an argument. These
skills are valuable in industry, consulting and management, and the public policy arena. Their
development should be the focus of course work in both introductory and upper level classes.
Development of the “scientist’s mind” The guiding principle for all aspects of my instruction is the
notion that doing science is more important than “content driven” instruction. Ideally I would structure
any course, whether it be an introductory course or a senior thesis, around solving specific scientific
problems through active student inquiry and direct participation in the scientific process of problem
identification, hypothesis formulation, experimentation or observation (data collection), result analysis
and synthesis, hypothesis revision and communication of results. Course content is then inquiry driven –
students learn the content because they need to know it to solve problems. A certain amount of
background must be communicated in lecture, but lecture too can be conducted using an inquiry-based
framework.
Mentoring
It is of the utmost importance that students receive adequate mentoring in the undergraduate
years. Students who show aptitude for or interest in scientific research must be given the support and
resources necessary to pursue those interests. An imperative part of teaching any science course is making
those students aware of undergraduate research opportunities and field trips. Instructors must help
students find resources, both personal and financial, that allow students to explore their own scientific
interests whenever possible and council them on their options.
For me, this is the most rewarding aspect of teaching. I enjoy mentoring research projects. When original
research unfolds before the eyes of an undergraduate, they soar. They participate in scientific pursuit and
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contribute to humankind’s understanding of the universe. Students feel that excitement and curiosity and
may find themselves driven to passionate and consuming pursuit of a project. Now they master the
equations because they are using them; now they delve deeper into the topic because they have a need to
know. This is science education.
#4 Mathematics (Andrew K.)
Teaching in General
During my over twenty years of math teaching career, I taught a lot of different courses to students with a
broad range of needs, knowledge, and cultural backgrounds. I taught freshmen classes and high-level
Ph.D. classes. I even taught a course for university professors, on using computer technology in
mathematical education at the Moscow State University in the eighties, where everybody in my class was
at least twice of my age at that time. Several important general principles that I try to use in my teaching
practice can be formulated as follows:
o No matter how experienced a teacher is, every new class and every new student pose a challenge.
For excellence in teaching, there is always room for improvement.
o A teacher has to appeal to different learning styles, to offer a variety of instructional experiences,
and to keep an open mind to new teaching techniques to give every student the opportunity to
participate fully and actively in the learning process.
o Being a successful teacher depends on creating a learning environment with the open exploration
of ideas, a relationship in which students feel respected as well as challenged. Students should be
encouraged to stretch themselves a bit beyond their level of comfort and be given an opportunity
to leave every class feeling that they have overcome a new challenge successfully.
o Teaching should be an integral component of the creation of new knowledge, an initial step
toward continuing education, and first of all, self-education.
o Though student satisfaction is important for better learning, teaching -- especially in mathematics
-- should not become a popularity contest, or a show. A teacher is responsible to the society in
general, and should resist the pressure of lowering academic standards in education.
Teaching of Mathematics
"The easiest of sciences, a fact which is obvious in that no one's brain rejects it; for laymen and people
who are utterly illiterate know how to count and reckon." Roger Bacon, 1214-1294. "The subject in
which we never know what we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true." Bertrand
Russell, 1872-1970.
As a teacher of mathematics, I like to take advantage of the fact that mathematics is a very special subject:
o
o
o
o
Mathematics is an excellent intellectual game where all the players win.
Mathematics is also a model that can be used for developing independent and critical thinking.
Mathematics can be seen as a language that allows us to communicate ideas precisely between
ourselves.
Finally, mathematics is a tool used in natural sciences and, thus, a required discipline for many
students.
Only the latter is usually known for most of the students who often see mathematics just as a boring
collection of definitions, theorems, and proofs that they have to memorize. It is, unfortunately, very hard
to try to show the real beauty of mathematics in the framework of most existing courses as they are
designed to feed students with often more facts than anyone could swallow. Just covering the required
material usually takes a bit more time than is available. Another problem is that mathematics as a
language can be quite technical, and to formulate something meaningful, one has to spend years learning
rules of the mathematical grammar first. When playing a piano, one needs to practice scales for years
before playing music, and the piano course is not required for every student!
I consider mathematics to be a challenging subject to teach right, which makes it especially attractive for
me. I try to use every possibility to expose students to the exciting world of mathematics, often implicitly,
so they may not even notice it at first. My main goal is to help students to become independent
mathematical thinkers, capable of approaching, framing, and solving problems on their own. I attempt
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making my classroom to be an engaging place, where there is more discussion than lecture, and where
students always feel free to contribute and ask questions. I think that students’ participation is crucial for
learning mathematics. In high-level graduate courses, I sometimes even ask students to prepare and give
lectures instead of me. From time to time, I try to be mathematically provocative, and do not miss an
opportunity, if class time allows, to try to prove that 2+2=5 and to let students find a mistake in my
arguments, if there is one.
Teaching Style and Methods
I prepare my classes thoroughly, but I like to improvise whenever possible. I want to be interrupted
during my lectures; and I give extra points for good questions and comments from students. I open each
session with a brief reminder of the previous session's material and an outline of the day's topic, and I
typically conclude with a summary of key points. There is a special session for review before every major
test. I usually speak clearly, loudly, and slowly, but enthusiastically. Students are encouraged to learn
from each other as their grades are not curved, thus, students are not competing with their classmates. In
some classes, I give group projects and homework. When possible, I distribute solutions to homework
problems, quizzes, and tests. To reduce students' anxiety about tests, I make old exams available on the
Web, and often give practice tests. I usually give a test on prerequisites during the first week of the
course. I do not consider memorization to be the most important in math courses; all my tests are open
book/notes. Assignments and projects are naturally integrated into my courses. I spend time explaining
the assignments and solving similar problems in class for further discussion.
Grading Policy
I generally follow the common practice of the department and traditions on specific courses. Grades are
mostly based on evaluation of content learning. At the same time, I also implemented several ideas in my
classes that seem to be not very typical:
o
o
Grades are never curved, thus, there is no limit of high/low grades.
I use multiple-choice tests and avoid giving partial credits in low-level undergraduate courses.
By enforcing these rules, I try to take my share of responsibility in the fight against the grade inflation,
which became an evident problem in recent years.
My policy on retaking tests is unique in the department. Every student has a opportunity to retake every
test; however, the grade can go down in the process if the student is not well prepared. I keep students
fully informed of their progress during the semester, always announce final grades before the end of the
semester, and give every student a last chance to improve the final grade during the week of finals.
Teaching and Technology
Technology is an essential and integrated part of my teaching. It is crucial for students to feel comfortable
with the technologies that are becoming available; they need to know how to use a new technology
effectively, what its limits are, and what to do when the technology fails. I am quite interested and
familiar with recent innovations. Computer simulations and numerical experiments are traditional parts of
many courses I teach.
All my course materials are available on the Internet since 1994, including syllabi, homework
assignments, and tests. I created interactive Web page for several courses, where students can
(anonymously) ask questions and make their comments long before such tools as Blackboard were
available. In several recent classes, it was required that all students prepare their projects reports
electronically and submit them through the Internet. I encourage students to help me in developing
Internet pages for my classes; and there are several successful examples of such collaboration on my
teaching Web pages.
At the same time, I strongly oppose the abuse of technology. There are courses in mathematics, where
students need to learn how to use their brain rather then calculators/computers.
Teaching and Research
I incorporate research activities into my regular teaching whenever possible. In all my high-level graduate
classes student research projects are required. In several cases, project results obtained by students in my
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classes were significant enough to be included in my journal articles. Scientific programs written by
students as their class assignments were made publicly available on the Internet. Entomology (John W.)
Teaching biology can be a very easy thing to do. All of us experience the science of life every day. An
appealing way to attract students to complex topics is by reference to current events and popular news
articles. Headlines regarding a new vaccine, the search for life on Mars, or a new dinosaur fossil can all
make various biological issues become part of the vibrant events of a student's own daily life rather than
the dry material of assigned reading. Seemingly abstract principles become more real by recounting
pertinent personal experiences. A bad cold is as much a memorable demonstration of principles of
epidemiology and viral evolution as it is a reason to skip lecture. Incorporating stage props makes classes
more interactive. Who is not curious about a skull brandished from the podium, or a fossil passed through
the audience? The major difficulty in teaching biology comes from the necessity of striking a balance
between the connections to popular culture and the great volume of technical knowledge required to
succeed in the science itself.
Of course, it is too much to expect that all, or even a majority of students will absorb the most difficult
material adequately through reading and lecture alone. This is what office hours are for. Encouraging
voluntary attendance at office hours, and making special arrangements for those whose responsibilities
conflict with scheduled office hours, is the best way to ensure that students who feel somehow unprepared
get the direction they need to proceed confidently. A teacher should be frank about what is required, and
what is not likely to be examined later, because it shows fair-mindedness. Students should be encouraged
to discuss poor exam grades in office hours because even though there is only one way to get a very good
grade, there are many ways to perform poorly, and everyone deserves a chance to show that he can do
better. Make-ups need not be another formal exam. Often an informal conversation can show that a
student knows more than he demonstrated at a certain hour on a certain day. This is a good time to learn
student’s names and to show sincere interest in each individual. It is particularly important in large classes
that students feel the instructor cares about them. It is human nature to try to please those we admire, and
students who feel that a teacher is fair, approachable, and sincere will usually make a more determined
effort to excel in their assignments. Casual visits to the laboratory periods are another good opportunity
for contact outside formal lecture, time to show students that professors too are students of biology.
In any science, certain facts must be learned, but it is not knowledge of the facts alone that make a
scientific mind. Like an Olympic diving competition, study should include an opportunity for students to
perform certain compulsory skills and also to demonstrate their own creativity. My examinations cover
the material everyone is expected to know (as a diver knows the jackknife, the back flip), and my openbook, take-home problems allow students to dream and stretch (a one-and-a-half reverse with a full twist).
Unlike the formal exams, problem sets have no "correct" answers, rather it is the demonstration of
thinking itself that is rewarded. This approach allows controversial topics to be examined without a test of
faith. In my Evolution class, no one is required to believe in evolution. Questions are posed in a nonconfrontational way ("Explain how, according to Dr. Wenzel, birds evolved from dinosaurs..."). A student
who uses the problem set to argue the opposite of what I think will be awarded full points if the argument
is well-constructed and shows a knowledge of the basic issues. Because so much of science is based upon
skeptical inquiry, it would be unscientific to examine students without allowing them to be skeptical of
prevailing theory itself.
One of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is the opportunity to learn from the students. It is most
unfortunate if an instructor overlooks the fact that among the hundreds of faces he sees every day is a
world of knowledge and experience totaling far more than his own. My students are not only more varied,
but also more recently trained than I am, and I learn from them through their questions, observations, and
challenges, just as they learn from me through my lectures and assignments. In the best of all possible
Universities, the faculty should grow as fast as the students do. I hope that by my contact with sharp,
young minds, my own mind and those I teach will be kept forever young.
The student body at a big state school is different from that at a small, private college. With the challenge
of teaching many students of varied backgrounds and abilities comes one of the most gratifying
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opportunities. More than anything else, I enjoy seeing the non-traditional students (say, the 28 year old
construction worker, the single mother, the new immigrant) strive to better their lives, and achieve their
goal of using education to open new doors for their future. When one of my former students tells me
about his or her recent success in getting a new job or admission to professional school, I feel fulfilled,
and especially so if I know that this student realized dreams that might have been beyond reach if not for
the mission of institutions like OSU.
Drafting a Teaching Philosophy Statement
General formatting suggestions
There is no required content or set format. There is no right or wrong way to write a philosophy
statement, which is why it is so challenging for most people to write one. You may decide to write in
prose, use famous quotes, create visuals, use a question/answer format, etc.
It is generally 1-2 pages in length. For some purposes, an extended description is appropriate, but length
should suit the context.
Use present tense, in most cases. Writing in first-person is most common and is the easiest for your
audience to read.
Most statements avoid technical terms and favor language and concepts that can be broadly
appreciated. A general rule is that the statement should be written with the audience in mind. It may be
helpful to have someone from your field read your statement and give you some guidance on any
discipline-specific jargon and issues to include or exclude.
Include teaching strategies and methods to help people “see” you in the classroom. It is not possible
in many cases for your reader to come to your class to actually watch you teach. By including very
specific examples of teaching strategies, assignments, discussions, etc, you are able to let your reader take
a mental “peek” into your classroom. Help them to visualize what you do in the classroom and the
exchange between you and your students. For example, can your readers picture in their minds the
learning environment you create for your students?
Make it memorable and unique. If you are submitting this document as part of a job application,
remember that your readers on the search committee are seeing many of these documents. What is going
to set you apart? What about you are they going to remember? What brings a teaching philosophy to life
is the extent to which it creates a vivid portrait of a person who is intentional about teaching practices and
committed to his/her career.
“Own” your philosophy. The use of declarative statements (such as “students don’t learn through
lecture” or “the only way to teach is to use class discussion") could be potentially detrimental if you are
submitting this document to a search committee. You do not want to appear as if you have all of the
answers and you don’t want to offend your readers. By writing about your experiences and your beliefs,
you “own” those statements and appear more open to new and different ideas about teaching. Even in
your own experience, you make choices as to the best teaching methods for different courses and content:
sometimes lecture is most appropriate; other times you may use service-learning, for example.
A teaching philosophy statement is not only a self-reflective statement of your beliefs about teaching; it is
also a statement about how you put your beliefs into practice by discussing concrete examples of what you
will do (or anticipate doing) in the classroom.
When developing your Teaching philosophy, consider the following questions:
 What do you think "good teaching" is?
 What resonates with your experience as a student?
 If you have taught, what resonates with your experience as a teacher?
 How does what you believe about good teaching enhance, resonate with or flow from the basic
content, theory and skills that are required in your discipline?
 What does good teaching look like in practice, i.e., w
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This may be the most difficult statement you will ever write. Begin by jotting down ideas about who you
are as a teacher. Consider overall beliefs you have about teaching and learning. Connect these beliefs with
concrete actions you have taken or expect to take in developing, teaching and assessing a classroom
course. Collect examples of your actions along with your sense of student response. Organize your
thinking into an outline of ideas and examples. Consider the audience for whom you will write the
statement. Write an initial draft. Show it to a colleague for feedback. Put the draft away for a few days
and begin the whole process again. It may take days, weeks, or years to be fully satisfied with your
statement. And then something about you as a teacher will change requiring that you begin yet again.
Questions to get you started:
To start consider answering the following questions:
 What do you fundamentally believe about how people learn?
 What do you think "good teaching", i.e., teaching that promotes learning is?
 What resonates with your experience as a student?
 If you have taught, what resonates with your experience as a teacher?
 How does this connect to your basic beliefs about learning?
 How does what you believe about good teaching enhance, resonate with, or flow from the basic
content, theory and skills required for learning in your discipline?
 What does good teaching look like in practice, i.e., what do you do in and out of the classroom to
make it happen?
 How would your students describe your teaching?
 How do you assess student learning?
 How do you assess your teaching effectiveness?
 How have you modified your teaching in response to student feedback?
 How do you put your philosophy of teaching into practice?
 What metaphor would best describe your teaching?
EXERCISE: Drafting a Teaching Philosophy
The following diagram represents the connections you should think about making and the order you in
which they could be addressed.
1. Personal Beliefs about Teaching and Learning
Teaching
Philosophy
2. Teaching and Learning
in Your Discipline
3. How You Put Your
Philosophy into Practice
Spend some time brainstorming elements for the top of your triangle:
1. What do you think constitutes good teaching?
2. What knowledge, skills and learning tasks are central to your discipline?
3. What teaching practices would help students to achieve these learning goals?
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