What is a Philosophy of Teaching Statement?
A Philosophy of Teaching Statement is a
brief reflective essay concerning one's
understanding about what is important to
teach and why, the role you play in the
learning process, how students learn, and
how your teaching will best assist that
learning. It may also include your teaching
goals. More specifically, it could include
any of the following:
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A description of what is the most
important aspect(s) of teaching
physical education
A description of why you want to teach
physical education
A general description of how you
believe learning best occurs in
physical education.
Goals for students including such goals
as learning to appreciate or enjoy
physical activity, developing critical
thinking, improving problem-solving
abilities, improving writing within the
discipline, working effectively in
groups, acquiring skills to be a highly
skilled athlete, and developing
interests for life-long learning.
A statement concerning “what is
physical education for?” and “what is
my role in helping children and youth
to be physically educated?”
Philosophy as Values and Goals
Teaching is a value-laden activity. What one
teaches--and who one teaches, and perhaps
even how--is a personal expression of
professional goals and values. Why do you
want to teach? The question often evokes
basic moral values. The professional teacher
reflects on these values, articulates them,
makes them explicit and public, possibly
justifies them, and uses them as a guide to
clarify and develop practice. "Teaching
philosophy," as a phrase used by different
authors, has a wide variety of meanings. The
concept of "teaching philosophy" profiled
here, by contrast, is an expression of
individual values. It is like a personal
mission statement. In an academic community,
a teacher has the freedom to teach (how) as
he or she deems appropriate (academic
freedom). Hence, values about teaching may
vary widely. Some teachers may value content
knowledge as an end, while others may value
process or critical thinking skills. Some
may value group skills and cooperation,
others individual skills and independence.
Relation of Teaching Philosophy to Practice
A teaching philosophy, unchecked, might
potentially drift into utopian visions. Or
the statement of philosophy, well
articulated and noble enough, may be quite
disconnected from the teacher's daily
practice. Ultimately, as professional
reflection deepens and experience
accumulates, the link between teaching
philosophy and teaching should become
clearer and the goals should become more
fully realized and observed in practice.
What is the purpose of a Philosophy of
Teaching Statement?
There can be many purposes for writing a
teaching philosophy. You can think of it as
a way of introducing yourself to an employer
or the SJSU credential program. You can
think of it as an exercise in concisely
gathering together your beliefs about
teaching and learning so that you can easily
articulate them to your friends, family,
yourself, your peers, and eventually to
faculty and school districts. Additionally,
the Statement can be a means to professional
growth in that it requires you to reflect
upon how you think about teaching and if it
is congruent with your beliefs (and
behavior..the way you act). You may realize
that to fully enact your beliefs about
teaching and learning, there is a lot of
room for growth.
Philosophy of Teaching Statements Philosophy of teaching statements are
concise statements of what you believe about
the teaching and learning of physical
education, 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, and why. Often,
people do not include every single aspect of
their philosophy of teaching in such
statements but instead focus on its core
elements, the ones that are most important
to or indicative of them as a teacher, so, a
philosophy should be detectable in your
teaching. What is important to you should be
lived in your gymnasium. What is essential
to you, what do you stand for?
Things to think about and questions that may
“get at” your teaching philosophy” (you do
not have to write on each bullet…but use
these to help you think of your philosophy).
 What is most critical for student to
learn from you?
 If you were one of your students, what
would you say about your teaching?
 If you were another teacher watching you
teach, what would they say about what
is important to you in your teaching?
 What is the most important content that
you believe is the most important to
teach in physical education?
 What kind of relationship do you want to
establish with your classes? What will
the ecology of your gymnasium be like?
 How will you motivate your students?
 As you prepare yourself for a profession
in teaching, what do you think makes an
excellent teacher?
 What do you think is the most important
issue in physical education today?
 How do you see your role as a teacher in
a school today?
 How does teaching relate to learning?