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A Teaching Philosophy Statement is a purposeful and reflective essay about the author’s teaching beliefs and practices. It is an individual narrative that includes not only one’s beliefs about the teaching and learning process but also concrete examples of the ways in which he or she enacts these beliefs in the classroom. At its best, a Teaching Philosophy Statement gives a clear and unique portrait of the author as a teacher, avoiding generic or empty philosophical statements about teaching.
The Teaching Philosophy Statement can be used for personal, professional, or pedagogical purposes. While Teaching Philosophy Statements are becoming an increasingly important part of the hiring and tenure processes, they are also effective exercises in helping one clearly and coherently conceptualize his or her approaches to and experiences of teaching and learning. As Nancy Van Note Chism, Professor Emerita of Education at IUPUI observes, “The act of taking time to consider one’s goals, actions, and vision provides an opportunity for development that can be personally and professionally enriching. Reviewing and revising former statements of teaching philosophy can help teachers to reflect on their growth and renew their dedication to the goals and values that they hold.”
A Teaching Philosophy Statement can address any or all of the following:
*These questions and exercises are meant to be tools to help you begin reflecting on your beliefs and ideas as a teacher. No single Teaching Statement can contain the answers to all or most of these inquiries and activities.
*These questions and exercises are meant to be tools to help you begin reflecting on your beliefs and ideas as a teacher. No single Teaching Statement can contain the answers to all or most of these inquiries and activities.
Writing A Statement Of Teaching Philosophy For The Academic Job Search [PDF] from The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching at the University of Michigan.
This report includes a useful rubric for evaluating teaching philosophy statements. The design of the rubric was informed by experience with hundreds of teaching philosophies, as well as surveys of search committees on what they considered successful and unsuccessful components of job applicants’ teaching philosophies.
Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement - Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Iowa State University
This document looks at four major components of a teaching statement, which have been divided into questions—specifically, to what end? By what means? To what degree? And why? Each question is sufficiently elaborated, offering a sort of scaffolding for preparing one’s own teaching statement.
Writing a Meaningful Statement of Teaching Philosophy - McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning at Princeton University
This website offers strategies for preparing and formatting your teaching statement
Statement of Teaching Philosophy presentation - Purdue Online Writing Lab
A detailed breakdown of how to explain what a teacher believes, what a teacher does, as well as why their actions reflect what they believe. Includes examples of Dos and Don’ts and tips for making your teaching statement stand out.
This guide is adapted from "Teaching Statements" by Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching and has been made available under a CC BY-NC license.