DEVELOPING A REFLECTIVE TEACHING PRACTICE AND PHILOSOPHY

Goal: To engage questions as a centerpiece in developing a teaching philosophy. What is a reflective teaching
practice? How can continued reflection on your teaching practice improve the learning environment in your
classroom/lab/studio/presentation? What are the greater aims of your teaching? How can you bring these aims into
the classroom? What methods do you use to implement your goals?

College and university faculty members from a variety of academic disciplines discuss their thoughts on teaching and
their own experiences as learners and teachers to advance their practice. Thinking and questioning your practice as
a teacher will create a setting for growth. Do your goals achieve outcomes? Do your students learn effectively? In
what ways can you challenge yourself as a teacher?

In a broad sense, what does effective teaching involve? How do you implement effective methods in a classroom?
Communicating well, planning goals and objectives, teaching to a diverse body of learners, and assessing outcomes
are all essential components of effective teaching.

Learning Outcome: A beginning teaching philosophy that will inform your course descriptions, syllabus and class
project. Bring a hard copy of your philosophy to the next class.

Methods and Assignment:

1. Review aspects of a reflective teaching approach discussed by any of your own past faculty which parallel
your own philosophy or situation as a teacher. In what ways does this relate to your own classroom
experiences?

2. List examples where an instructor has elicited feedback in the classroom to gauge students’ understanding
or lack of within a lecture or studio. How did the instructor then change his/her methods? Did this further
the class’s understanding of the material? If so how? In not what would have been more effective?

3. Review philosophies by faculty/graduates on risdcollegiateteaching..com tabs’ Seminars and Advice.

4. Prepare a draft or an outline of your own teaching philosophy.

5. Review:

6.
http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/philosophy/index.html

http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/philosophy.html

Teaching Philosophy Statement dos and don’ts:

(From Cornell University Center for Integrative Research, Teaching and Learning)
• Don’t give idyllic BUT empty concepts
• Don’t repeat your CV
• Do research on the teaching institution and disciplinary trends
• Do keep it short (1–2 pages)
• Do provide concrete examples and evidence of usefulness of teaching concepts
• Do discuss impact of methods, lessons learned, challenges and innovations—how did
students learn?
• Do discuss connections between teaching, research, and service

Answer these questions to get started:

1
 • The purpose of education is to________.
• Why do you want to teach your subject?
• Students learn best by______________.
• When you are teaching your subject, what are your goals?
• The most effective methods for teaching are___________.
• I know this because__________________.
• he most important aspects of my teaching are______________.

Basic Competency of Assignment

Philosophy declares your point of view and your experiences in effective learning.
You give evidence of your philosophy in examples in the classroom.
You are able to declare several components of your philosophy and transition between these.
You are able to build on your principles and go into more detail as you move through the document.

Advanced Competency of Assignment

The document includes analytical, empirical, and evidentiary elements.

Classroom implementation and examples are specific with the multi-layered components highlighted.
Subdivisions or subsets of thoughts are categorized or clustered and are not scattered throughout the statement.
Larger ideas are supported by individual experience or knowledge.
One’s own expertise and knowledge base are valued and incorporated into the teaching methodologies.

2
Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement
Beth Fisher, Associate Director of The Teaching Center, is available to
read and comment on drafts of Teaching Philosophy Statements written by
graduate students at Washington University. You should also ask faculty
advisors, mentors, and peers to read your statement and provide feedback
to help you improve its effectiveness and clarity.

What is a Teaching Philosophy Statement?

The Statement is a one- to two-page document that provides a clear,
concise account of your teaching approach, methods, and expertise. Each
statement should be unique. Nonetheless, the following guidelines should
be helpful to you as you prepare your statement. A Teaching Philosophy
Statement should answer four fundamental questions: 1) Why do you
teach? 2) What do you teach? 3) How do you teach? 4) How do you
measure your effectiveness? 1. Why do you teach? Why are you
drawn to the rewards and challenges of teaching? What is it that you can
accomplish in teaching that you find particularly valuable and worthwhile?
When you teach, for example, you can mentor students and contribute to
their intellectual growth, gain new perspectives on topics that occupy your
research, and reexamine the key ideas and assumptions that shape the
production of knowledge in your field.

2. What do you teach? What are the specific subjects and courses you
are prepared to teach? What are your objectives for student learning? Why
are these objectives important? Do your objectives differ depending on the
type of course or the background of students you are teaching? If so, how?
What should students gain from taking your courses? Examples include an
understanding of foundational concepts in the field, sophistication as
critical thinkers, or the ability to write concise and well-supported
arguments.

3. How do you teach? What teaching methods and strategies do you use
to meet your objectives? Do you prefer lecturing, leading discussions, or
group work? Do you use a combination of these methods? Why and in
what circumstances? What kinds of assignments and assessments do you
use? Why? How do you take into account students' varied learning
preferences? How do you approach teaching students of varying aptitudes
and levels of interest in the topic? How do you approach teaching non-
traditional students? Do you use instructional technology? If so, why and
how?

4. How do you measure your effectiveness? How do you know whether

you are meeting your objectives? How can you tell if your students are
learning? How do you use student evaluations to develop new strategies
for engaging student participation or to meet other objectives? Has your
teaching been observed by a faculty member or other evaluator? If so, how
did you use the feedback provided to improve your teaching skills? Have
you had a class or teaching presentation videotaped? If so, what did you
learn from this experience?

The Teaching Philosophy Statement should include concrete examples of

specific course topics, assignments, assessments, and strategies drawn
from courses that you have taught or are or prepared to teach, or from past
mentoring and advising experiences. These examples should 1)
demonstrate the range of your teaching expertise and 2) illustrate your
objectives, methods, and approaches. Compiling a Teaching Portfolio will
allow you to flesh out these examples by collecting “supporting
documents,” such as syllabi, actual assignments, exams, evaluations, and
graded student papers. See Creating a Teaching Portfolio.

Consider your Audience

When you write your teaching philosophy statement, try to anticipate
questions that a search committee would want your statement to answer.
Ask your faculty mentors and graduate students who have interviewed for
academic positions what they think search committees are looking for;
these individuals are your best sources for learning about the expectations
and issues that are particular to your field. Consult the Web site of the
school to which you are applying to get a sense of the school’s mission
and students, and the relative importance of teaching and research within
the institution and the department.

Here is a list of potential questions that may be motivating search

committees when they ask you to submit a statement of teaching
philosophy:

Will this candidate be able to handle the teaching responsibilities of the

job? Does her approach to teaching suggest that she would be a good
“fit” for our department and our students? Does this candidate want to
teach? If so, why? If I were to step into a classroom and observe this
candidate teaching, what would I see?
How do this candidate’s research interests shape her teaching?
What will this candidate add to our department? What will our students
gain from his classes? What will our department gain in terms of specific
courses, new opportunities for students to develop their skills and
knowledge, and interesting pedagogical approaches? How does this
candidate respond to the perennial challenges of teaching, such as
motivating students to learn, evaluating student work, maintaining high
standards in the classroom, and juggling teaching with other
responsibilities we expect faculty to fulfill?

The Teaching Philosophy Statement is NOT a summary of the experiences

on your CV, nor is it an article on pedagogy. It is a concise, specific
discussion of the objectives and approaches you currently use, have used
in the past, and plan to use in the future. Keep in mind that search
committees are looking for colleagues. Reviewing in detail your past
experience as a Teaching Assistant, without discussing specific methods
or approaches you have developed and used in the classroom, may create
an image of you as a student instead of a colleague.

Formatting Conventions Limit the length of the final draft to between one
and two pages. Again, consider your audience. Steering committees are
buried in paper. The more concise your statement can be, the more likely
that the members of the committee will read it. A statement submitted for a
position at a liberal arts college might be longer and more detailed than a
statement that you submit for a position at a research university.

Use the first person and, wherever possible, the present tense. The
exceptions to the latter are the instances in which you are describing what
you have done in courses taught in the past and what you will do in
courses planned for the future. Avoid technical jargon. Your statement
may be read by evaluators representing different disciplines and
specializations. One of the hallmarks of effective teaching is the ability to
explain concepts to audiences who are not experts in the field.

Strategies for Getting Started

Writing an effective Teaching Philosophy Statement can be a daunting
task. Think of the process as a writing project and give yourself some time
to explore ideas and try out different ways of expressing those ideas
before you write the first draft of the statement. Here are some strategies
for more informal, preliminary writing exercises on the topic of teaching: 1.
Write a letter addressed to someone outside of academia on the joys and
challenges of teaching.

2. Make a list of the qualities of an effective teacher.

3. “Free-write” on a memorable experience in the classroom that you

experienced or observed. Consider what went well, what you might do
differently, and why.

4. Develop your “dream course.”

 What would be your topic?
What would you want to achieve in terms of helping students learn?
How would you try to achieve those objectives?
How would your research interests inform your approach?
5. Imagine yourself in your first academic position.

How will you teach an introductory, undergraduate course in your field?

How will you organize a graduate-level seminar?
How will your research inform your approach in each case?
6. Begin with concrete details.

What sets you apart as a teacher?

How would an observer describe your teaching?
What are the specific skills and knowledge that students should gain in
the classroom?
What should happen in the classroom? Why?
What are the teaching methods that you consider most effective? Why?

Links and Resources

Sample Statements You can find Teaching Philosophy Statements on
various Web sites, including the University of Georgia site listed below.
CAVEAT: These examples are not presented here as ideal models in
terms of either content or writing style. Not surprisingly, some are more
effective than others. However, reviewing these Statements will give you a
good idea of the various ways in which others have approached this writing
project. You should strive to create a Teaching Philosophy Statement that
is unique and truly reflective of your own approach to teaching.

“TA Mentors’ Teaching Philosophy Statements.” The Center for Teaching

and Learning. The University of Georgia.
http://www.ctl.uga.edu/teach_asst/ta_mentors/philosophy/index.html
 Several of the sites below also include sample Statements.

Additional Links and Resources

Haugen, Lee. “Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement.” Center for Teaching

Effectiveness. Iowa State University.
http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/philosophy.html

Lang, James M. "4 Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy. The Chronicle of

Higher Education. August 29, 2010. http://chronicle.com/article/5-Steps-to-
a-Memorable/124199/.

Mangum, Teresa. "Views of the Classroom." Insider Higher Education. October

28, 2009.
http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/academic_career_confidential/mang
um10..

Montell, Gabriela. “What’s your Philosophy on Teaching, and Does it Matter?”

The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 27, 2003.
http://chronicle.com/article/Whats-Your-Philosophy-on/45132/.

Vick, Julie Miller and Jennifer S. Furlong. "Writing Samples and Teaching
Statements," Julie Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong, The Chronicle of
Higher Education Dec. 20, 2010. http://chronicle.com/article/Writing-
SamplesTeaching/125726/.

Teaching Portfolio http://ucat.osu.edu/teaching_portfolio/teaching_port.html

© 2007, The Teaching Center, Washington University in St. Louis

Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement
Prepared by Lee Haugen Center for Teaching Excellence, Iowa State
University March, 1998

Your philosophy of teaching statement should reflect your personal values and
the needs of your students and your department. At the least, you will want to
address four primary questions, usually in this order.

Menu
1. To what end?

2. By what means?

3. To what degree?

4. Why?

1. To What End?
It is important to start by describing where you want to end. In other words, what
are your objectives as a teacher? The rest of your philosophy statement should
support these objectives which should be achievable and relevant to your
teaching responsibilities; avoid vague or overly grandiose statements. On the
other hand, you will want to demonstrate that you strive for more than mediocrity
or only nuts-and-bolts transference of facts.

You would certainly want your students to learn the fundamental content of the
courses you teach. But beyond that, do you hope to foster critical thinking,
facilitate the acquisition of life-long learning skills, prepare students to function
effectively in an information economy, or develop problem-solving strategies?
What is your role in orienting students to a discipline, to what it means to be an
educated person in your field? How do you delineate your areas of responsibility
as compared to your students' responsibilities? In what specific ways do you
want to improve the education of students in your field? Are there discussions in
academic journals or in professional organizations about shortcomings in the
education of students today or unmet needs in the discipline and do you have
ideas about how to address those shortcomings and needs? If you are going to
use teaching in P & T bids, you will probably need to connect to national issues
or objectives.

These are questions that will require some thought and you will probably benefit
from discussing them with other faculty in your department. Some people can sit
down and bang out a paragraph or two in a short time but most of us become
more thoughtful about the "big" questions when we bounce them off of our
colleagues, consider their responses, re-evaluate our positions, revise, talk some
more, etc. Your statement of objectives as a teacher is the most important part of
your teaching philosophy and you should take some time with it. And if you take it
seriously, you will probably come back to this statement to revise or add to it.
Think of it as a work in progress.

2. By What Means?
When you have a clear idea about your teaching objectives, you can discuss
methods that you use to achieve or work toward those objectives. Here is where
you can display your knowledge of learning theory, cognitive development,
curriculum design, etc. You will want to explain specific strategies, techniques,
exercises, and include both what you have used in the past and are planning for
future courses. You will want to tie these directly to your teaching objectives and
discuss how each approach is designed for that purpose.

Discuss how you make decisions about content, resources, and methods. If you
include a field trip, what are your learning objectives? If you assemble a
collection of readings, how did you decide what to include? How do you decide
whether to use collaborative or individual projects? Do you use active learning or
student-centered learning principles and why? Relate these decisions and
methods to the kinds of classes you teach (large lecture, small discussion, lab,
etc.) and make connections to your course objectives.

Again, relate your methods to national-level needs for teaching in your discipline
whenever possible. If you have developed instructional materials that have been
or could be disseminated, be sure to discuss them. If you have designed or are
planning innovative activities, describe how they address specific teaching
objectives. Have you presented a paper or a workshop at a professional
conference related to your teaching methods?
3. To What Degree?
You will need to discuss how you intend to measure your effectiveness vis a vis
the objectives and methods you have outlined. Because your objectives are most
likely related to student learning, then you will probably use measures of student
outcomes to reflect your efforts rather than how many chapters you can cover
from the textbook. Student evaluations are always a touchy subject among
teachers but in large part that is because teachers have not devised their own
assessment methods. Most of us are obligated to use standardized evaluation
forms. But that does not prevent us from developing other means that are more
directly related to our specific goals and objectives. Teachers who develop their
own evaluations usually get more relevant feedback. But in addition, they usually
get more positive feedback as well because they are asking the students to
reflect on the most important aspects of the course.

If one of your objectives is to develop problem-solving skills, then you will

probably want to test your students' ability to solve problems. In that case,
discuss how you construct problems for them to solve, what skills those problems
are meant to evaluate, and the level of performance that you are seeking. As
Ronald Myers, Associate Professor in Veterinary Pathology pointed out in his
teaching portfolio: I have come to realize that ultimately students learn what we
examine for. If we test for learning of facts, students will learn facts. If we test for
problem solving, they will learn to be better problem solvers....My long-term goal
is to learn more about and then to implement improved mechanisms for
assessment of students, likely in the realm of ability-based or performance-based
assessment. There are many resources for improving assessment and student
evaluations in the [CELT] library.

4. Why?
Here is where you can be, if not grandiose, at least a bit grand. What, to you, are
the great and wonderful rewards of teaching? Why is teaching important? How
do you want to make the world or at least higher education better? When you are
overworked and feel undervalued, to what ideals do you return in order to
rejuvenate yourself and inspire your students? How do you want to make a
difference in the lives of your students?
____________________________________________________________
Center for Teaching Vanderbilt University

Teaching Statements
What is a teaching statement?
What purposes does the teaching statement serve?
What does a teaching statement include?
General Guidelines
Reflection questions to help get you started
Exercises to help get you started
Evaluating your teaching statement
Further resources

What is a Teaching Statement?

A Teaching 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 Statement gives a clear and unique portrait of the author
as a teacher, avoiding generic or empty philosophical statements about

What Purposes does the Teaching

teaching.

Statement Serve?
The Teaching Statement can be used for personal, professional, or pedagogical
purposes. While Teaching 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 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.”
What does a Teaching Statement
Include?
A Teaching Statement can address any or all of the following:

Your conception of how learning occurs

A description of how your teaching facilitates student learning A reflection of why

you teach the way you do

The goals you have for yourself and for your students

How your teaching enacts your beliefs and goals

What, for you, constitutes evidence of student learning

The ways in which you create an inclusive learning environment

Your interests in new techniques, activities, and types of learning

“If at all possible, your statement should enable the reader to imagine you in the
classroom, teaching. You want to include sufficient information for picturing not
only you in the process of teaching, but also your class in the process of learning.”
– Helen G. Grundman, Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement

General Guidelines
Make your Teaching Statement brief and well written. While Teaching
Statements are probably longer at the tenure level (i.e. 3-5 pages or
more), for hiring purposes they are typically 1-2 pages in length.
Use narrative, first-person approach. This allows the Teaching Statement to
be both personal and reflective.
Be sincere and unique. Avoid clichés, especially ones about how much
passion you have for teaching.
 Make it specific rather than abstract. Ground your ideas in 1-2 concrete
examples, whether experienced or anticipated. This will help the reader to
better visualize you in the classroom.
Be discipline specific. Do not ignore your research. Explain how you advance
your field through teaching.
Avoid jargon and technical terms, as they can be off-putting to some
readers. Try not to simply repeat what is in your CV. Teaching Statements
are not exhaustive documents and should be used to complement other
materials for the hiring or tenure processes.
Be humble. Mention students in an enthusiastic, not condescending way, and
illustrate your willingness to learn from your students and colleagues.
Revise. Teaching is an evolving, reflective process, and Teaching Statements
can be adapted and changed as necessary.

Reflection Questions To Help You Get

You Started:*
Why do you teach the way you do?
What should students expect of you as a teacher?
What is a method of teaching you rely on frequently? Why don’t you use a
different method?
What do you want students to learn? How do you know your goals for students
are being met?
What should your students be able to know or do as a result of taking your
class?
How can your teaching facilitate student learning?
How do you as a teacher create an engaging or enriching learning
environment?
What specific activities or exercises do you use to engage your students? What
do you want your students to learn from these activities?
How has your thinking about teaching changed over time? Why?
*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.
Exercises to Help You Get You Started:*
The Teaching Portfolio, including a section on teaching statements, Duquesne
University Center for Teaching Excellence. This website includes five
effective exercises to help you begin the writing process
Teaching Goals Inventory, by Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross and
their bookClassroom Assessment Techniques. This “quiz” helps you to
identify or create your teaching and learning goals.
Teaching Perspectives Inventory, This survey can help you collect your
thoughts and summarize your ideas about teaching and learning.
Articulating your Philosophy of Teaching Statement, from the Center for
Effective Teaching and Learning at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Various exercises to guide someone in thinking about, articulating, and
writing a statement of teaching philosophy.
*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.

.