Like cover letters, teaching philosophies are often an unknown genre for graduate students. Teaching philosophies are difficult for teachers of all levels to write because it is so difficult to capture how you practice your pedagogical ideologies in the daily classroom. Presenting ideal practices and selling yourself as the perfect contestant is often discouraged, as the applicant seems artificially perfect (Montell 4). So, what should be included in a teaching philosophy? How should a teaching philosophy be structured? How can your teaching philosophy not sound like the hundreds of other qualified applicants? When discussing what to include and why, Gooblar states, “The only way I’ve ever been able to come up with a teaching statement I’ve even been remotely happy with is to structure it around my pedagogical goals, in particular my goals for my students. I think about how I want my students to grow in my classes, what skills I want them to acquire, what habits I want them to adapt. In what ways would I like them to have changed at the end of my course? Keeping the focus on students is itself a teaching philosophy, of course, one that encourages active learning. It also helps me avoid the platitudes and generalities that too often plague teaching statements” (4). Lang agree with this setup of organization by stating, “A teaching statement resembles a syllabus in that you should begin by thinking about the end. Picture a student walking out of the final exam of your course: In what way is that student different from the one who entered your classroom on the first day of the semester? What has the student learned over the course of the past three months?” (6). By approaching your teaching philosophy through envisioning how you want the reader to perceive you as a teacher, you ensure an outcome with which you will be satisfied. The literature on teaching philosophies encourages teachers to show, not tell, and to always tell why for each example.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY TIPS:

What should a Teaching Philosophy Include?

  • Teaching ideologies
  • Teaching methods/techniques
  • Why do you teach the way you teach?
  • Show not tell your capabilities
  • Teaching narratives

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY SAMPLE BY AUTHOR:

Teaching Philosophy of Ashley N. Daughtridge

The classroom environment I work to create and foster is an inquiry-based learning community where discovery is valued. I hope to inspire student voice and participation by not policing thoughts, but challenging and expanding ideas, engaging in progressive discourse. Encouraging a socially conscious classroom, my courses are loosely based on identity, celebrating the beautiful diversity my students embody. My students engage with voices of color, women, and LGBTQ+, further heightening their social awareness. Inspiring conversations of various avenues of deeper thinking, these diverse authors help me to cultivate a reflective, analytical, socially aware classroom environment.

Breaking common student misconceptions of writing as a nonrenewable resource, I believe in presenting writing as a muscle that strengthens with practice. In my composition classroom, we often reflect upon the process of writing, such as recursive planning, drafting, and revising (Cognitive Theory). Encouraging students to convey their metacognitive ideas in a living, ever-changing product, I emphasize to students the value of the writing process above the “end” product (Process Theory). To equip students with the necessary tools for successful writing, disciplinary units are scaffold to support students through each step with collaborative learning and continual teacher feedback (Collaborative Learning Theory). Also crucial for improvement in students’ thinking and writing, students practice metacognition with self-reflective writings, encouraging them to comprehend the implications of their writing and analytical decisions. A typical day in my academic writing and research class may include: reflective journal writing focused on daily goals; a brief presentation of new content with examples; guided class-practice of learned content; engaging in practice with pairs or groups; individual implementation of the newly learned skill; peer-review of individual implementation; and teacher feedback for individual implementation.

My philosophy of assessment supports daily formal and informal assessments that not only evaluate the development of ideas and writing, but also encourages the continuation of learning. I believe in providing students with future-oriented feedback in the form of sentences, not slashes. To ensure fairness while assessing, I strive to only assess students on their application of the scaffolding practices implemented from in-class exercises, providing feedback that compliments their strengths and discusses avenues for improvement. I not only utilize assessments to provide feedback for students, but also for myself, allowing me to review how my teaching and presentation of ideas can improve.

Practicing extensive self-refection primarily drives my teaching pedagogy; my constant assessment of self reveals how to best accommodate my teaching to students’ learning needs in future practices. To better serve my students, I review the success of my scaffolding practices and evaluate the degree to which these practices accommodate my students’ writing journey. I also repeatedly contemplate my teaching persona, my presence in the classroom, and my interactions with students to continuously improve my classes’ learning environment and student-teacher relationships. Like writing, my teaching is a muscle that only becomes stronger with practice and when exposed to multiple training tactics. To build my teaching muscle, I regularly attend Professional Development workshops that range from discussing classroom environments and teaching personas to composition teaching strategies, while also taking courses catered to teaching writing and composition. I believe in modeling for my students the practices I hope for them to embody, and attempt to do so through self-reflection, active practice, and constant revision.

WEBINARS ON TEACHING PHILOSOPHY WRITING IN ACADEMIA:

BOOKLET ON TEACHING PHILOSOPHY WRITING IN ACADEMIA:

LINKS TO SOURCES ON TEACHING PHILOSOPHY WRITING IN ACADEMIA: