Teaching Philosophies

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Teaching Philosophies Statements

• Some useful information about the ins and outs of
  a Teaching Philosophy
• How to start - How to finish

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FAQs About The Philosophy Of Teaching Statement

• What is the purpose of a Philosophy of Teaching
  Statement?
• How do I begin writing a teaching philosophy
  statement?
• How should one put together a philosophy of
  teaching statement?
• What are the major components of a philosophy of
  teaching statement?

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How should one put together a philosophy of
teaching statement?

• The way in which a statement of teaching
  philosophy is structured and worded is
  individual.
• Disciplinary preferences can also affect the way
  in which a statement is presented in terms of
  length, content, and format.
• Despite these differences, some common rules of
  thumb for formatting such a document have emerged
  over the years.

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• 1. Philosophy of teaching statements are usually
  brief, one or two pages long. For some purposes,
  an extended description is appropriate, but
  length should suit the context.

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• 2. 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.

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• 3. Narrative, first-person approaches are
  generally appropriate. In some fields, a more
  creative approach, such as a poem, might be
  appropriate and valued. But in most situations, a
  straightforward, well-organized statement is
  preferred.
• Some Examples of Format are
• Essay
• Questions Answers
• Creative poem or extended metaphor

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• 4. The statement should be reflective and
  personal. 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.

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What is the purpose of developing a philosophy of
teaching?

• Why do teachers need to articulate their
  philosophy of teaching? What purposes does a
  philosophy of teaching serve? In his book, The
  Skillful Teacher (1990), Stephen Brookfield
  points out that the development of a teaching
  philosophy can be used for four purposes
• Personal Purposes
• Political Purposes
• Professional Purposes
• Pedagogical Purposes

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• 1. Personal purpose ... a distinctive
  organizing visiona 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)

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• 2. Political purpose ... a sense that your
  position is grounded in a well-developed and
  carefully conceived philosophy of practice....
  You are more likely to gain a measure of respect
  for your thoughtfulness and commitment, which is
  important both for your self-esteem and for your
  political survival. (p. 17)

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• 3. Professional purpose ... a commitment to a
  shared rationale for college teaching is
  important for the development of a collective
  identity and, hence, for the development of
  professional strengths among teachers. (pp.
  17-18)

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• 4. 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 allWhat effect am I
  having on students and on their learning? (pp.
  18-19)

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What are the major components of a philosophy of
teaching statement?

• each statement of teaching philosophy is very
  personal by nature. Therefore, it should be up to
  instructors to decide what components to include
  in their own statements. However, here is some
  general information
• In her article (Chism, 1998), Developing a
  Philosophy of Teaching Statement, Nancy Chism,
  former Director of the Office of Faculty and TA
  Development at The Ohio State University,
  suggests five major components. They are

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1. Conceptualization of learning

• Ask yourself such questions as What do we mean
  by learning? and What happens in a learning
  situation? Think of your answers to these
  questions based on your personal experience.

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1.Conceptualization of Learning

• Here are some exemplary metaphors of learning
  (Grasha, 1996)
• Containers Knowledge is viewed as a substance
  and the instructor is a container filled with
  content and facts. The student is perceived as a
  vessel wanting to be filled up. (p. 35)

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Conceptualization of Learning

• Journey-Guide Knowledge is perceived as a
  perspective on the horizon. The teacher guides
  students on their journey. Students need to
  follow a course, must overcome obstacles and
  hurdles, .... they will come to the end of their
  journey. (p.35)

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1. Conceptualization of learning

• Master-Disciple Knowledge is a skill or habit
  to be learned. The instructor trains students and
  the students ideally do what they are told
  without questioning the master. (p.35)

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1. Conceptualization of learning

• How do you perceive learning? What do you see
  happening in a learning situation? What is your
  metaphor of learning?

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2. Conceptualization of teaching

• Ask yourself questions such as What do we mean
  by teaching? and How do I facilitate this
  process as a teacher?
• Again, the metaphor format can be used, but a
  common practice is a more direct description of
  the nature of a teacher with respect to
  motivating and facilitating learning.

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2. Conceptualization of teaching

• You may also address such issues as how to
  challenge students intellectually and support
  them academically and how the teacher can respond
  to different learning styles, help students who
  are frustrated, and accommodate different
  abilities. Furthermore, you may talk about how
  you as a teacher have come to these conclusions
  (e.g., through past experience as a student or
  teacher, or result of literature reading or
  taking classes).

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2. Conceptualization of teaching

• How do you perceive teaching? What role(s) do you
  see yourself playing as a teacher in the
  teaching-learning process?

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3. Goals for students

• The description of what skills the teacher
  expects her/his students to obtain as the results
  of learning. You may address such issues as what
  goals you set for your classes, what is the
  rationale behind them, what kind of activities
  you try to implement in class in order to reach
  these goals, and how the goals have changed over
  time as you learn more about teaching and
  learning.

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3. Goals for students

• For instance, you can describe how you have
  expected students to learn not only the content,
  but also skills such as critical thinking,
  writing, and problem solving, followed by
  elaboration on how you have designed/planned
  individual sessions towards accomplishing the
  goals.

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3. Goals for students

• What goals have you set for your class(es)? Why
  so? Has reading this section made you rethink
  goal setting for your students?

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4. Implementation of the philosophy

• An important component of the statement of a
  teaching philosophy should be the illustration of
  how ones concepts about teaching and learning
  and goals for students are transformed into
  classroom activities.

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4. Implementation of the philosophy

• Ask yourself, How do I operationalize my
  philosophy of teaching in the classroom? and
  What personal characteristics in myself or my
  students influence the way in which I approach
  teaching? To answer these questions, you may
  reflect on how you present yourself and course
  materials, what activities, assignments, and
  projects you implement in the teaching-learning
  process, how you interact with students in and
  outside class, and the consequences.

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4. Implementation of the philosophy

• Ask yourself, How do I operationalize my
  philosophy of teaching in the classroom? and
  What personal characteristics in myself or my
  students influence the way in which I approach
  teaching? To answer these questions, you may
  reflect on how you present yourself and course
  materials, what activities, assignments, and
  projects you implement in the teaching-learning
  process, how you interact with students in and
  outside class, and the consequences.

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5. Professional growth plan

• It is important for teachers to continue
  professional growth, and to do so, teachers need
  to set clear goals and means to accomplish these
  goals. Think about questions such as What goals
  have I set for myself as a teacher? and How do
  I accomplish these goals?

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There are other suggestions for structuring the
statement of teaching philosophy in a somewhat
different way
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1. Integration of responsibilities. Goodyear and
Allchin feel strongly that teaching, research,
and public service are the main missions of
university faculty. Each teacher therefore should
explicitly describe what they do in carrying out
these three missions in their statements of
teaching philosophy.
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• 2. Expertise. Goodyear and Allchin suggest that
  it is important for faculty to link their special
  knowledge or expertise in the field to ways of
  helping their students learn that knowledge and
  communicate with students effectively during this
  teaching-learning process.

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• 3. Relationships. Goodyear and Allchin see a
  healthy relationship between the teacher and
  students as essential to successful teaching.
  Ways in which a teacher establishes such a
  relationship, such as getting to know students,
  specific ways of building rapport with students,
  and special teaching techniques used, should be
  explicitly described in his or her statement of
  teaching philosophy.

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• 4. Learning environment. In conjunction with the
  previous issue, Goodyear and Allchin suggest that
  teachers can illustrate what they have done to
  create a supportive learning environment in their
  classes socially, psychologically, and physically
  to help students learn.

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• 5. Methods, strategies, and innovation. Goodyear
  and Allchin believe that faculty should use
  teaching philosophy statements to reflect their
  teaching practice, both past and present, as well
  as to illustrate how special teaching techniques
  they use are in compliance with their teaching
  philosophy.

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• 6. Outcomes. Goodyear and Allchin suggest that
  teachers can demonstrate in their statements of
  teaching philosophy how the previous efforts have
  produced anticipated outcomes, i. e., students
  have learned the subject matter and they are able
  to use the knowledge learned in class to solve
  the real-world problems.

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References

• Brookfield, S. (1990). The skillful teacher. San
  Francisco Jossey-Bass.
• Chism, N. V. N. (1998). Developing a philosophy
  of teaching statement. Essays on Teaching
  Excellence, 9 (3), 1-2.
• Fuhrmann, B. S., Grasha, A. F. (1983). A
  practical handbook for college teachers. Boston
  Little, Brown and Company.
• Grasha, A. F. (1996). Teaching with style A
  practical guide to enhancing learning by
  understanding teaching and learning styles.
  Alliance Publishers.
• Goodyear, G. E. Allchin, D. (1998) Statement
  of teaching philosophy. To Improve the Academy,
  17, 103-22. Stillwater, OK New Forums Press.
• O'Neil, C., Wright, A. (1993). Recording
  teaching accomplishment. (4th ed). Halifax, Nova
  Scotia, CA Dalhousie University.
• Seldin, P., Associates (1993). Successful use
  of teaching portfolios. Bolton, MA Anker.