This document provides guidance on developing an effective teaching statement for academic job applications. It discusses the purpose of teaching statements, outlines common components like teaching philosophy and goals, and provides examples. General guidelines are presented, such as keeping statements brief, being specific with examples, and focusing on teaching over research. Resources for creating teaching statements are listed at the end.

1. SUCCESSFUL 1
TEACHING
STATEMENT
Peter Newbury
Center for Teaching
Development
pnewbury@ucsd.edu
@polarisdotca
Adapted from presi by Cynthia Lee (CSE, UCSD). Also, University of Michigan,
Vanderbilt University, and others…
October 18, 2012

2. Overview
2
Purpose and structure of teaching
statements
 Format and components
 Practical considerations
A few examples
Sketch out your own teaching statements
Share and peer critique

3. End of grad school = stress
3
visa/immigration publish thesis in journ
thesis job search
moving
defense funding/grants
Research Statement CV
Teaching Statement references

4. Job announcements
4
Most job announcements require applicants to
submit a “Teaching Statement”

5. “Teaching what?”
5
Teaching Portfolio
Teaching Philosophy
• Teaching Statement
Teaching
• Statement of Teaching
Stateme
• Statement of Teaching
nt
Philosophy
• and more…

6. Purpose of a Teaching Portfolio
6
Collect in one place all your evidence of
teaching
 teaching philosophy
 teaching statement
 evaluations (like CAPE)
 examples of your work: slide deck,
assignments, exams
 Feedback from students, colleagues,
bosses
START ASAP

7. Purpose of a Teaching
7
Philosophy
Thesis statement for a broader teaching
portfolio
 Helps tie together and synthesize evidences
Demonstrate that you are reflective about
your teaching
Communicate your goals and actions
As you revise, it may shape how you
teach
Help you set goals for professional growth

8. Purpose of a Teaching
8
Statement
Be hired in your desired position
Demonstrate that you are reflective about
your teaching
Communicate your goals and actions
Thesis statement for a broader teaching
portfolio, if one will be included in your
application

9. On your index card…
9
The teaching I’ve experienced was like a
___________
because

10. On your index card…
10
The teaching I’ve experienced was like a
_toaster_
because
fresh students went in and a
little while later, (delicious)
prepared students popped out.

11. On the other side…
11
My teaching is / will be like a
_________________
because

12. A Teaching Statement gives…
12
o Your conception of how learning occurs
o A description of how your teaching facilitates
student learning
o A reflection of why you teach the way you do
o The goals you have for yourself and for your
students
o How your teaching enacts your beliefs and goals
o What, for you, constitutes evidence of student
learning
o The ways in which you create an inclusive
learning environment
o Your interests in new techniques, activities, and
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/

13. Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement
13
in wordle, with keywords only
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884593/Teacing_Statement_content_from_Va
nderbilt_CfT_-_keywords_only

14. Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement
14
in wordle, all words
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884639/Teaching_Statement_content_from_V
anderbilt_CfT_-_all_words

15. Example
I subscribe to the cognitive theory of
constructivism. That is, I’ve found that students
don’t understand things deeply until they have
time for “reflective abstraction” - a period
where students pause, think back on what they
have been told, and build in their own minds a
picture of the concept. I thus believe that a
good question, one which forces students to
reflect on what they’ve absorbed, is worth at
least five or ten minutes of lecture, so I employ
Socratic discourse to help students work
through the material for themselves.

16. General Guidelines
16
o 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.
o Use narrative, first-person approach. This
allows the Teaching Statement to be both
personal and reflective.
o Be sincere and unique. Avoid clichés, especially
ones about how much passion you have for
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/

17. General Guidelines
17
o 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.
o Be discipline specific. Do not ignore your
research. Explain how you advance your field
through teaching.
o Avoid jargon and technical terms, as they can be
off-putting to some readers.
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/

18. General Guidelines
18
o 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.
o Be humble. Mention students in an enthusiastic,
not condescending way, and illustrate your
willingness to learn from your students and
colleagues.
o Revise. Teaching is an evolving, reflective
process,cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
and Teaching Statements can be

19. How do I get all this…into that?
19
LEGO image: wrenfieldrambling.blogspot.com
Shuttle image: itsfullofstars.tumblr.com

20. Five major components (Chism,
20
1998)
1. Conceptualization of learning
How do people learn?
2. Conceptualization of teaching
How do I facilitate that learning?
3. Goals for students
Content and skills
4. Implementation of philosophy
What do I do in the classroom? Does it work?
5. Professional growth plan
How have I grown, and how will I grow in the
future?

21. On your index card…
21
Why do I teach?
or
What do I believe or value
about teaching and learning?

22. Rubric, revise, rubric, revise…
22
Needs
Excellent Work Weak
Goals for student learning
Enactment of goals (teaching method)
Assessment of goals (measuring student learning)
Creating an inclusive learning environment
Structure, rhetoric and language
www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts

23. Resources
23
 Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of
Michigan
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
 Center for Teaching
Vanderbilt University
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
 McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning
Princeton University
www.princeton.edu/mcgraw/library/for-grad-students/teaching-
statement
 Center for the Advancement of Teaching
Ohio State University
ucat.osu.edu/teaching_portfolio/philosophy/philosophy2.html
 Center for Teaching Development
University of California, San Diego
ctd.ucsd.edu/pfp