1 How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy A practical workshop on what a teaching philosophy is and how to get started Dr. Heather Doherty, PhD Leder Human Biology Program Curriculum Fellow Today we are going to go through a series of activities with the goal of every person leaving this classroom with a starter kit for writing their own teaching philosophy. Does everyone have a packet? Okay, let’s get started. 2 Outline 1. Audience and Goals 2. Teaching Experience 3. Teaching Style 4. Teaching Values 5. Anatomy and Construction 6. Tips and Resources Before you write, you need to know your audience and define the purpose of a teaching philosophy. Then you need the content: your teaching experience, your teaching style, and what you value in teaching. Once you have the parts, I will show you how to put it together. We will finish with some tips and further resources to consult as you write. 3 Who asks for a teaching philosophy? ~33% of job ads for faculty • ~60% will request it during the hiring process • Others want it but won’t request it – “…those who are truly interested in teaching will submit a statement of teaching philosophy without being asked to do so; therefore, we never asked for is specifically.” • More commonly requested by: – BS/MS colleges – Candidates in the natural sciences • Establish your and their commitment to teaching Deborah Meizlish and Matthew Kaplan. “Valuing and Evaluating Teaching in Academic Hiring: A Multidisciplinary, Cross- Institutional Study.” The Journal of Higher Education - Volume 79, Number 5, September/October 2008, pp. 489-512. Meizlish and Kaplan as well as others have done research on what type and what percentage of faculty job ads ask for a teaching philosophy. After looking about 500 ads, they found about 33% ask for a teaching philosophy to be part of the initial application package. Around another 30% to bring it to 60% total will ask for a teaching philosophy at some point during the hiring process. More importantly, there are other employers that won’t ask for it even though they expect it as this quote illustrates. In general, teaching philosophies are most often requested by schools who have an emphasis on training at the Bachelors and Masters degree level, which is not surprising as teaching is often a larger emphasis and a larger part of faculty efforts at these institutions. In addition, candidates in the natural sciences are more often asked for a teaching philosophy. This request at first seems a little surprising, but mostly has to do with the fact that the average graduate student or post-doc may not have a lot of teaching experience. A teaching philosophy lets the hiring institution know that you value teaching and have thought about it. The institution asking for the teaching philosophy lets you know what they value teaching. 4 What does a teaching philosophy contain? • Offers evidence of practice • ...

1. 1
How to Write a Statement of
Teaching Philosophy
A practical workshop on what a
teaching philosophy is and how
to get started
Dr. Heather Doherty, PhD
Leder Human Biology Program
Curriculum Fellow
Today we are going to go through a series of activities with the
goal of every
person leaving this classroom with a starter kit for writing their
own teaching
philosophy. Does everyone have a packet? Okay, let’s get
started.
2
Outline
1. Audience and Goals
2. Teaching Experience

2. 3. Teaching Style
4. Teaching Values
5. Anatomy and Construction
6. Tips and Resources
Before you write, you need to know your audience and define
the purpose of a
teaching philosophy. Then you need the content: your teaching
experience,
your teaching style, and what you value in teaching. Once you
have the parts, I
will show you how to put it together. We will finish with some
tips and further
resources to consult as you write.
3
Who asks for a teaching
philosophy?
~33% of job ads for faculty
• ~60% will request it during the hiring process
• Others want it but won’t request it
– “…those who are truly interested in teaching will submit a
statement of teaching philosophy without being asked to do so;
therefore, we never asked for is specifically.”
• More commonly requested by:
– BS/MS colleges

3. – Candidates in the natural sciences
• Establish your and their commitment to teaching
Deborah Meizlish and Matthew Kaplan. “Valuing and
Evaluating Teaching in Academic Hiring: A Multidisciplinary,
Cross-
Institutional Study.” The Journal of Higher Education - Volume
79, Number 5, September/October 2008, pp. 489-512.
Meizlish and Kaplan as well as others have done research on
what type and
what percentage of faculty job ads ask for a teaching
philosophy. After looking
about 500 ads, they found about 33% ask for a teaching
philosophy to be part of
the initial application package. Around another 30% to bring it
to 60% total will
ask for a teaching philosophy at some point during the hiring
process. More
importantly, there are other employers that won’t ask for it even
though they
expect it as this quote illustrates. In general, teaching
philosophies are most
often requested by schools who have an emphasis on training at
the Bachelors
and Masters degree level, which is not surprising as teaching is
often a larger
emphasis and a larger part of faculty efforts at these
institutions. In addition,
candidates in the natural sciences are more often asked for a
teaching
philosophy. This request at first seems a little surprising, but
mostly has to do
with the fact that the average graduate student or post-doc may

4. not have a lot of
teaching experience. A teaching philosophy lets the hiring
institution know that
you value teaching and have thought about it. The institution
asking for the
teaching philosophy lets you know what they value teaching.
4
What does a teaching philosophy
contain?
• Offers evidence of practice
• Conveys self-reflection
• Communicates teaching style
• Communicates teaching values
• Sample of effective writing
O'Neal, Chris, Deborah Meizlish, and Matthew Kaplan.
"Writing a Teaching Philosophy for the Academic Job Search."
CRLT Occasional Papers. No. 23. University of Michigan
Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. 2007.
Now that we know our audience, what do they want to see in the
document.
Research has also been done on this subject. I adapted this list
of goals from
research by O’Neal et al. As I mentioned before the written
teach philosophy
offers evidence of your teaching practice and conveys that not

5. only have you
taught but you have thought some about how you have done it
and how you
would like to do it in the future. It is an opportunity to
communicate both your
style and your values. Lastly, it is a sample of your hopefully
effective writing.
Positions in the liberal arts often ask for a separate writing
sample on the basis
that teachers in those subjects are often teaching writing. While
professors in
the sciences rarely teach writing, those hiring faculty want to
know you have
effective written communication skills. We have established
our audience and
our purpose, let’s think about each content topic individually.
5
Teaching Experience
We will start with the most concrete part: teaching experience.
Having an idea
of what teaching experience you have is the first step to writing
a teaching
philosophy. You may not use every experience as an example
but each
experience may have shaped you and your thoughts about
teaching.
6

6. What counts as a teaching
experience?
Some examples or teaching experience: teaching a class, being a
TA or TF,
mentoring a elementary or high school student, teaching Sunday
school class,
working with the elderly, teaching an art or dance class,
instructing or coaching a
sport. Use the space on the worksheet to brainstorm some
examples of your
teaching experience. Be sure to think broadly and not just focus
on what is on
your resume or CV. Other examples from the class: parenting,
community
outreach, teaching high school classes, one-on-one lab
mentoring, tutoring, and
giving guest lectures.
7
Teaching Style
Your style is not only what you do, but how
you do it.
Style can be an esoteric concept but it is about the methods we
use to achieve
our goals in the classroom and why it is we do things the way
we do.
8

7. What are your likes and dislikes in
the classroom?
1. What HAS worked for you as a:
• Student?
• Teacher?
2. What has NOT worked for you as a:
• Student?
• Teacher?
To start to understand our style we need to know what we like
and dislike. On
your worksheet start to brainstorm some of your likes and
dislikes in the
classroom both as a student and as a teacher. In particular, ask
yourself the
question: ”What has and has not worked for me in the past?”
Some ideas from
the audience: be excited about the material, engage your
students, don’t just
rehash the book, and use hands on activities.
9
“Lecture”
One of my favorite and least favorite methods in the classroom
is lecture. In my
first teaching experience as an undergraduate I helped teach lab
sections to

8. freshman undergraduates and as many large lab courses do,
there was an
overflow of material to cover. So we were asked to make sure
certain material
was covered in lab section. As I considered how I might
accomplish this, I
figured I would just do 20 minute mini-lectures during lab time.
Most all the
classes I had taken so far were in the lecture format, so I
figured if that method
had worked for me I should use the same method to deliver the
assigned
content. Later, in graduate school, I had some really awful
lecturers and I
started to think critically about what is the best way to convey
information to
students. Let’s think about lecturers and lecturing and consider
what their goals
might be in the classroom and what are the pluses and minuses
to using the
lecture method. Ideas from the audience: goal is to convey
information, should
keep it simple but not too simple, make time for questions,
contextualize
materials, and have a cohesive narrative.
10
What are your goals in the
classroom?
I would like my students to learn or be able
to do:

9. 1.
2.
Now, think about what your goals are in the classroom. Start by
finishing the
sentence: “I would like my students to learn ______ or be able
to ________
when they leave the classroom.” For example, “I would like my
student to learn
to participate in class.” Try to write down at least two examples
and then keep
them in mind for the next activity.
11
What are your methods in the
classroom?
I learn best or I think my students learn best when:
1.
2.
Next, think about what methods you use in the classroom to
achieve your goals.
Glance at your goals then finish the sentence, “I learn best when
_______ or I
think my students learn best when _______.” For example, “I
think my students
learn best when I use computers as a tool in the classroom.” Try
to write at
least two examples. Then, try to match one of your goals from

10. the last activity
with one of your methods from this activity. Try different
combinations. Can you
make any pairs? Examples from the audience: “Goal: bring the
real world into
the classroom; Method: used real-world examples to
contextualize knowledge.
Goal: have students actively learning, Method: use hands-on
activities”
12
Teaching Values
As scientists we are told to check our values
and feelings at the door in order to focus on
the objective facts
Values are the hardest portion of the teaching philosophy to
grasp. By
definition, they are asking for your philosophy, and whether you
are aware of it
or not, that is based on your values. As scientists we are asked
to put our
values aside and be objective. This is not to say we don’t have
values, just that
we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about them. I am going to
ask you to give
your logical brain, the frontal lobe, a rest for a few minutes and
get in touch with
your hippocampus, your feeling and emotions.

11. 13
Afterschool science program in an
economically disadvantaged middle school
To start this process I am going to tell you a story about how I
started to figure
out my teaching values. As a second year graduate student I
became involved
with a group that did K-12 student outreach. My assignment
was to teach
afterschool science enrichment in an economically
disadvantaged middle
school. With no budget, no support, and no set curriculum, I
was being asked to
teach physics, chemistry, and biology to middle schoolers. The
exciting and
slightly horrifying reality was, what I did in the classroom was
completely up to
me. As I grappled with this dilemma, the first idea that came to
mind is I wanted
the students to do hands-on activities. More than likely, they
had sat in class
sitting still all day and could probably enjoy some physical
activity. The other
idea that came to me is I wanted these activities to involve
discovery. In labs as
graduate students and post-docs we discover things, whereas
middle school
students sometimes glue cotton balls on paper to make clouds
and it’s called
science. I was not aware of it at the time, but it was pointed out
to me later that
this immediate emotional response was an expression of my
values. First, I

12. understood that students learn the most when they are doing
something (hands-
on) and I valued the students time and wanted to make sure they
got something
out of what I was doing (that it wasn’t just busy work). Second,
I understood the
joy of discovery and I valued the student’s enjoyment. As a
activity to get us all
thinking about values…
14
How do would you describe
yourself as a teacher?
My role in the classroom could best be described as:
1.
2.
3.
What does that say about your values?
Let’s think about who we are as teachers. Try to complete the
sentence: “My
role in the classroom could best be described as _______.” For
example, do
you see yourself as a coach, an entertainer, or a drill sergeant.
We all wear
multiple hats in the classroom so try to come up with a few
nouns or adjectives
and write them on your worksheet. Next, look over all the

13. materials you have so
written so far and ask yourself the question, “What are my
values or what do I
value as a teacher?” For example someone who is a coach in the
classroom
values independent learning, students are doing most of the
work while they
help referee the learning process. Someone who is an
entertainer might value
humor in the classroom and being sure that the material
presented is not dry. A
drill sergeant might value repetition, learning math in particular
can benefit from
presenting materials in multiple ways. Another example is
teaching to students
at the academic level where they are (not where you expect
them to be). The
relevant value there might be compassion or valuing each
student as an
individual. On your worksheet, next to the nouns or adjectives
you used to
describe yourself, your goals, or your methods, try to write a
value that might be
motivating you or that might be illustrated by that example.
Understanding your
values is the hardest part of this process so take some time to
reflect on how
you feel and to understand your motivations. Also consider
taking time to
discuss your thoughts with a friend or mentor.
15
Construction of a Teaching

14. Philosophy
With the experiences, style and values in front of you on your
handout, the next
step is to put the parts together.
16
A + B and sprinkle with C
1. Match experiences from part A with values
from part B
2. Use terms and ideas from part C
3. Recurrent themes
4. Pick 3 favorite pairs
5. Outline
6. Write
Constructing your teaching philosophy is as simple as matching
your
experiences in A on your handout with your values in part B on
the handout and
then adding in the terms and ideas from your goals and methods
in part C. Try
various combinations and look for recurrent themes. Pay
attention to the
recurrent themes because they will help you understand what is
important to you
and help you develop your narrative. Pick 3 favorite pairs and

15. try to relate them
to specific events where you can tell a story. Try to write an
outline for each pair
and develop a narrative around them. Once your outline is
fleshed out, put pen
to paper and write a first draft.
17
Get Feedback
On:
• Writing style
• Grammar & Spelling
• Use of terminology
• Clarity
From:
• Colleagues in lab
• Trusted friend or mentor
Once you have a draft in hand, be sure to get feedback. Make
sure you use first
person narrative style and don’t have any grammar or spelling
mistakes. When
you use terminology, always use and example so it is clear you
know what your
talking about and your reader is not confused or inundated with

16. buzz words.
Ask whoever reads your philosophy to tell you what they think
you are trying to
say. If it is different from what you are trying to say, be sure to
make
appropriate revisions. People to consider consulting for
feedback include
colleagues in your lab such as fellow graduate students and
post-docs. Also ask
a friend or a mentor. If your PI does not do much teaching ask
a committee
member or favorite professor who does teach to look it over.
18
Expert Tips &
Additional Resources
Now take your teaching philosophy from good the great.
19
Customize your teaching philosophy
Mission Statements & Job Descriptions
• Keywords
• Core Values
Have multiple versions

17. • Add/Remove paragraphs
• Address important issues
A teach philosophy is not a one-size-fits-all document. As your
move through
your career you will need to often update this document for
tenure packages or
applying to new jobs. The best way to customize it is to look at
the mission
statement for the institution you are applying to and see what
their core values
are. If they mention small class size or hands-on learning and
that is also
important to you, be sure to include it in your document. Also
look closely at the
job description. When I applied to my current curriculum
fellow position at
Harvard I know I would mostly be working with graduate
students, so there
would not be any situations when I would be teaching lab
sections. I had a
whole section of my teaching philosophy that was about hands-
on learning in
undergraduate lab sections, but I took out. By removing this
one paragraph, it
gave me space to address other topics more relevant to this
position. Just be
sure as you go through the process of adding and removing
paragraphs that you
edit your transitions and keep the continuity of the narrative.
20

18. Secrets to Success
1. Spend time with the literature
2. Use terminology but always explain it
3. Cite references
4. Be humble but confident
5. Teaching is about students
6. Be yourself!
Lastly, as you start to write keep these thoughts in your mind. It
is worthwhile
spending some time reading the literature. There are many
great overview
books about teaching that are available, check out amazon.
Also look in the
Chronicle of Higher Education online magazine, the journal
Science has a
regular science education portion, and seek out seminars and
other educational
opportunities. Use the terminology you find but always give an
example of what
you mean. Also make reference to where your ideas have come
from; it does
not have to be a formal citation. You never know who might be
reading this
document. Be confident in what you say, don’t qualify every
sentence. But also
be humble, you nor your teaching are perfect and no one likes a
bragger. Make
sure to mention students in your philosophy. Teaching is about
the students

19. and their learning, so make sure that is clear. This is YOUR
teaching
philosophy so be inspired by others but be sure to be yourself!
Consult your
packet for a check list of items to go over with your teaching
philosophy and also
a list of things you might consider including. A list of my
sources, which you
might also want to consult, are in the packet as well.
21
Questions ?
A teaching philosophy is not a summary of
your CV, nor is it an article on pedagogy. It is
an expression of your experiences, your
values, and your pedagogical methods.
Here is a few sentences to inspire you and to keep in mind as
you write.
How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy OutlineWho
asks for a teaching philosophy?What does a teaching philosophy
contain?Teaching ExperienceWhat counts as a teaching
experience?Teaching StyleWhat are your likes and dislikes in
the classroom?“Lecture”What are your goals in the classroom?
What are your methods in the classroom? Teaching
ValuesAfterschool science program in an economically
disadvantaged middle schoolHow do would you describe
yourself as a teacher? Construction of a Teaching PhilosophyA
+ B and sprinkle with CGet FeedbackExpert Tips &�
Additional ResourcesCustomize your teaching
philosophySecrets to SuccessQuestions ?

20. TEACHING TIP EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
P:613-520-4433 E:[email protected] O:410 Dunton Tower
W:carleton.ca/edc
STRUCTURING YOUR TEACHING
PHILOSOPHY STATEMENT
A teaching philosophy statement can be described as a short
personal essay in which you outline your
conceptualization of effective teaching and explain how you
embody this conceptualization. It gives
you an opportunity to explain to readers the kind of teacher you
are and what students in your classes
can expect of you and the ways you structure your courses. You
want to find a way to balance a broad
ideal about teaching with detailed descriptions of how you put
this ideal into practice. As someone
reads your statement, they should be able to imagine what it is
like to be a student in your class. As
you write your teaching philosophy statement, keep in mind that
it is a personal essay. This means
have a clear structure.
INTRODUCTION
Your teaching philosophy statement should have an evident

21. introduction where you outline what is to
come in the remainder of the document. You may want to start
by giving a one sentence description of
your beliefs about teaching and learning. Think of this sentence
as the crux of your philosophy: it is a
broad statement that forms the framework for and on which you
elaborate in the rest of the document.
If you are unsure how to summarize your beliefs about learning
and teaching in one sentence,
consider starting by trying to answer one of the following
questions: (1) How does learning happen?
quote you can think of that epitomizes what you need to focus
on as a teacher?
Once you have done so, tell your readers what they can expect
to read in the rest of the statement.
For example, you may want list two to four practices you
engage in as a teacher that best illustrate
your practical application or embodiment of the philosophical
statement you used to summarize your
teaching. You can then use these practices to structure the rest
of the teaching philosophy statement.
MAIN BODY
This part of the philosophy statement gives readers a chance to
imagine what it is like to be taught by
you. Think of this section of the statement as an explanation
(with specific examples) of how you put
your beliefs about teaching and learning into practice as you
engage in various tasks as a teacher. If
you are not sure what to write, here are a couple of suggestions:
o How does your approach to some of the following practices

22. reflect your philosophy: course
design, interactions with students, classroom teaching, work
with TAs, undergraduate and
graduate student advising, office hours policies, classroom
policies, providing or asking for
feedback, or designing assignments? Choose two or three of
those to highlight as a way of
allowing readers to be able to imagine what you are like as a
teacher.
o If you had to break down the philosophical statement you
gave above into two or three
descriptions of you as a teacher, how would you do that? Once
you have broken it down, you
can structure the body of the statement according to each of the
smaller segments. Explain to
your reader how you practice each of these smaller pieces.
TEACHING TIP EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE
P:613-520-4433 E:[email protected] O:410 Dunton Tower
W:carleton.ca/edc
CONCLUSION
As when you write a paper, the conclusion serves two functions:
(1) it reminds readers of what you
have said up to this point by giving them a quick summary of
the document and (2) it gives you an

23. opportunity to gesture beyond just what is included in the
philosophy statement. The second of these
functions is a bit more difficult to do. Keeping in mind that you
are writing this for a specific audience at
a particular department, and that it is often part of a broader
teaching dossier, think of the end of the
, illustrate why they want to hire you, and continue to read
the rest of your dossier. You can do this in several ways. You
might, for example, simply say
something to the effect that the teaching materials you use
further illustrate your philosophy and
then include those teaching materials in the next part of the
dossier. If your teaching philosophy
statement is a stand-alone document, you can use the conclusion
to mention your future teaching
goals (e.g. a course you would like to develop, a certificate
program you are completing, an area of
your teaching that complements the strengths of the
department).
Intro
· Make an impression (thin slice argument)
· Prepare the reader for what you will discuss
· Bring in quotes/imagery for inspiration
· Think of educational pioneers who motivate you
· Keep it brief
Body
· Explain how your beliefs shape you as a professional
· Highlight unique approaches to teaching, provide examples
· Set the stage for being taught by you
· Theory, beliefs, application, results
Conclusion
· Reiterate your strengths/unique qualities which shape who you

24. are as a professional
· Explain your goals again (brief)
· Describe goals for the future
· Thank you reader for their time/consideration
·
https://www.lib.utexas.edu/services/instruction/tips/tf/tf_philos
phy_sample.html