This document provides guidance on writing a teaching statement. It begins with a discussion of the purpose of a teaching statement and explains that it should demonstrate reflectiveness about teaching, communicate goals and actions, and help the applicant get hired for their desired position. The document then provides tips for writing the teaching statement, such as keeping it brief, using a narrative first-person approach, focusing on specific examples, avoiding jargon, and customizing it for the target department. Key components of an effective teaching statement are also outlined, including conceptualizing learning and teaching, stating goals for students, describing implementation of teaching philosophy, and planning for professional growth.

1. Peter Newbury
Center forTeaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu @polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd
Writing Your Teaching Statement
October 23, 2014
IRACDA Program

2. Where are you right now?
WritingYourTeaching Statement2
A) postdoc with several years remaining at UC San Diego
B) postdoc leaving soon
C) other

3. Where are you right now?
WritingYourTeaching Statement3
A) Biological Sciences
B) Biomedical Sciences
C) Pharmaceutical / Pharmacology
D) Chemistry & Biochemistry
E) Neurosciences

4. Have you applied for academic jobs?
WritingYourTeaching Statement4
A) no, and I won’t until next year
B) no, but I will be applying soon
C) yes, for 1 job
D) yes, for 2-5 jobs
E) yes, for more than 5 jobs

5. End of postdoc = stress!
WritingYourTeaching Statement5
research statement teaching statement
job search
funding/grants
CV
references
publications
moving
visa/immigration
teaching statement

6. Job announcements
WritingYourTeaching Statement6
Most job announcements require applicants to submit a
“Teaching Statement”
http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/aps/adeo/recruitment/j
obdetails.asp?PositionNumber=10-730
https://careers.unco.edu/applicants/Central?search=Fac
ulty

7. “A Teaching what?”
WritingYourTeaching Statement7
Teaching Portfolio

8. Purpose of a Teaching Portfolio
WritingYourTeaching Statement8
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 collecting NOW

9. “A Teaching what?”
WritingYourTeaching Statement9
Teaching Portfolio
Teaching Philosophy

10. Purpose of a Teaching Philosophy
WritingYourTeaching Statement10
 Thesis statement for a broader teaching portfolio
 Helps tie together and synthesize evidence
 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
 A list of all courses you’ve taught with dates,
enrollment, institution, etc.

11. “A Teaching what?”
WritingYourTeaching Statement11
Teaching Portfolio
Teaching
Statement
also known as…
• Statement ofTeaching
• Statement ofTeaching Philosophy
Teaching Philosophy

12. Purpose of a Teaching Statement
WritingYourTeaching Statement12
Be hired in your desired position
 Demonstrate that you are reflective about
your teaching
 Communicate your goals and actions

13. “A Teaching what?”
WritingYourTeaching Statement13
Teaching Portfolio
Teaching
Statement
Teaching Philosophy
forYOUforTHEM

14. A Teaching Statement gives…
WritingYourTeaching Statement14
 Your conception of how learning occurs
 A description of how your teaching facilitates 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, types of learning
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/

15. Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement in
wordle, with keywords only
WritingYourTeaching Statement15
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884593/Teacing_Stat
ement_content_from_Vanderbilt_CfT_-_keywords_only
“learning”?
Isn’t it about
teaching?

16. Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement in
wordle, all words
WritingYourTeaching Statement16
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884639/Teaching_Stat
ement_content_from_Vanderbilt_CfT_-_all_words

17. WritingYourTeaching Statement17
Count the
number of I,
me, my,…

18. WritingYourTeaching Statement18

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

20. Step 1
WritingYourTeaching Statement20
sit and think
Step 1
sit and think
Just a thought by gintoxin78 on flickr (CC)

21. Sit and think…
WritingYourTeaching Statement21
Which of these do you feel is your primary role as an
educator?
A) Teaching students facts and principles of the subject
B) Helping students develop basic learning skills
C) Helping students develop higher-order thinking skills
D) Preparing students for jobs/careers
E) Being a role model for students

22. WritingYourTeaching Statement
Teaching Goals Inventory (Excerpt) © 1993Thomas A.Angelo and K. Patricia Cross.
tinyurl.com/TeachingGoalsInventory
Please rate the importance of each of the […] goals listed below to the specific course you have selected. Assess each goal's importance to
what you deliberately aim to have your students accomplish, rather than the goal's general worthiness or overall importance to your
institution's mission. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers; only personally more or less accurate ones. Indicate whether each goal you
rate is:
(1) not applicable – a goal you never try to achieve
(2) unimportant – a goal you rarely try to achieve
(3) important – a goal you sometimes try to achieve
(4) very important – a goal you often try to achieve
(5) essential – a goal you always/nearly always try to achieve
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Goal
     17. Improve mathematical skills
     18. Learn terms and facts of this subject
     19. Learn concepts and theories in this subject
     20. Develop skill in using materials, tools, and/or technology central to this subject
     21. Learn to understand perspectives and values of this subject
     22. Prepare for transfer or graduate study
     23. Learn techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in this subject
     24. Learn to evaluate methods and materials in this subject
     25. Learn to appreciate important contributions to this subject
     26. Develop an appreciation of the liberal arts and sciences
Center forTeaching Development, UCSDctd.ucsd.edu

23. General Guidelines
WritingYourTeaching Statement23
 Make yourTeaching Statement brief and well
written, typically 1-2 pages in length.
 Use narrative, first-person approach.This allows
theTeaching Statement to be both personal and
reflective.
 Be sincere and unique.Avoid clichés, especially ones
about how much passion you have for teaching.
 Avoid statements about what doesn’t work (because
someone on the search committee might have done
that this morning!)
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/

24. General Guidelines
WritingYourTeaching Statement24
 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.
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/

25. General Guidelines
WritingYourTeaching Statement25
 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.
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/

26. General Guidelines
WritingYourTeaching Statement26
 Customize for the department you’re applying to:
“I would be excited to teach introductory courses
like your MATH 10A and MATH 20B.”
“With my research background, I would be able
to teach graduate-level courses in European
history like HIST 554.”
 Remove UCSD-specific acronyms like UCSD,
CAPE, SIO, SE, MAE, HIEU, SSPPS,…

27. General Guidelines
WritingYourTeaching Statement27
 Formatting: do everything you can to make it easy for
the hiring committee members to read your doc:
 Add a header with your name, so that the reader
can easily associate your awesome words with your
name
 full justification gives your doc a polished look
 check your PDF very carefully for .docx to .pdf
conversion problems (esp. with bullet points)
 Metadata: be sure to check your documents’
metadata (especially author)

28. KEY Guideline:
WritingYourTeaching Statement28
You need a kick a** opening paragraph!
 What distinguishes you from everyone else applying?
 Why will the hiring committee remember your teaching
statement? Give them something to remember you by!
 Imagine the hiring committee only reads the 1st
paragraph carefully and skims the rest. Hit‘em with
your best stuff right away – don’t save it for the
concluding paragraph.
 It’s okay to spend extra (way too much) time on the
1st paragraph – it could get you (or cost you) the job

29. First paragraph rubric:
Write, rubric, revise, rubric, revise…
WritingYourTeaching Statement29
description of teaching experience
candidate stands out
format, layout, rhetoric, language
StrongWeak Acceptable
“Who’s this again?”

30. Try the first paragraph rubric
WritingYourTeaching Statement30
Work with your neighbor. Use the colored dots to evaluate
the sample teaching statement.

31. Try the first paragraph rubric
WritingYourTeaching Statement31
Work with your neighbor. Use the colored dots to evaluate
the sample teaching statement.

32. Five major components of a Teaching
Statement (Chism, 1998)
WritingYourTeaching Statement32
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?
www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts

33. www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
Teaching Statement rubric:
Write, rubric, revise, rubric, revise…
WritingYourTeaching Statement33
Goals for student learning
Enactment of goals (teaching method)
Assessment of goals (measuring student learning)
Creating an inclusive learning environment
Structure, rhetoric and language
Excellent
Needs
Work Weak

34. You’ve drafted it. Now what?
WritingYourTeaching Statement34
1. Ask someone you trust INYOUR DISCIPLINE to read it.
 Their familiarity with the subject may catch errors
specific to your field (eg, field work in geophysics)
2. Ask someone you trust NOT in your discipline to read it.
When they ask you what something means, it forces you to
think carefully and concisely about the concept.
People beyond the hiring-Department may read it
(eg, Faculty Dean)

35. The Interview…
WritingYourTeaching Statement35
When you visit your potential employer for a 24–48 hour
interview, you’ll probably
 have breakfast with the host
 attend meeting after meeting after meeting
 give a “research seminar” about your work
 teach a demonstration class
 meet with the “teaching committee”  bring your
teaching portfolio!

36. Resources
WritingYourTeaching Statement36
Center for Research on Learning andTeaching
University of Michigan
www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
Teaching statement samples: www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpum
Center forTeaching
Vanderbilt University
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
McGraw Center forTeaching and Learning
Princeton University
www.princeton.edu/mcgraw/library/for-grad-students/teaching-statement
Center for theAdvancement ofTeaching
Ohio State University
ucat.osu.edu/teaching_portfolio/philosophy/philosophy2.html
Center forTeaching Development
University of California, San Diego
ctd.ucsd.edu