You might one day need to compose a teaching philosophy statement, regardless of if you are employed as a professor in higher education or as a high school teacher. By creating this statement, you can express your fundamental teaching principles to prospective employers or use them to support your bid for tenure. If you’re trying to create your statement, learning how to compose a teaching philosophy statement may be helpful.
This article explains what a teaching philosophy statement is, what elements it must have, and gives you an example of one so you can learn how to create your own.
What exactly is a teaching philosophy?
A teaching philosophy is a thoughtful personal story that articulates your teaching principles and ideas. It comprises your understanding of education and instruction, an illustration of your teaching style, and a description of your teaching philosophy. Objectives, techniques, and evaluation are the three topics covered in a typical one- to four-page teaching philosophy statement. Your teaching philosophies can change as you get more experience, just like a teaching career.
Teaching philosophies are crucial because they serve as a benchmark for teachers to assess their strategies. As you gain knowledge and develop, you can adapt your educational strategy using your philosophy as a guide. You might also wish to review your teaching philosophy statement frequently and make any necessary updates.
What makes a good teaching philosophy statement?
The following elements could be found in a teaching philosophy statement:
- A breakdown of the teaching techniques you employ
- Your principles as an educator
- Objectives you establish for yourself and your pupils
- A description of how your instruction has influenced your students.
- A list of your teaching certifications or grades
- An explanation of your process for evaluating students’ skills
- Samples of your course syllabuses
First-person expressions
Your teaching philosophy statement ought to be expressed in the first person, present tense. Consider stating, “I respond to students’ problems,” rather than, “Teachers ought to pay attention to students’ concerns.”
Introduction
Your teaching philosophy statement’s first paragraph should convey to the reader your core teaching philosophies and assumptions. Your introduction serves as the cornerstone upon which you build your particular tactics. Create your ideas for the beginning, and try to stay away from clichés. Describe your teaching goals, which could include the outcomes you want students to achieve from your lessons, interpersonal objectives, and how you see your place in a student’s life.
Your methods and approaches to teaching
After giving a brief introduction, you might discuss the educational approaches you think are best for achieving those criteria. You can elaborate on your methods regarding things like:
- Classroom administration
- The part technology plays in education
- Incorporating several teaching modalities
- Homework
- Participation of parents and family
- The function of administrators and teachers
- student opinions
- You can also outline the many kinds of tasks, games, and lessons you use in your classroom.
Proof of your strategies
If your teaching philosophy statement allows it, think about citing certain studies or theories that have influenced your instructional approaches. To inspire creativity, for instance, you may write, “I integrate significant amounts of time for alone time, as demonstrated by the 2016 study of Victoria Johnson.”
Conclusion
A paragraph that condenses your beliefs and guiding ideas might serve as the conclusion to your teaching philosophy statement.
You could additionally, if necessary, provide a few of the following as proof of your capacity to instruct well:
- Letters of recommendation
- Remarks made by students
- Teaching assessments
- Internet ratings
- Peer evaluations
- Teaching portfolio
Why is it crucial to have a teaching philosophy?
A teaching philosophy is essential because it provides a framework for selecting how you want to approach the subject matter while also outlining your expectations for yourself as a teacher in terms of your objectives, skills, and beliefs. Both new teachers and established professors can gain from considering and describing their teaching philosophies. Teachers who regularly update their teaching philosophies exhibit career and personal progress.
How to Create a Teaching Philosophy Statement
To compose your teaching philosophy statement, follow the following seven steps:
1. Keep your audience in mind
Write your teaching philosophy statement after first thinking about your audience and what might be most important to them. If you’re preparing a paper for an employment committee, keep in mind that they might be curious about your philosophy’s internal and outward coherence. For instance, they might inquire about your theoretical approach to teaching as well as the concrete techniques you employ when teaching to uphold your principles.
Be sure to research as you think about your audience. Different institutions have various demands. If the institution where you’d like to work has a specific mission, you might mention that in your mission statement. Even while your overarching teaching philosophy might not change, you might wish to adapt your teaching approach for this specific institution. To find information about the institution’s size and principles, carefully review its website.
2. Think of ideas
Think about your students going for summer vacation as the term comes to a close as you consider what should be included in your teaching philosophy. Consider what you’d like them to get from their interaction with you. Your teaching philosophy might explain what you hope your pupils will learn from you and the methods you’ll employ to make it happen.
3. Share a narrative
Make your remark engaging to capture your readers’ attention. One approach to do this is to tell a narrative about a time when you properly instructed your students and achieved your educational objective. Consider giving particular instances of the instructional strategies you frequently employ in the classroom in your tale.
4. Compose an introduction.
Your opening should include a statement about your overall educational philosophy that you can use to introduce your teaching philosophy. For instance, you can think that all kids deserve the chance to learn in a secure environment. You can also provide your reasoning for believing this if you have one.
5. Create the body.
Write about your ideal educational atmosphere in the body of your statement. Then, describe how it improves you as a teacher, attends to the unique needs of your pupils, and promotes parent-child contact. You can also list your objectives and goals as well as what you hope your instruction will help your students achieve.
6. Finish the statement.
Review your teaching objectives, how you’ve achieved them in the past, and how you want to improve upon them in the last portion. Talk about how you manage the classroom and teach, alongside what you think sets you apart. You can also wish to include any plans you have to enhance your studies to develop your talents.
7. List your references
Describe how you got to employ those particular classroom tactics in your teaching philosophy. You can tell your readers, for instance, whether you obtained certain skills through a mentor, the information you saw online or from a book, or any other source. Inform your audience if your plan was inspired by anything you read and then customized it for your own needs.
How to write your teaching philosophy
You can utilize the following additional advice to construct your teaching philosophy statement:
- Use plain wording. Use simple, jargon-free language that is plain and succinct.
- Use a simple framework. Make the document easy for readers to browse by using short paragraphs and headings.
- Consider your teaching style. While the emphasis of your philosophy statement should be how you educate, that of your resume or curriculum vitae should be on what you have accomplished.
- Pay close attention to the prerequisites. If there are any length restrictions, make a note of them.
- Proofread thoroughly. To find any potential typos or run-on sentences, thoroughly proofread the philosophical statement.
Examples of a teaching philosophy statement
Your approach to education is special to you. The structure and tone should be adaptable and represent your personal goals. You can use the following examples of teaching philosophies as a guide when creating your own:
Example 1:
The classroom serves as a safe sanctuary from the outer world. Few places in their lives may provide a haven where they may concentrate on learning and growth instead of social pressure while my sixth-grade kids are learning so much about themselves.
Despite ethnic, economic, and developmental inequalities, I encourage my pupils to treat one another as equal peers by challenging social structures and expectations in the classroom. This method includes group projects, partner work, and multi-faceted tasks with technological, written, and oral components. Every student has an equal chance of succeeding. I adhere to the guidelines outlined in Dr. Hugh Marron’s research paper, “Diverse Methods for Success in Diverse Student Populations.”
To address their issues and assess their progress, my students have monthly conferences where they get individualized feedback. These talks frequently uncover issues with students that cannot be determined by test results alone. Together, we develop customized, focused strategies that are tailored to meet their specific educational needs.
I want to expose fresh ideas to my pupils as they come into my class while also motivating them to create their own. If they efficiently utilize their voice, develop empathy for others, and exhibit the major ideas of our year’s educational agenda when they leave, I will consider my efforts successful.
Example 2:
I firmly believe that educators must demand nothing less from their charges. This optimizes the advantages of a self-fulfilling prophecy and motivates the students to think well of themselves in turn. Students will succeed if they persevere and work hard, in my opinion. I try to enter the classroom every day with a good outlook, an open mind, and high aspirations for my kids. Teaching is an ongoing cycle of learning from learners, coworkers, and parents. I feel a responsibility to my kids to model those qualities in a warm, consistent manner.
I chose to become a teacher in part because I want to have a positive influence on children’s lives. I can’t think of a more fulfilling career than teaching to make a difference in my community. Being a sixth-generation teacher, I was raised in a setting that valued education as a necessary component of a bright future.
Small-group instruction and one-on-one instruction are both a part of my teaching approach. This, in my opinion, provides each student with the protection and security of a good learning environment while enabling them to incorporate knowledge into a useful framework. I work hard to continue being a steadfast, caring support for the students, inspiring them to give it their all while getting acquainted with them and what they like to learn.
My pupils must believe that they are important, that their ideas and opinions are worthwhile, and that it is safe for them to voice them. Therefore, to develop an atmosphere of collaborative learning for our students, I think the faculty, parents, and school community must collaborate.
To sum up, my main objective as a teacher is to give each student tailored teaching that is of the highest caliber and meets their specific needs. My goal is to provide a stimulating learning atmosphere where my children feel protected and safe. I want to be remembered as a kind, pleasant person who had a genuine enthusiasm for teaching by both other teachers and my pupils.
Example 3:
I was raised in a rigid, repressive setting that disapproved of individuality. This idea is flatly rejected in the way I teach. My students are valuable to me because they are complete human beings with legitimate needs, interests, and feelings.
However, compared to the life skills I attempt to instill in my ninth-grade students, the pre-algebra abilities I teach are secondary. My pupils are eager and apprehensive to embrace secondary school and everything it has to offer as freshmen. My duties must therefore include guiding them toward things that will enrich their lives and help them develop their identities.
I set aside ten minutes after each lesson for free-flowing discussion, which is frequently sparked by newsworthy events, popular culture, or a hypothetical query I ask the class. My favorite time of the day is spent on these fascinating forums. Even now, nine years after I started teaching, I am frequently taken aback by my pupils’ perspectives. The “open 10s” inspired a passion, gave constancy, and continued to be their favorite aspect of secondary school, according to the dozens of kids who contacted me after graduation.
I use practical examples of subjects during class and urge students to create their real-world examples based on their interests and curiosities. I try to infuse students’ unique perspectives and creative thinking into what many students find to be a dull and uninteresting subject.
I think that even within a narrow range of academic subject matter, it is my responsibility to educate pupils on more than just math. My job is to give children the confidence they need to own their personalities, express their uniqueness, and become independent.
Example 4:
In the words of Christine Gregoire, “Education is the foundation upon which we build our future.” Daily in the classroom, I strive to keep this in mind. For these young students, elementary school is a crucial starting point, thus I must provide them with a good learning environment that exposes them to a variety of concepts, abilities, and duties.
The knowledge that my students will need daily in the future is dependent upon me. My main goal is to assist each child in realizing their maximum potential by providing devoted reading and writing instruction. These abilities are necessary for any discipline, passion, and career, and the earlier pupils learn them, the better their chance of success in the future. I use the conventional approach Cynthia Greene advocated in her 2017 research of first- and second-graders, which encourages independent effort, ample constructive criticism, and peer reviews.
The young people in my class have the key to our society’s destiny. It gives me great pleasure to assist in developing those people into tomorrow’s competent, assured, and well-prepared leaders.
Conclusion
In conclusion, crafting a compelling Teaching Philosophy statement requires thoughtful reflection, effective communication, and a clear vision of your educational values and goals. By considering your teaching experiences, educational philosophy, and desired impact on students, you can articulate a statement that showcases your passion, expertise, and commitment to student learning. Remember to use concrete examples, provide evidence of your teaching effectiveness, and demonstrate your ongoing professional development. A well-crafted Teaching Philosophy statement will not only convey your teaching approach but also set you apart as a dedicated and innovative educator. As you embark on this process, embrace the opportunity to share your unique perspective and inspire others with your enthusiasm for teaching and learning.
Frequently Asked Questions about a Teaching Philosophy Statement
- What is a Teaching Philosophy statement?
A Teaching Philosophy statement is a concise and reflective document that outlines your beliefs, values, and approach to teaching. It provides a clear picture of your teaching style, goals, and the strategies you employ to facilitate student learning.
- How do I start writing my Teaching Philosophy statement?
Begin by reflecting on your teaching experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. Consider your educational philosophy, teaching methods, and the impact you aim to have on your students. Brainstorm key ideas and examples that exemplify your teaching approach and philosophy.
- How long should my Teaching Philosophy statement be?
While there is no strict length requirement, it is generally recommended to keep your statement concise and focused. Aim for one to two pages, ensuring that each paragraph or section contributes to a cohesive and impactful narrative.
- What should I include in my Teaching Philosophy statement?
Your Teaching Philosophy statement should include an introduction that captures your overall teaching philosophy and goals, specific examples of teaching strategies you employ, and evidence of your impact on student learning. Consider addressing your beliefs about student engagement, assessment, classroom management, and fostering inclusivity and diversity.
- How can I make my Teaching Philosophy statement stand out?
To make your Teaching Philosophy statement stand out, be authentic and specific. Use concrete examples to illustrate your teaching methods and how they have positively impacted students. Additionally, connect your philosophy to the institution or discipline you are applying to, showcasing how your values align with their educational goals and values.
Remember, writing a Teaching Philosophy statement is a personal and introspective process. Take the time to reflect on your teaching experiences, seek feedback from colleagues or mentors, and revise your statement until it accurately represents your teaching approach and aspirations.