A teaching philosophy is a written description that reflects your personal values and beliefs about teaching and provides examples of what you do in the classroom to support those beliefs. The philosophy is written as the speaker’s form of speech and should convey a professional image of your teaching. A teaching philosophy is a way to purposefully evaluate your teaching and helps to clarify your educational beliefs and values to your students, colleagues, and research or teaching award committees. A teaching philosophy is unique to each person and reflects contextual factors such as your major, personal teaching experiences, type of teaching, and program-related requirements.

The Importance of Writing a Teaching Philosophy

It is very helpful to reflect on your teaching, which gives you a better idea of your beliefs and strengths as a faculty member and ways in which you can improve your teaching practices over time. For example, if you are a proponent of collaborative learning, you might look for new approaches to group learning that will create a better and more effective learning experience for your students. You may also request a teaching philosophy for nominations for teaching awards.

Developing a Teaching Philosophy

The earlier you start thinking about your teaching philosophy, the easier it will be to formulate it. Once you have articulated your teaching ideas and practices as a faculty member, it will be easier to collect relevant examples of your teaching strategies and successes as you progress in your career. As you teach, keep a file that includes:

• How you activated your teaching ideas in your courses.
• How you developed your ideas about your teaching practices.
• What you did to change or improve your teaching practices.
• What new innovations you introduced to your teaching.

With this file in hand, it will be easy to compile or review your teaching philosophy, and include examples to illustrate how your teaching philosophy translates into effective classroom practices that facilitate students learning.

General guidelines for writing a teaching philosophy

A teaching philosophy is usually one to four pages long and covers three main areas (goals, methods, and assessment). It is a dynamic document that is subject to updates, and should change and evolve as you build your teaching experience.

• Keep your philosophy brief and eloquent.
• Use a narrative approach from your personal perspective.
• Keep it specific rather than abstract. Build your ideas in one or two solid examples.
• Don’t ignore your discipline. Explain how your field has evolved through teaching.
• Avoid rarely used terms and technical ones, as they can be distracting to some readers.
• Review. Teaching is an evolving and reflective process, and a teaching philosophy can be adaptable and changeable as necessary.

You can also submit your teaching philosophy for review by academic colleagues who may have other insights into what you can include. Also, you need to make sure that you are consistent with the expectations of your college or department (if found). For example, some departments might ask for:

• Your personal theory of learning
• Teaching objectives (what is to be learned)
• The role(s) and responsibility(s) of the student in the process
• The role(s) of the lecturer in the process
• A description of the variables that enhance learning

Components of a Teaching Philosophy

Common components of a teaching philosophy include:

• Your definition of good teaching, explaining why you developed or adopted that particular definition.
• A discussion of your teaching methods: How do you apply your definition of good teaching?
• A discussion of assessment and evaluation methods and a description of how they support your definition of good teaching.
• A description of your students, their most important learning goals, and the challenges they face.
• A description of your teaching goals: What content, skills, or values should students leave your class with? What are your goals for improving your teaching?

References

Center for Teaching and Learning , Centre for Teaching and Learning in Western University, Western University, accessed 1 November 2023, <https://teaching.uwo.ca/awardsdossiers/teachingphilosophy.html>.

Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching , Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Iowa State University, accessed 4 November 2023,  <https://www.celt.iastate.edu/instructional-strategies/document-your-teaching/writing-a-teaching-philosophy-statement> .

Office of Career and Professional Development, Career and Professional Development website, Cornell University, accessed 4 November 2023,<https://gradschool.cornell.edu/career-and-professional-development/pathways-to-success/prepare-for-your-career/take-action/teaching-philosophy-statement/>.

Center for Teaching, Center for Teaching website, Vanderbilt University, accessed 6 November 2023,<https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-statements/ >.