FLO MicroCourse: Write your teaching philosophy statement OER
Section outline
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Students mustMark as done
Facilitators: Sue Hellman and Sylvia Currie
Course written and designed by Sue Hellman
Writing a teaching philosophy statement is a complex task. The volume of 'how to' articles and samples available online can be overwhelming. In this course, you'll find a shortlist of resources organized into a process designed to move you from the initial step of collecting your thoughts to composing a first draft (at least) and receiving peer feedback. You can follow along sequentially or cherry pick topics and activities that best fit your needs. THANKS to those of you who have already completed the short survey. If you haven't already done so, it's not too late. No names will be made public.
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If you've made it this far in a week, congratulations are in order. Whether you use this section during or after the course, I encourage you to finish your revision and then share it with someone where you work.
Guidelines for Revising
O’Neal, Meizlish, and Kaplan. (U. of Michigan, 2007, pp. 3-7) suggest their rubric be used "as a starting point for revising first drafts of your philosophy. ... [It] consists of the following five categories:
- Goals for student learning
- Enactment of goals
- Assessment of goals
- Creating an inclusive learning environment
- Structure, rhetoric, and language
The first three categories of the rubric were purposefully framed to encourage instructors to think about the alignment of their goals, methods, and assessments. ... The fourth category reflects our belief that pedagogical practices that reach students at the margins of the classroom are beneficial for all students. ... The last category addresses some of the most common complaints search committee chairs voiced about teaching statements. Chairs complained about teaching jargon that alienates many readers and weak thematic structures that make reading difficult."
The rest of the article describes those categories in greater detail and also provides an FAQ section.
Will this be the last time I write a teaching philosophy?
"Teaching philosophies are becoming a common component of tenure and promotion packages at colleges and universities. If you continue in academia as a tenured or untenured faculty member, a teaching statement will likely be one of the ways in which your performance is assessed. Fortunately, having written one for the job search, you will have a head start. Remember, however, that the teaching philosophy is an evolving document, changing as you gain more experience as a teacher and your beliefs about effective teaching and learning evolve. Returning to the teaching philosophy statement throughout your career is a useful reflective exercise that can help to make your current teaching practice more explicit and deliberate" (U. of Michigan, 2007, p.6).
- Goals for student learning