tep teaching philosophy statement_sp16.pdf

Wri$ngaStatementofTeachingPhilosophy

JasonSchreiner,FacultyConsultantTeachingEffec$venessProgram

UniversityofOregon6-3484*[email protected]

tep.uoregon.edu

1

StatementofTeachingPhilosophyAnarra4vedescrip4onofone’sconcep4onofteaching,includingthera4onaleforone’steachingmethods.

Teachersopenthedoor.Youenterbyyourself.-ChineseProverb

Source:BeaRy,Leigh,andDean(2009b),p.100.

2JasonSchreiner,UOTeachingEffec$venessProgram-2015

StatementofTeachingPhilosophy

Narra4veDescrip4on

–  Expressestheprocessofreflec$ononteachingandlearning,i.e.one’sself-awarenessasateacherandone’sawarenessofstudentsandtheirlearning



Concep4onofTeaching&Ra4onale

– Makesexplicittheunderlyingvalue(s)thatinspire&mo$vateoneasateacherandtheoverarchinggoal(s)toachieveorbecomeinandthroughteachingandlearning



TeachingMethods– Makesexplicittheprocessesormethodsthroughwhichoneandone’sstudentsembody&enactvaluesandaRaingoalsintheclassroom/course


Philosophy“Anyonesecngouttoteachhasaphilosophyofteaching.

Philosophydoesnotimplyanythingesotericorgrand.

Philosophymeansonlythosethingsweholdtobetrueabout

students,abouttheprocessofteaching,andaboutwhatwe

shouldbedoingtoteachwell.Nothingsocomplexand

unpredictableasteachingshouldbedonewithoutthinking

aboutit.Anditisfromthinkingaboutit,andseeingwhatothers

havethoughtandsaidaboutit,aswellasactuallydoingit,thata

philosophyofteachingdevelops.”

Source:Leamnson,Robert.1999.ThinkingAboutTeachingandLearning:DevelopingHabitsofLearningwithFirstYearCollegeandUniversityStudents.Sterling,VA:StylusPublishing,LLC,pp.viii-ix.


Philosophy

Mostfundamentally:

Whatisyourconcep$onofagreatteacher,andwhatareyoudoingtobecomeone?


Philosophy

Moregenerally:– WhydoIteach?– Whatismo$va$ngaboutmysubject/discipline?–  HowdoIconveymypassionforthesubject?– WhatamItryingtoaccomplishinmyteaching?–  Howaremyapproachestoteachingareflec$onofwhoIthinkIam,ofwhoIthinkmystudentsare?

–  Underwhatcondi$onsdostudentsbestlearn?– WhatgoalsdoIsetformystudents?

Adaptedfrom:Johnston(2008).


TeachingInventories

Thefollowingonlineques$onnairesmaybehelpfulins$mula$ngthinkingaboutyourteachingphilosophyandmethods:

TeachingGoalsInventoryhRp://fm.iowa.uiowa.edu/fmi/xsl/tgi/data_entry.xsl?-db=tgi_data&-lay=Layout01&-view

TeachingPerspec$vesInventoryhRp://www.teachingperspec$ves.com/

TeachingStyleInventoryhRp://longleaf.net/teachingstyle.html

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JasonSchreiner,UOTeachingEffec$venessProgram-2015

Statement

Subject/discipline-specificvs.generalized(recommenda$on:bespecifictoyourdisciplineinhowyouwordyourlearninggoalsandthemethodsyouuse;includeappropriatesubjectcontentreferencesinyourexamples,e.g.referencekeytextsorsubjectstaughtinyourfield)

Personalizedstylevs.formalstyle(recommenda$on:bepersonableunlessyourdisciplineortheins$tu$ontowhichyouareapplyingisquiteformal)

Personalversionvs.officialversion(personal=anylength,justwrite,write,writewhatyouneedtosay)(officialversionforapplica$ons=1-2pages)

also:considera“syllabusversion”foryourstudents(somethingshortonyourapproach toteaching)

Concise:1-2pages(~800-1200words)note:thebeststatementswillrequiretwopages;increasingly,though,applicantsareencounteringone-pagelimitsSpecificity–useconcreteexamplesfromtheclassroom(esp.whendiscussingmethods)

10


ResearchShows…

Successfulstatementshavethesequali$es:– Specificity– Evidenceofdedica$ontoteaching–  Indicatewri$ngandcommunica$onskills– Demonstratethoughvulreflec$ononone’steaching

– Evidenceofstudent-centeredmethods– Conveyamatchbetweenapplicantandhiringins$tu$on

Source:Bruff(2007).11


Remember…

Thestatementisanarra$vedescrip$on

Asyouwrite,youmightthinkintermsofthisques$on:

–  “Ifsomeonelookedintomyclassroom,whatwould

onesee?”

Forexample,apersonwon’tseea“student-centeredclassroom,”apersonwillsee:“studentsworkinsmallgroupsofthreetoiden4fytheterms

HurstonusesinTheirEyesWereWatchingGod,totransformahurricane

intoa‘monstropolousbeast,’andthentheydescribetheparallelswith

termsusedinnewsaccountsofHurricaneKatrina.”


StatementElements

5ImportantCategories

–  Learninggoals:discipline-specificknowledge,skills,actudesthatareimportantforstudents’academic,personal&professionalsuccess

–  Teachingmethods:specificteachingmethods&howtheycontributetostudents’accomplishmentoflearninggoals&howtheyalignwithstudentexpecta$ons&needs

–  Learningassessment:specifictoolsusedtoassessstudentlearning&descrip$onsofhowthesetoolsfacilitatestudentachievementoflearninggoals

–  Teachingassessment:strengthsandareasforimprovementofone’steachingbasedonevidence,alongwithplansforcon$nuingdevelopment

–  LearningEnvironment:specificwaysdiverseiden$$es,experiences,knowledges,etc.areaccountedforandintegratedintoteachingmethods


StatementFormat

(possibleapproaches)

Five-ParagraphEssay

GreatMoments

GreatandNot-So-GreatMoments

TheStory

TheMetaphor

Forspecifics,seeKearnsandSullivan(2011),p.140


Tips:ConsiderYourAudience•  Willthiscandidatebeabletohandletheteachingresponsibili$esofthejob?

•  Doesherapproachtoteachingsuggestthatshewouldbeagood“fit”forourdepartmentandourstudents?

•  Doesthiscandidatewanttoteach?Ifso,why?

•  IfIweretostepintoaclassroomandobservethiscandidateteaching,whatwouldIsee?

Source:Wri$ngaTeachingPhilosophyStatement,WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis 15


Tips:ConsiderYourAudience•  Howdothiscandidate’sresearchinterestsshapeherteaching?

•  Whatwillthiscandidateaddtoourdepartment?Whatwillourstudentsgainfromhisclasses?Whatwillourdepartmentgainintermsofspecificcourses,newopportuni$esforstudentstodeveloptheirskillsandknowledge,andinteres$ngpedagogicalapproaches?

•  Howdoesthiscandidaterespondtotheperennialchallengesofteaching,suchasmo$va$ngstudentstolearn,evalua$ngstudentwork,maintaininghighstandardsintheclassroom,andjugglingteachingwithotherresponsibili$esweexpectfacultytofulfill?

Source:Wri$ngaTeachingPhilosophyStatement,WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis 16JasonSchreiner,UOTeachingEffec$venessProgram-2015

Tips:StandOutfromtheCrowd!

BeginwiththeEnd

–  Inwhatwayisastudentleavingmyclassdifferentthanfromtheonewhoenteredonthefirstday?

MakeDis4nc4ons(iftheyexist…)

– Notedifferencesintypesofclassestaught:differentobjec$ves,methods,etc.

Source:Lang(2010).17


Tips:StandOutfromtheCrowd!

BeSpecific

– Tellastoryortwoabouthowyourobjec$vesormethodshaveplayedoutintheclassroom

NoteYourSources

– Wheredidyourphilosophyorideasaboutteachingcomefrom?

Source:Lang(2010).18


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StatementsofteachingphilosophysubmiRedfortheKimbleFirst-Year

TeachingAwardwillbeassessedaccordingtothefollowingcriteria:

o  Thestatementoffersatleastoneormoreclear,compellinggoalsforstudentlearning.(Studentlearninggoalscanbeformulatedbyansweringques$onssuchas“Whatknowledge,skills,andactudesimportantforstudentsinyourdiscipline?”“Whatareyoupreparingstudentsfor?”“Whatarethekeychallengesoftheteaching-learningprocess?”)

o  Thestatementclearlyconnectsthear$culatedstudentlearninggoalswithspecificmethods,ac$vi$es,andassessmentsthatareimagina$veandsound,andhaveaclearra$onale.

o  Thestatementdemonstrateschangeinteachingprac$ceover$meoriden$fiesplansforfuturechange.(Changeover$mecanbedemonstratedbyansweringques$onssuchas“Howistheinstructorreflec$ngandac$ngontrendsinstudentperformanceandfeedback,oronpeer,departmental,campus-wide,orna$onalconversa$onsaboutteachingandlearningtoenhancethelearningexperienceforstudents?”)

o  Thestatementisrhetoricallycompelling,givesasenseoftheinstructor’spar$cularperspec$veandpersona,andofferswell-chosen,specificexamples.

Possible Components Excellent Needs work Weak

Goals for student learning:

What knowledge, skills, and attitudes are

important for student success in your discipline?

What are you preparing students for? What are

key challenges in the teaching-learning process?

Goals are clearly articulated and specific and

go beyond the knowledge level, including

skills, attitudes, career goals, etc. Goals are

sensitive to the context of the instructor’s

discipline. They are concise but not

exhaustive.

Goals are articulated although they

may be too broad or not specific to the

discipline. Goals focus on basic

knowledge, ignoring skills acquisition

and affective change.

Articulation of goals is

unfocused, incomplete, or

missing.

Enactment of goals (teaching methods):

What teaching methods do you use? How do

these methods contribute to your goals for

students? Why are these methods appropriate

for use in your discipline?

Enactment of goals is specific and thoughtful.

Includes details and rationale about teaching

methods. The methods are clearly connected to

specific goals and are appropriate for those

goals. Specific examples of the method in use

within the disciplinary context are given.

Description of teaching methods not

clearly connected to goals or if

connected, not well developed (seems

like a list of what is done in the

classroom). Methods are described but

generically, no example of the

instructor’s use of the methods within

the discipline is communicated.

Enactment of goals is not

articulated. If there is an

attempt at articulating teaching

methods, it is basic and

unreflective.

Assessment of goals (measuring student

learning):

How do you know your goals for students are

being met? What sorts of assessment tools do

you use (e.g., tests, papers, portfolios, journals),

and why? How do assessments contribute to

student learning? How do assessments

communicate disciplinary priorities?

Specific examples of assessment tools are

clearly described. Assessment tools are

aligned with teaching goals and teaching

methods. Assessments reinforce the priorities

and context of the discipline both in content

and type.

Assessments are described, but not in

connection to goals and teaching

methods. Description is too general,

with no reference to the motivation

behind the assessments. There is no

clear connection between the

assessments and the priorities of the

discipline.

Assessment of goals is not

articulated or mentioned only

in passing.

Creating an inclusive learning environment,

addressing one or more of the following

questions:

•How do your own and your students’ identities

(e.g., race, gender, class), background,

experience, and levels of privilege affect the

classroom?

•How do you account for diverse learning

styles?

•How do you integrate diverse perspectives into

your teaching?

Portrays a coherent philosophy of inclusive

education that is integrated throughout the

philosophy. Makes space for diverse ways of

knowing, and/or learning styles. Discussion of

roles is sensitive to historically

underrepresented students. Demonstrates

awareness of issues of equity within the

discipline.

Inclusive teaching is addressed but in a

cursory manner or in a way that

isolates it from the rest of the

philosophy. Author briefly connects

identity issues to aspects of his/her

teaching.

Issues of inclusion are not

addressed or addressed in an

awkward manner. There is no

connection to teaching

practices.

Structure, rhetoric and language:

How is the reader engaged? Is the language

used appropriate to the discipline? How is the

statement thematically structure?

The statement has a guiding structure and/or

theme that engages the reader and organizes

the goals, methods, and assessments

articulated in the statement. Jargon is avoided

and teaching terms (e.g., critical thinking) are

given specific definitions that apply to the

instructor’s disciplinary context. Specific, rich

examples are used to bolster statements of

goals, methods, and assessments. Grammar

and spelling are correct.

The statement has a structure and/or

theme that is not connected to the

ideas actually discussed in the

statement, or, organizing structure is

weak and does not resonate within the

disciplinary context. Examples are

used but seem generic. May contain

some jargon.

No overall structure present.

Statement is a collection of

disconnected statements about

teaching. Jargon is used

liberally and not supported by

specific definitions or

examples. Needs much

revision.

Rubric for Statements of Teaching Philosophy developed by Matt Kaplan, Chris O’Neal, Debbie Meizlish, Rosario Carillo,

and Diana Kardia Source:hRp://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/onedayPFF2005/TeachingPhilosophyRubric.pdf

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StatementofTeachingPhilosophyWorksheet

JasonSchreiner,UniversityofOregonTeachingEffectivenessProgram*Spring2016 1

BasicConceptionsofTeachingWhydoIteach?

Whatdoesgoodteachingmeantome?

Whatdoeseffectivelearningmeantome?

DoIhaveaparticularteachingstyleorapproach?Ifso,howwouldIdescribeit?

Whatmakesmeuniqueasateacher?

WhatdoIexpectfromstudents?Whatcanmystudentsexpectfromme?

WhyamIsopassionateaboutmydiscipline(orfield,profession,etc.)?

GoalsforstudentlearningWhatknowledge,skills,andattitudesareimportantforstudentsuccessinmydiscipline?Instudents’

livesingeneral?

WhatamIpreparingstudentsfor?

Whatarekeychallengesintheteaching-learningprocess?


Enactmentofgoals(teachingmethods)WhatteachingmethodsdoIuse?Whatstrategiesmaketeachingandlearninginmydisciplinecometo

life?

Howdothesemethodscontributetomylearninggoalsforstudents?

Whyarethesemethodsappropriateforuseinmydiscipline?

Assessmentofgoals(measuringstudentlearning)HowdoIknowmylearninggoalsforstudentsarebeingmet?

WhatsortsofassessmenttoolsdoIuse(e.g.,tests,papers,portfolios,journals),andwhy?

Howdotheseassessmentscontributetostudentlearning?Howdotheseassessmentscommunicate

disciplinarypriorities?

Creatinganinclusivelearningenvironment,addressingthefollowingquestions:Howdoesmyownandmystudents’identities(e.g.,race,gender,class),backgrounds,experiences,

andlevelsofprivilegeaffecttheclassroom?

HowdoIintegratediverseperspectivesintomyteaching?

HowdoIintegratetechnologyinmyclassroom?


TrainingandResearchonTeachingandLearningHowdoIincludereferencetoprofessionaldevelopmentasateacher(e.g.training,workshops,etc.)?

HowdoIincludereferencestoresearchI’vedoneonteachingandlearning?

Structure,rhetoricandlanguageHowisthereaderofmystatementengaged?DoIuseaparticularthematicstructureorformat,such

asastoryormetaphor?

IsthelanguageIuseappropriatetomydiscipline,fieldorprofession?Forthespecificinstitutionor

committeetowhichIamsubmittingthestatement?

Exercises2to2get2started…2

philosophy of teaching while addressing the essential ques-tions. During workshops and one-on-one sessions, we encour-age graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to jot downideas, keywords, and phrases for three or four exercises thatfeel accessible as teaching statement formats. Writers thenexplore these ideas further by talking with another workshopparticipant or with the consultant. On their own time, thewriters fill out their thoughts into complete sentences andcohesive paragraphs using one of those formats.

Structural analysis of sample teaching statements and exer-cises complement the workshop handout as processes formentoring graduate students and postdoctoral fellows as theycompose and revise their own statements. Graduate students inthe Health Sciences Pedagogy course found the most valuableaspects of the teaching philosophy statement workshop to bethe “worksheets to help jumpstart writing” and “discussion ofpractical ways to approach writing the teaching philosophy.”Similarly, another graduate student explained that these exam-ples, guides, and discussion helped her better organize herteaching statement: “Now the philosophy is much more the-matically cohesive than initially, and I think it is clear from thephilosophy what I care about in the classroom. I don’t think Ihad that strength in my original versions.”

Providing feedback. Even after writers have put their ideasinto sentences and paragraphs, a mentored writing process cansupport all aspects of revision: content, organization, style, andediting. On our campus, peers and faculty mentors, especially

those associated with discipline-based pedagogy courses, pro-vide guidance within the discipline. Outside the discipline,graduate students and postdoctoral fellows can receive feed-back from instructional consultants and trained graduate writ-ing tutors from the writing program on our campus, whichprovides repeated one-on-one consultations. These tutors areenrolled in graduate programs throughout campus and havebeen trained to provide tutoring on general writing as well astutoring on how to write a teaching statement. Our teachingsupport center also facilitates interdisciplinary writing groupsas an opportunity for peer evaluation and support. Composedof no more than six graduate students, each group usuallymeets every other week, three to four times in total. Manygraduate students take advantage of both the writing groups aswell as multiple individualized feedback sessions with consul-tants or tutors while composing and revising their teachingstatements.

Whether in one-on-one settings or in groups, our feedback towriters emphasizes the qualities of effective statements asdescribed by search committees, including evidence of prac-tice, student centeredness, enthusiasm for teaching, thoughtfulreflection, and clear writing (8, 19). Therefore, when providingfeedback on a first draft, we follow a similar process to the onemodeled in our workshops. We offer encouragement on thequestions about the writer’s teaching that were answered well,and we identify two or three questions from the essential list ofquestions (Table 2) that the writer might address in a revision.

Table 4. Summary of teaching philosophy statement writing exercises from the Center for Teaching Excellence of DuquesneUniversity

Teaching philosphy writing matrix

Consider your beliefs, practices, and future goals in relation to several aspects of teaching: who the learners are, the student-student and student-teacherrelationships, the knowledge and skills needed in the field, the methods to impart the knowledge and skills, and the evidence that students are learning.[From Ref. 24.]

Critical moments exercise

Describe three to four critical moments in your courses (e.g., the first day of class, the first “stupid” question, the first exam, and/or the first time the classunderstands a complex problem), reflecting on how you prepared students for that moment, how you responded to the students during that criticalmoment, and how you might respond differently when the situation arises again. [From Ref. 12a.]

The four-paragraph model

In four separate paragraphs, describe the following [from Campus Instructional Consulting, Indiana University]:1. Why do you teach? Where do you get your passion for teaching?2. What techniques or practices do you use in the classroom to encourage student learning? Name one or two key assignments that you give yourstudents that you think make the biggest impact on their learning.3. How do you know your students are getting it? What evidence of learning might you present to a search committee?4. What aspects of your teaching are you working on now? What current learning problems are your students encountering, and how are you trying toease those difficulties?

The teaching cube

Describe the following six facets of your teaching [adapted by Gail Goodyear, Center for Effective Teaching and Learning, University of Texas:http://www.utep.edu/cetal/portfoli/cube.htm]:

•Learn (What motivates you to learn in this discipline? Why have you chosen your discipline?)•Act (What happens when you teach? What do you do?)•Difference (Why does what you do in your teaching make a difference in the lives of others? Why is it relevant?)•Values (What values do you impart to your students and why?)•Setting [Why do you develop the learning environment(s) and relationship(s) with students that you do?]•Enjoy (What are your favorite statements to make about teaching? Why are they your favorites?)

Self-reflective interview exercise

In a creative writing exercise, imagine that you are being interviewed for a magazine article about effective teachers. The following are examples ofquestions you might address: What is a “personal best” achievement for you as a teacher during the past year? How does your teaching reflect the bestteacher you have ever known? What of your worst qualities as a teacher would you throw away? If you wrote a book about teaching, what would thetitle be? What three points about instruction would you make? [From Ref. 12a.]

How We Teach141MENTORING TEACHING STATEMENT DEVELOPMENT

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TeachingPhilosophyStatementsHelpfulArticlesBeatty,J.E.,Leigh,J.S.A.,&Dean,K.L.(2009a).Findingourroots:Anexerciseforcreatingapersonalteachingphilosophystatement.JournalofManagementEducation,33(1),115-130.jme.sagepub.com/content/33/1/115.full.pdf+html

Beatty,J.E.,Leigh,J.S.A.,&Dean,K.L.(2009b).Philosophyrediscovered:Exploringtheconnectionsbetweenteachingphilosophies,educationalphilosophies,andphilosophy.JournalofManagementEducation,33(1),99-114.jme.sagepub.com/cgi/rapidpdf/1052562907310557v1.pdf Chapnick,A.(2009).Howtowriteaphilosophyofteachingandlearningstatement.PhilosophyofTeachingStatements:ExamplesandTipsonHowtoWriteaTeachingPhilosophyStatement.FacultyFocusSpecialReport.Madison,WI:MagnaPublications,Inc.(availableasa.pdfwithmembershipatwww.facultyfocus.com)Johnston,K.(2008).Creatingateachingphilosophyyoucanuse:Gettingstarted!MSUTeachingAssistantPrograms.tap.msu.edu/workshops/docs/teachingphilosophygeneral2010bib.pdf Kearns,K.,&Sullivan,C.S.(2011).Resourcesandpracticestohelpgraduatestudentsandpostdoctoralfellowswritestatementsofteachingphilosophy.AdvancesinPhysiologicalEducation,35(2),136-145.http://advan.physiology.org/content/35/2/136.full.pdf+htmlKearns,K.,Sullivan,C.S.,O’Loughlin,V.D.,&Braun,M.(2010).Ascoringrubricforteachingstatements:atoolforinquiryintograduatestudentwritingaboutteachingandlearning.JournalofExcellenceinCollegeTeaching,21(1),73-96.https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2022/6804/final%20teaching%20statement%20rubric.pdf?sequence=1Lang,J.(2010).4stepstoamemorableteachingphilosophy.TheChronicleofHigherEducation,August29,http://chronicle.com/article/4-Steps-to-a-Memorable/124199/Montell,G.(2003).Howtowriteastatementofteachingphilosophy.TheChronicleofHigherEducation,March27,http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Write-a-Statement-of/45133HelpfulWebsitesTeachingStrategies:TheTeachingPhilosophy/TeachingStatement(UniversityofMichigan)http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts.phpWritingaTeachingPhilosophyStatement(WashingtonUniversityinSt.Louis)http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/writing-teaching-philosophy-statementWritingaPhilosophyofTeachingStatement(OhioStateUniversity)http://ucat.osu.edu/professional-development/teaching-portfolio/philosophy/ GuidanceonWritingaPhilosophyofTeachingStatement(OhioStateUniversity)http://ucat.osu.edu/professional-development/teaching-portfolio/philosophy/guidance/

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