Writing Your Teaching Philosophy Statement, Exercises of Philosophy

Writing Your Teaching Philosophy Statement

In your teaching philosophy statement, you must show a selection committee that you’ll be able to fulfill

the teaching components of graduate school or the teaching position you’re applying for. In this handout,

you will learn some strategies for writing your teaching philosophy.

COMPOSITION EXAMPLE

I believe that good writing, like learning, is inherently social: we write with an audience

in mind, in response to what others have written. Thus, as a composition instructor, my

primary goal is to help students plan, write, and revise with an eye toward the reader.

The concept of audience informs all aspects of my classroom practice, from physi-

constraints about what they think is possible. This technological-innovative approach

is embodied in my pairing of class instruction and assignments. For example, when

instructing my students on supramolecular engineering, I combine direct instruction

of electrophoretic techniques with “recommendation exercises” in which students are

asked to provide suggestions about how these techniques could be applied to improve

real world water treatment systems.

1. Express your teaching goals and the methods you use to achieve them.

What do you want students to get out of your class and how do you achieve those outcomes? To an-

swer this question, you usually have to explain how you think learning happens, using teaching theory.

To learn more about teaching theory, refer to the following Eberly Center resources.

Teachingmethodused

toachievegoals

Teachingmethodused

toachievegoal

2. Use specific examples to show that you’ve reflected on your teaching practices.

You should showcase your teaching experience but also demonstrate to the committee that you’ve

carefully thought out the teaching practices you use. You should explain that you’re always looking for

ways to improve your teaching practices.