1. Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning
Statements of Teaching Philosophy: Critical Reflection about Teaching Practice
Katie Kearns
Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning

2. Goals for today
Know about the genre expectations of a statement of teaching philosophy
Acquire strategies for reading effectively and producing persuasively in the genre
Have ideas and motivation to get started writing

3. About the genre of the teaching statement
ROLE/PURPOSE – why?
AUDIENCE – who?
FORMAT – how?
TASK – what?

4. What brings you here today?
I am applying for a job:
This fall?
Next fall?
A couple years from now?
I am applying for a fellowship or award
I have a course assignment

5. Why develop a teaching statement and portfolio?
Extrinsic factors
To highlight important aspects of your teaching
To indicate you are ready for an academic job
Intrinsic factors
To improve your teaching through reflection

6. Which institutions ask for a teaching statement?
Doctoral
Master’s
Bachelor’s
% requesting teaching statement during hiring process
54%
62%
Humanities
Social Sciences
Natural Sciences
% requesting teaching statement during hiring process
50%
80%
Kaplan et al. (2007) To Improve the Academy 26:
Campus Instructional Consulting

7. About the genre of the teaching statement
ROLE/PURPOSE – why?
AUDIENCE – who?
FORMAT – how?
TASK – what?

8. What is teaching effectiveness?

9. What is the PURPOSE of a statement of teaching philosophy?
Scholarly analysis of your teaching
Thesis: What do you want students to learn to do? How do you design, implement, and assess for those outcomes? What have you learned?
I’m a good teacher
My students do cool stuff
(because I make rational, intentional instructional choices)

10. What kind of writing is a teaching statement?
Persuasive
convincing, justifying, reasoning
Expository
explaining how to
Descriptive
visualizing, specific
Narrative
telling a story, beginnings/endings
Reflective
learning from an experience, connecting theory and practice

11. About the genre of the teaching statement
ROLE/PURPOSE – why?
AUDIENCE – who?
FORMAT – how?
TASK – what?

12. Analysis of a statement of teaching philosophy
Beyond the content, what do you notice about the ORGANIZATION and LAYOUT of the document?
What do you KNOW about this instructor’s teaching?
How do they DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, ASSESS, and REFLECT on their teaching?
What do you INFER about this instructor’s teaching?
What do you WONDER about this instructor’s teaching?
Campus Instructional Consulting

13. About the genre of the teaching statement
ROLE/PURPOSE – why?
AUDIENCE – who?
FORMAT – how?
TASK – what?

14. FORMAT of a teaching statement
Typical page length
Organization of document
Organization within paragraphs

15. About the genre of the teaching statement
ROLE/PURPOSE – why?
AUDIENCE – who?
FORMAT – how?
TASK – what?

16. What questions does a teaching statement address?
Design: Learning goals
What do you want students to know, do, and appreciate about your discipline?
Implement: Teaching methods
How does your course design help students achieve these goals?
Assess: Assessment of student learning
How do you know students have achieved these learning goals?
Reflect: Reflection on teaching
What aspect of your teaching would you like to work on?

17. Nature of evidence in teaching and learning
Student performance
Ethnographic data
Quantitative and qualitative
Observations of behavior
Formal and informal
Artifacts of teaching
Examples: papers, exams, quizzes, minute papers
Teacherly reflections
Student surveys
Knowledge and skills
Experiences
Perceptions and feedback
Seldin, P The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions, 3rd edition.

18. What do search committees want to KNOW from a teaching statement?
Evidence of teaching practice
Vivid and specific descriptions of moments in your classes
Your ability to design, implement, and assess learning in different contexts
Kaplan et al. (2007) To Improve the Academy 26:
Bruff (2007) Notices of the AMS 54(10):
Campus Instructional Consulting

19. What do search committees INFER from a teaching statement?
Student centered teaching
Reflective and thoughtful practice
Valuing of teaching
Communication skills
Match between the applicant and the institution
Kaplan et al. (2007) To Improve the Academy 26:
Bruff (2007) Notices of the AMS 54(10):
Campus Instructional Consulting

20. The teaching statement as elevator speech
Write about a key assignment or activity you use to encourage students’ critical thinking or another learning objective. Be prepared to share.

21. Common pitfalls with teaching statements
Is trite, formulaic, or cliché
Is preachy
Uses jargon (specialized words) or buzzwords (empty words)
Focuses on instructor’s personal qualities and attention to required duties of teaching
Has no overall theme
Includes too much
Has no plan for continued improvement
Does not balance or connect theory with practice
philosophical
practical

22. Next steps Learning more Getting feedback Getting Credit
CITL consultation
Writing Tutorial Services
Getting feedback
CITL: Portfolios, diversity statements
CIRTL: National STEM preparing future faculty program
Learning more
CITL’s Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship Program
College’s Graduate Area Teaching Certificate
Getting Credit

23. Teaching Portfolios: Documenting and reflecting on teaching practice
Katie Kearns, PhD
Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning

24. Teaching portfolio (dossier, “evidence of teaching effectiveness”)
Course portfolio
Investigation of one course and/or one teaching approach
Teaching portfolio (dossier, “evidence of teaching effectiveness”)
Summary of all courses

25. Two portfolio versions: Highlights and archives
Public
Highlights of selected materials
Private collection
Archive of everything

26. Sources of evidence for a statement of teaching philosophy
Seldin, P The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions, 3rd edition.
Campus Instructional Consulting

27. Example portfolio

28. Analysis of a teaching portfolio
What items are included in the portfolio?
How does the author help you navigate the portfolio?

29. Portfolio materials: Course descriptions
Level of course
Freshman/senior
Major/non-major
Size of class
Major topics covered
Major responsibilities
Designed syllabus?
Designed assessments (homework, in-class activities, quizzes, exams, papers)?
Format of responsibilities (lecture, discussion, problem session, grader) 29

30. Portfolio materials: Course materials
Syllabus
2-3 classes
Consider developing one for a course you have not taught yet
Course activities
1-2 activities per course
Sample student work
1-2 samples of graded work per course

31. Portfolio materials: Student evaluations
Kinds of evaluation data
Numerical ratings
Comments
What argument do you want to make?
Improvement over time
Success with certain classroom formats
lecture, discussion/lab, service-learning
Success with certain types of students
majors/non-majors, freshman/seniors
Success with certain content
survey courses, topic courses
Consideration: Summary of ratings vs. all ratings?

32. Portfolio materials: Student evaluations
Summary student evaluations
Graph or tabulate numerical ratings including a paragraph of analysis
Use 5-7 items from ratings
Include 1-2 global items from ratings
Group comments into 4 or 5 categories
Include one category addressing an area to work on
Include category descriptions (1-2 sentences)
Include 2-3 sample student comments supporting each category

33. Starting the teaching portfolio
Your teaching portfolio should be an argument that demonstrates your teaching effectiveness.
What is one piece of evidence that you might include in your portfolio?
How does this piece of evidence illustrate your teaching effectiveness?

34. Portfolio materials: Content Introductions
How does each piece of your portfolio support your argument for your teaching effectiveness?
Content Introductions should:
Explicitly connect each item to your argument of teaching effectiveness
Demonstrate your selection process
Be short ~ a 3-5 sentence paragraph will suffice
Serve as a “user friendly” guide for the reader

35. Process Summarize teaching responsibilities
Describe teaching philosophy, strategies, methodologies, and objectives
Select items for portfolio providing evidence from teaching philosophy
Prepare reflective statements about each item
Compile and arrange materials in order

36. Next steps Learning more Getting feedback Getting Credit
CITL consultation
Writing Tutorial Services
Getting feedback
CITL: Portfolios, diversity statements
CIRTL: National STEM preparing future faculty program
Learning more
CITL’s Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship Program
College’s Graduate Area Teaching Certificate
Getting Credit

37. Writing Process Reflection
How did you decide what evidence to show?
How did you make choices about showing breadth and depth of teaching experience?
What did the actual writing process look like? Brainstorming, drafting, outlining, revisions, peer-review?
How did you know this version was “good enough?”