Teaching Philosophies

Most scholars approach teaching philosophies as a repository and a genuine reflection of:

• Your values and core beliefs related to teaching and learning in your courses
• A summarized description of your teaching practices, why you teach that way, and if/when/how those practices have evolved
• What courses you have taught, how many students have been in your classes, teaching support or instruction you have received over the years, what policies you have used in the classroom (referencing to examples of course syllabi), grade distribution (if relevant), and teaching evaluations
• What alternative/innovative approaches you have adopted into your courses, why you have adopted them, and what are the outcomes
• Any comments or reflections related to a difficult topic (to teach or to learn) and how this issue was addressed in the class
• The reasoning behind changes implemented in a course, in response to comments and feedback provided by students 
• A description of how these activities provide a contribution to the student's development, to the field, to the institution, and to the community
• Inclusion of relevant scholarly citations related to best practices in pedagogy, classroom management, teaching style, etc.

In conclusion, it may be a misnomer to call this document a philosophy, as it can be much more than this. Developing a teaching reflection or assessment can be a meaningful tool for your own faculty development and also serve as a useful evaluative tool for your annual evaluation and promotion processes.

If you want to start working on this document, consider using the resources from our Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation. In addition, we recommend reading this post about what a teaching philosophy is from the Office of Professional and Continuing Education at University of San Diego. It provides a series of prompts including basic aspects, skills, student advocacy, preservation in the classroom, learning and education, and goals. Moreover, the Graduate School at Cornell University provides an excellent series of components that they recommend addressing in teaching statements, summarized here:

• Teaching values, beliefs and goals (content mastery, engaged citizenry, individual fulfillment, critical thinking, problem solving, discovery and knowledge generation, teamwork, self-directed learning, experiential learning)
• What criteria are used to judge your teaching? (student-teaching roles and responsibilities, student-teacher interactions, inclusiveness, teaching methods, assessment of teaching, assessment of learning)
• How do you provide evidence of your teaching effectiveness? (peer review, students’ comments, ratings, portfolio, syllabi, teaching activities)