Writing your teaching philosophy statement

When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. Many academic and educational jobs require applicants to submit a statement of teaching philosophy also sometimes referred to as a teaching statement.

This document outlines a teacher's beliefs about teaching and how they put those beliefs into practice in their pedagogy. A good teaching statement demonstrates what a teacher brings to the classroom—not only their qualifications and personality, but also specific examples of how they make their teaching align with their values.

So, what does a statement of teaching philosophy entail?

Teaching philosophy statement pdf

And in making connections between theory and practice—in other words, in giving the what , how, and why of teaching—good teaching statements also avoid simply rehashing the contents of a CV. In terms of content, teaching statements should outline:. The document should explain what a teacher believes, what a teacher does, as well as why their actions reflect what they believe.

In other words, a statement of teaching philosophy should ground pedagogical action in values—and explain how values contribute to pedagogy. For example, a teacher should explain how their goals for students, activities, and assessment methods reflect their values and contribute to an inclusive classroom. Looking for more on teaching statements?