Preparing
Teaching Philosophy
Core Abilities
Although
educational institutions typically reflect the core abilities in their
mission or philosophy statements, and although good teachers recognize
the importance of communication, employability, information management,
interpersonal, and problem solving skills, "core abilities are
not stated at the course level and therefore not planned into the curriculum.
... As a result, these essential skills, which may be the most important
educational targets, have been overshadowed by content-specific competencies
and objectives."
Summaries of Various Educational Philosophers
Summaries
of Various Educational Philosophers
What is a philosophy of teaching?
Defines
a philosophy of teaching as, “a personal vision of teaching; a critical
rationale of teaching; sense of purposes of teaching....”
What is the purpose of developing a philosophy of teaching?
Stephen
Brookfield points out that the development of a teaching philosophy
can be used for four purposes:
What are the major components of a philosophy of teaching statement?
Each
statement of teaching philosophy is very personal by nature. Therefore,
it should be up to instructors to decide what components to include
in their own statements. However, here is some general information:
How should one put together a philosophy of teaching statement?
The way in which a statement of teaching philosophy is structured and
worded is individual. Disciplinary preferences can also affect the way
in which a statement is presented in terms of length, content, and format.
Despite these differences, some common rules of thumb for formatting
such a document have emerged over the years. Nancy Chism has the following
selective suggestions for your reference:
Sample Essay Format / Philosophy of Teaching Statements
Sample Essay Format / Philosophy of Teaching Statements
Ethical Principles in University Teaching
(PDF file)
Ethical
principles are conceptualized here as general guidelines, ideals, or
expectations that need to be taken into account, along with other relevant
conditions and circumstances, in the design and analysis of university
teaching.
Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement
Your
philosophy of teaching statement should reflect your personal values
and the needs of your students and your department. At the least, you
will want to address four primary questions, usually in following orders.
