MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY =)
A Journal for Philosophy Teachers at all Levels
Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald, Editor
Teaching Philosophy is the only journal devoted to the practical and theoretical discussion of teaching and learning philosophy. Each quarterly issue offers support for all levels of philosophy instruction with a unique mix of articles, reports, case studies, and reviews. Topics regularly covered in include:
- Innovative teaching methods, classroom strategies, and the use of new instructional materials;
- Experimental and interdisciplinary courses with philosophical content, and courses that develop the philosophical aspects of other fields;
- Evaluation of teaching and assessment of learning in philosophy, as well as philosophy faculty development and student counseling;
- Theoretical issues in the teaching of philosophy and the critical examination of pedagogical problems;
- Reviews of books, software, instructional media, and Web-based resources of interest to philosophy teachers.
The Philosophy Documentation Center provides print and electronic subscription options to Teaching Philosophy for both institutional and individual subscribers
What is a philosophy of teaching statement?
A philosophy of teaching statement is a narrative that includes
- your conception of teaching and learning
- a description of how you teach
- justification for why you teach that way
What is the purpose of developing a philosophy of teaching?
Why do teachers need to articulate their philosophy of teaching? What purposes does a philosophy of teaching serve? It has been recognized by many teachers that the process of identifying a personal philosophy of teaching and continuously examining, testifying, and verifying this philosophy through teaching can lead to change of teaching behaviors and ultimately foster professional and personal growth.
In his book, The Skillful Teacher (1990), Stephen Brookfield points out that the development of a teaching philosophy can be used for several purposes:
What effect am I having on students and on their learning?”
Include teaching strategies and methods to help people “see” you in the classroom. It is not possible in many cases for your reader to come to your class to actually watch you teach. By including very specific examples of teaching strategies, assignments, discussions, etc, you are able to let your reader take a mental “peek” into your classroom. Help them to visualize what you do in the classroom and the exchange between you and your students. can your readers picture in their minds the learning environment you create for your students?
“Own” your philosophy. The use of declarative statements (such as “students don’t learn through lecture” or “the only way to teach is to use class discussion”) could be potentially detrimental if you are submitting this document to a search committee. You do not want to appear as if you have all of the answers and you don’t want to offend your readers. By writing about your experiences and your beliefs, you “own” those statements and appear more open to new and different ideas about teaching. Even in your own experience, you make choices as to the best teaching methods for different courses and content: sometimes lecture is most appropriate; other times you may use service-learning, for example.
1. To What End?
It is important to start by describing where you want to end. In other words, what are your objectives as a teacher? The rest of your philosophy statement should support these objectives which should be achievable and relevant to your teaching responsibilities; avoid vague or overly grandiose statements. On the other hand, you will want to demonstrate that you strive for more than mediocrity or only nuts-and-bolts transference of facts.
You would certainly want your students to learn the fundamental content of the courses you teach. But beyond that, do you hope to foster critical thinking, facilitate the acquisition of life-long learning skills, prepare students to function effectively in an information economy, or develop problem-solving strategies? What is your role in orienting students to a discipline, to what it means to be an educated person in your field? How do you delineate your areas of responsibility as compared to your students’ responsibilities? In what specific ways do you want to improve the education of students in your field? Are there discussions in academic journals or in professional organizations about shortcomings in the education of students today or unmet needs in the discipline and do you have ideas about how to address those shortcomings and needs? If you are going to use teaching in P & T bids, you will probably need to connect to national issues or objectives.
These are questions that will require some thought and you will probably benefit from discussing them with other faculty in your department. Some people can sit down and bang out a paragraph or two in a short time but most of us become more thoughtful about the “big” questions when we bounce them off of our colleagues, consider their responses, re-evaluate our positions, revise, talk some more, etc. Your statement of objectives as a teacher is the most important part of your teaching philosophy and you should take some time with it. And if you take it seriously, you will probably come back to this statement to revise or add to it. Think of it as a work in progress.
When you have a clear idea about your teaching objectives, you can discuss methods that you use to achieve or work toward those objectives. Here is where you can display your knowledge of learning theory, cognitive development, curriculum design, etc. You will want to explain specific strategies, techniques, exercises, and include both what you have used in the past and are planning for future courses. You will want to tie these directly to your teaching objectives and discuss how each approach is designed for that purpose.
Discuss how you make decisions about content, resources, and methods. If you include a field trip, what are your learning objectives? If you assemble a collection of readings, how did you decide what to include? How do you decide whether to use collaborative or individual projects? Do you use active learning or student-centered learning principles and why? Relate these decisions and methods to the kinds of classes you teach (large lecture, small discussion, lab, etc.) and make connections to your course objectives.
Again, relate your methods to national-level needs for teaching in your discipline whenever possible. If you have developed instructional materials that have been or could be disseminated, be sure to discuss them. If you have designed or are planning innovative activities, describe how they address specific teaching objectives. Have you presented a paper or a workshop at a professional conference related to your teaching methods?
You will need to discuss how you intend to measure your effectiveness vis a vis the objectives and methods you have outlined. Because your objectives are most likely related to student learning, then you will probably use measures of student outcomes to reflect your efforts rather than how many chapters you can cover from the textbook. Student evaluations are always a touchy subject among teachers but in large part that is because teachers have not devised their own assessment methods. Most of us are obligated to use standardized evaluation forms. But that does not prevent us from developing other means that are more directly related to our specific goals and objectives. Teachers who develop their own evaluations usually get more relevant feedback. But in addition, they usually get more positive feedback as well because they are asking the students to reflect on the most important aspects of the course.
If one of your objectives is to develop problem-solving skills, then you will probably want to test your students’ ability to solve problems. In that case, discuss how you construct problems for them to solve, what skills those problems are meant to evaluate, and the level of performance that you are seeking. As Ronald Myers, Associate Professor in Veterinary Pathology pointed out in his teaching portfolio: I have come to realize that ultimately students learn what we examine for. If we test for learning of facts, students will learn facts. If we test for problem solving, they will learn to be better problem solvers….My long-term goal is to learn more about and then to implement improved mechanisms for assessment of students, likely in the realm of ability-based or performance-based assessment. There are many resources for improving assessment and student evaluations in the CTE library.
Here is where you can be, if not grandiose, at least a bit grand. What, to you, are the great and wonderful rewards of teaching? Why is teaching important? How do you want to make the world or at least higher education better? When you are overworked and feel undervalued, to what ideals do you return in order to rejuvenate yourself and inspire your students? How do you want to make a difference in the lives of your students?
Frequently Asked Questions About The Philosophy Of Teaching Statement
What is a Philosophy of Teaching Statement?
A Philosophy of Teaching Statement is a brief reflective essay concerning one’s understanding about how students learn, how instruction can best assist that learning, and actions that you take to enact such instruction. It may also include your teaching goals , your learning goals for students, and areas in which you would like to further improve your teaching abilities. More specifically, it could include any of the following:
-specific ways that the instructor enacts his/her learning and teaching beliefs and goals in the instructional design, course implementation, and/or evaluation of student learning;
-the instructor’s goals for students including such goals as learning to appreciate or enjoy the academic discipline, developing critical thinking, improving problem-solving abilities, improving writing within the discipline, working effectively in groups, and developing interests for life-long learning; or
What is the purpose of a Philosophy of Teaching Statement?
There can be many purposes. You can think of it as a way of introducing yourself as instructor to your colleagues. You can think of it as an exercise in concisely gathering together your beliefs about teaching and learning so that you can easily articulate them to your students, your peers, and search committees. The Statement is also an introduction to your teaching portfolio thus setting the stage for the reader of that portfolio. Additionally, the Statement can be a means to professional growth in that it requires you to give examples of how you enact your philosophy, thus requiring you to consider the degree to which your teaching is congruent with your beliefs. You may realize that to fully enact your beliefs about teaching and learning, there is a lot of room for growth.
How do I begin writing a teaching philosophy statement?
Just as you start with a goal when you teach a lesson, you need to start with a goal in writing your teaching philosophy. Ask yourself what you want to emphasize, why you want to emphasize it, and what does your audience need to hear? You may want to write a few philosophy statements for varying audiences.
If you are applying to a variety of types of institutions (i.e., research universities, comprehensive universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges) or various types of faculty positions (e.g., teaching theory vs. performance or lecture vs. lab classes ) , you may want to write more than one philosophy statement each directed at or focused on a particular type of institution or faculty position.
For ideas on how to write a Teaching Philosophy statement, see:
Do I need to discuss my Philosophy of Teaching with faculty in my department?
Yes, absolutely. Each academic discipline has it’s own culture, and even subcultures. What might be appropriate tone and emphasis for one discipline, might be less so for another. You will want one or more faculty from your discipline to review your Teaching Philosophy and Teaching Portfolio before you consider sending them out as part of a job application.
TiPPS for PHILOSOPHY OF TEACHING STATEMENTS
What is a Philosophy of Teaching Statement, and Why is it Important?
Philosophy of teaching statements are concise statements of what you believe about the teaching and learning of languages, and possibly also about education in general. Most sources recommend that you keep your teaching philosophy statement between one and two pages in length, covering what you believe, why, and brief examples of how you implement it in the classroom.
Teaching Philosophy & Interests
Teaching Philosophy
It is my belief that the primary purpose of education is to teach individuals how to think in a manner which is in accordance with reality (rational thought). This entails teaching the rules of inductive and deductive reasoning, as far as they are known, and providing progressively more complex situations for the student to practice the application of these rules. Once rational thought is mastered, it can be used to address all of the problems that arise in life, regardless of their nature.
Teaching Interests
Passion for Teaching
” Teaching is more a passion than a profession.”
Written in 2006 by Mau Nivales (Philippines)
My Philosophy of Teaching
For centuries, education had improved tremendously in technique, philosophies and style. Education now is a given right to everyone compared to several centuries ago that it is considered a privilege for the rich and those in authority. As education changes, the teaching process also changes.
Every educator and teacher alike should have realized his/her own philosophy not only as to serve as a guide to his own life but also a pattern for his teaching style and objectives.
And to help me shape up a life of teaching along with my student, I should establish within myself a foundation of all my teaching approaches, my own philosophy of teaching.
The following philosophies are the kind of philosophy I would be integrating, by part but not as a whole, not only in my profession as a teacher but also on my entire life.
Naturalism
To define, Naturalism, in philosophy, a movement affirming that nature is the whole of reality and can be understood only through scientific investigation. Denying the existence of the supernatural and de-emphasizing metaphysics, or the study of the ultimate nature of reality, naturalism affirms that cause-and-effect relationships, as in physics and chemistry, are sufficient to account for all phenomena.
What is natural in human and everything that surrounds him should be true in teaching. There are aspects in human nature that should be respected and expressed not suppressed by other means. Scientific approach to naturalism should bear fruit of goodness not the other way around. Naturalism should be on the forefront of every educational philosophy. Let nature teach us everything!
Pragmatism
According to pragmatism, the test of the truth of a proposition is its practical utility; the purpose of thought is to guide action; and the effect of an idea is more important than its origin. I choose to teach practical truths that are tested and relevant to the needs of the students and timely to the present situation. Practicality, relevancy and simplicity these should be in mind in devising our approaches in teaching.
Progressivism
I will also include this philosophy due to its aim that education should focus on the child not on the subject matter and also push for a good learning environment for a child to learn. As Dewey put it on his “Democracy and Education”, he expounded that a truly progressive education needed a philosophy based upon experience, the interaction of the person with his environment.
Essentialism
To define essentialism based on the essentialist aim of education, the conservatives, or essentialists, tend to identify a desirable education with the transmission of the cultural heritage, a no-nonsense curriculum featuring the three R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic) at the elementary-school level and academic studies or strong vocational or business courses in the secondary school. They stress training of the mind and cultivation of the intellect. The essentialists have as their ultimate aim “to fit the man to perform justly, skillfully and magnanimously all the offices, both private and public, of peace and war”. And education should be like these at all times. What is essential should be the one to be taught. It agrees to the reasons of practicality. And the aim is to education the child base on his needs. Including this to my philosophy will give some relevancy on the type of subject, topics which should be more emphasized on my teaching.
Pansophism
This philosophy of pansophism presented the goal of education as the development of universal knowledge among all people, including women and children, and all nations. Comenius envisaged educated people as those who sought knowledge from all sources in order to become more like the God in whose image they were made–omniscient and universally compassionate
With this in mind I will give my philosophy a universal approach and will focus on the spiritual aspect of education. Educational philosophy should be rooted in universal righteousness; truths of faith should be the same anywhere in the world. My teaching should be full of wisdom pointing toward the ultimate goal of nirvana of our faith.
My Own Philosophy
Using these philosophies I will enable myself to form my own personal guide in teaching. I aimed for a universal type of education, an education without discrimination of religion, race, nationality and no discrimination in sex whether male or female, gays or lesbian. An education that conforms to all kinds of culture and society. It is not “boxed” in just several philosophies but follows the ever-changing life of people. A liberal type of education founded on universal brotherhood, cooperation, respect and understanding of all kinds of knowledge. I call this philosophy, “universalism”, thus it is the harmony of all the philosophies of man. There are no conflicts, only harmony and genuine love.
Advice, Tips, Warning and Other Discouraging Thoughts on Being a Teacher
1) Teachers are not saints, they are just……..TEACHER.
2) Everything you have learned in your pre-service education should be first unlearned and again re-learned before you can get the feeling of a teacher
3) Student of lower section are not really misfits, they are just too much expressive.
4) Don’t complain about your low salary, according to the book, it is what they call the “noblest profession”
5) If your having a dilemma between your date on Sunday and your lesson plan for Monday, don’t bother, chances are, a strong typhoon will come, flooded the whole campus and you ended up half day
6) Don’t be too serious, coz your student aren’t that serious also
7) What is teaching, terrorism; traffic and typhoon have in common? Wala, basta they all start with letter T (crack a joke sometimes, it’s a good motivation)
Its not true that when you become a teacher you are doomed to be a single forever, well unless you already engaged with your lesson plan
9) Don’t you ever pass in the boys comfort room, not unless you are an addict on the smell of ammonia
10) Don’t ever fall in love with your student, just wait until he/she graduated or kicked out from school
11) Love your students, the way you love your brothers or sisters in your family
12) Never believe everything that I have written here, I’m 100% sure that you’ll have your own day-to-day tragic stories when you begin this journey…..GOODLUCK!
Teaching is the activity of facilitating learning
What is excellent teaching? How do we distinguish excellent teaching from competent or merely satisfactory teaching? When does teaching become unsatisfactory?
It is true that if we focus on what the teacher does in the classroom, excellence can result from many diverse activities. There is no single definition of excellent teaching in terms of what the teacher does.
Defining teaching as facilitating learning implies that while considerations of knowledge transfer are no doubt important, they are valuable only in relation to the quality of learning that they trigger. If the teaching activities do not result in learning, there has been no teaching. Likewise, if the learning is lacking in quality, the teaching is unsuccessful to that extent. Finally, there are modes other than that of knowledge transfer which can play a more effective role in the triggering of learning. Hence, an excellent teacher needs to go beyond excellent lecturing or excellent knowledge dissemination.
What is Good Teaching?
All students have had hundreds of teachers in their lifetimes. A very few of these teachers they remember as being exceptionally good. What are the qualities that combine to create an excellent, memorable teacher? Why do some teachers inspire students to work three times harder than they normally would, while others inspire students to skip class? Why do students learn more from some teachers than others?
If you are trying to become a better teacher, these are important questions. This issue of “Emphasis on Teaching” focuses on the four essential qualities that distinguish exceptional teachers: knowledge, communication skills, interest, and respect for students.
An Experiment
Here’s an experiment I have done in a number of my classes. The results may surprise you. Go into one of the classes you are teaching and have your students take out a sheet of paper. Ask them to list for you the qualities they feel are important in a good teacher. Ask them to identify the qualities they admire in the best teachers they have had. Then give the students enough time to think about it and write something down. Five minutes is good, but ten might be better. Let them answer the questions anonymously if they desire.
What you will get if you combine all of the responses is a fascinating collage of ideas. I have found that most of the responses fall into two specific categories: 1) a set of “core qualities” that students recognize in good teachers, and 2) a set of specific skills that are developed by good teachers.
Knowledge
In every survey I have given, students consistently and clearly target as the number one quality of a good teacher exactly what you would expect: knowledge of the subject. You must be an expert in your field if you are going to be a good teacher at a university. This is a prerequisite.
Communication
The second core quality that good teachers possess is the ability to communicate their knowledge and expertise to their students. You may be the greatest expert ever in your field, but what would happen if you lectured in Latin? How much would your students learn?
It is a common misconception at the university level that knowledge of a subject is all that’s required to be a good teacher; that the students should be willing and able to extract the meat from what you say regardless of how it is delivered (even if it is delivered in Latin). This might be true at the upper graduate level, but elsewhere it is definitely untrue. It is especially untrue at the undergraduate level. The teacher’s job is to take advanced knowledge and make it accessible to the students. A good teacher allows students to understand the material, and to understand what it means (because it is one thing to understand how nuclear bombs work, but quite another to understand what nuclear bombs mean).
A good teacher can take a subject and help make it crystal clear to the students. A bad teacher can take that same material and make it impenetrable. Or a bad teacher can devote so little time and effort to preparation that the material presented is intrinsically confusing and disorganized. A good teacher is willing to expend the effort needed to find innovative and creative ways to make complicated ideas understandable to their students, and to fit new ideas into the context available to the student. A good teacher can explain complicated material in a way that students can understand and use.
There is a saying, “Give me a fish and I eat for a day, teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” This is the philosophy of a good teacher. Give your students an answer and they can solve one problem, but show students the techniques needed to find the answer for themselves and they can become self-sufficient in the field. Students need to be shown how to apply the new techniques you teach to problem solving.
Interest
A good teacher starts with a firm knowledge of the subject, and builds on that with a clarity and understanding designed to help students master the material. The best teachers then go one step further. Because good teachers are interested in the material being taught, they make the class interesting and relevant to the students. Knowledge is worthless unless it is delivered to the students in a form they can understand. But the effort expended making the material understandable is wasted if the students are asleep when it is delivered, or if the students can see no point in learning the material.
Good teachers recognize this, and work hard to make their material relevant. They show students how the material will apply to their lives and their careers. Bad teachers make material “relevant” by threatening students with failure on a test. Good teachers go far beyond this: they make students want to learn the material by making it interesting.
This is one of the things that makes research so important and vital to a university: research makes the ideas discussed in class exciting and important to the teacher, as well as to the students. If the teacher isn’t interested in what’s being taught, then why should the students be?
Respect
Good teachers always possess these three core qualities: knowledge, the ability to convey to students an understanding of that knowledge, and the ability to make the material interesting and relevant to students. Complementing these three is a fourth quality: good teachers have a deep-seated concern and respect for the students in the classroom. Why else would a teacher put in the time and effort needed to create a high quality class?
The creation of a good class requires an immense amount of work. You don’t simply come up with clear explanations and examples and experiments for class off the top of your head. You don’t create fair, consistent, high quality tests and homework assignments (read “learning experiences”) five minutes before you hand them out. You don’t figure out ways to integrate new materials and research into a class in an understandable way on the drive in one morning. You work at this sort of quality all the time. You spend time with your students so you can learn about holes in their understanding. You read and write and create to build an exciting and interesting class every day. The only thing that would drive you to do that is a concern and respect for the adults in your classroom.
Conclusion
When you strive and work to become a good teacher and to create a good class, the four core qualities are essential: knowledge, the skills to convey that knowledge, the ability to make the material you are teaching interesting and relevant, and a deep-seated respect for the student. Without these four qualities, good teaching will not exist.
Uncategorized |