Documentation:CTLT Resources/Selected TL Topics What Goes Into A Teaching Portfolio

Teaching Philosophy Statement

"A teaching philosophy is a narrative essay which reflects an individual’s beliefs and values about teaching and learning, often including concrete examples of the ways in which that individual enacts those beliefs" (Bowne, 2017, p. 59).

It is typically 1-2 pages in length, written from the first person and in the present tense.

The teaching philosophy statement (TPS) communicates:

Your approach to teaching
How your teaching facilitates student learning
Why you teach the way you do
The goals you have for yourself and for your students
How your teaching enacts your beliefs and goals
What, for you, constitutes evidence of student learning
The ways in which you create an inclusive learning environment

As appropriate, draw from scholarly literature to help ground the approaches you take and beliefs you hold.

Prompts to Help you Write Your Teaching Philosophy Statement

To assist you in writing your teaching philosophy statement, you may find the questions below helpful:

Teaching Approach
Why do you teach the way you do? (How does your approach connect to your conception of how learning occurs? How does it link to your discipline?) How does your teaching facilitate student learning? How does your teaching reflect your beliefs and goals?
Instructor-Student Rapport
How would you describe the atmosphere in your classroom (e.g., online, blended, face-to-face, etc.)? How do you think your students would describe it? How do you create an inclusive learning environment?
Teaching Goals and Strategies
What goals do you have for yourself and for your students? How do your courses contribute to students' achievements in their university program and in their community? What is your approach to designing a course and/or other learning experiences? How do you assess students' learning and why do you choose this approach?
Teaching Aspirations
How would you like to grow as a teacher? What steps are you taking towards this? In which ways has your teaching changed in the last five years? Are these changes for the better (for you, for your students)? Explain. What would you like your students to remember about you as a teacher ten years from now?

Additional Resources

Here are some more resources to help you get started in writing and evaluating your teaching philosophy statement.

State Your Teaching Philosophy. Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary.
- This is part of a larger resource on creating a teaching dossier. Also includes samples.
Videos
- Teaching Philosophy Statement: Introduction (3:25): https://youtu.be/PnDWfizxAb4
- Belief Statements in Teaching Philosophies (4:20): https://youtu.be/li91l0hYGws
4 Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy, written by James Lang (2010) and featured in the Advice section in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Dr. Steve Wolfman (UBC) has put together some excellent resources for creating a tenure packet. Click here for his advice on preparing for/writing the teaching philosophy statement.

Sample Statements from UBC

You can find some teaching philosophy statement examples (and full portfolios) from UBC colleagues here:

Christina Hendricks, Professor of Teaching, Department of Philosophy, University of British Columbia, CA
Sarah Leavitt, Assistant Professor, Creative Writing Program, University of British Columbia, CA
Greg Martin, Professor, Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia, CA
Jonathan Verrett, Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of British Columbia, CA

References

Bowne, M. (2017). Developing a Teaching Philosophy. Journal of Effective Teaching, 17(3), 59-63.

Teaching Statements. Center for Teaching. Vanderbilt University.