Why forming a personal philosophy is important for teachers

For example, you read through your notes and realize that you spend a good deal of time writing about your interest in mentoring students.

This might become one of the three or four major foci of your teaching philosophy. You should then discuss what it says about your attitudes toward teaching, learning, and what's important in your discipline. No matter which style you choose, make sure to keep your writing succinct.

Aim for two double-spaced pages. And don't forget to start with a "hook. Hook your readers by beginning with a question, a statement, or even an event from your past.

Remember to provide concrete examples from your teaching practice to illustrate the general claims you make in your teaching philosophy. The following general statements about teaching are intended as prompts to help you come up with examples to illustrate your claims about teaching. For each statement, how would you describe what happens in your classroom?

Is your description specific enough to bring the scene to life in a teaching philosophy? I am an expert, and my role is to model for them complex ways of thinking so that they can develop the same habits of mind as professionals in the medical field. I always make an effort to engage and motivate my students when I lecture. An important part of my job as a professor of geology is to provide these opportunities.

By learning the scientific method, they develop critical thinking skills they can apply to other areas of their lives. Small group work is a crucial tool for teaching the scientific method. By reading and commenting on other students' work in small cooperative groups, my students learn to find their voice, to understand the important connection between writer and audience, and to hone their editing skills.

Small group work is indispensible in the writing classroom. As you start drafting, make sure to note the specific approaches, methods, or products you use to realize those goals. According to a survey of search committee chairs by the University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, there are five elements that are shared by strong teaching philosophy statements:.

You might find it useful to compare your draft to other teaching philosophies in your discipline. It can also be useful to have a colleague review your draft and offer recommendations for revision. These exercises will give you the critical distance necessary to see your teaching philosophy objectively and revise it accordingly. Teachers should remember this statement is always a work in progress. A teaching philosophy statement is a clear and concise one- to two-page account of your teaching methods and expertise.

These statements do not fit into a cookie-cutter mold and each one should be unique. Great teaching philosophy statements include specific examples of course topics, assignments, assessments and strategies drawn from actual courses and curriculum.

These examples demonstrate the range of expertise and illustrate objectives, methods and approaches. Supporting documents, such as class syllabi, assignments, exams, evaluations and graded student papers may offer additional insights. When formulating ideas, the intended audience of a teaching philosophy statement must be taken into consideration. However, to do that as a teacher, you must have a teaching philosophy of your own.

Students always look up to their teacher and therefore, it becomes necessary for you to have thoughts to inspire them. Here are specific reasons why you should Study Philosophy of Education if you are a teacher. One may feel lost without a map. In the same way, you are going to be missed while teaching if a specific path is not decided. Teachers are termed as the future makers of the community. People like you are the ones who help students choose different professions and identities.

A teacher can leave a profound impact on students and help them make independent decisions in the near future. The core values that your students learn from you today are going to be applied and used in society as they grow up. If you believe in breaking stereotypes, there are high chances your students will follow the same philosophical path. If your philosophy is accepting the already existing theories, rather than questioning them, your students might follow your path.

Along with the intellectual development of the students , it will also improve the standards of our society and make us more rational. By learning philosophy, a teacher would be able to view and analyze from the perspective of their students. Apart from understanding why students are behaving in a particular way, teachers would also be able to know how students perceive their actions.

Why does teaching matter to you? Responses to all of these questions will require some reflective thought and you will likely benefit from discussing them with other faculty in your department.

Consider bouncing your responses off of your colleagues, ponder their responses, re-evaluate your positions, revise, talk some more, etc. Over time your responses will change to reflect how you have grown and changed as a teacher.

Think of your teaching philosophy as a work in progress over the course of your career. In this Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement video 12m 31s , she shares her experience in developing her own teaching philosophy statement and tips for beginner writing for the first time. Karen provides a step-by-step process for developing a teaching statement.

You can follow along using this PDF. Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement. Core Areas What are your objectives as a teacher? Consider these writing prompts: Do you hope to foster critical thinking and problem-solving strategies, facilitate the acquisition of life-long learning skills, or prepare students to function effectively in an information economy?

What is your role in orienting students to a discipline, to what it means to be an educated person in your field?