Teaching Philosophy & Teaching Practice
Underscoring the need to articulate the link between teaching goals and actual classroom practice
As one matures as a reflective teacher, one's intuitions about good practice become more clearly articulated. Ideally, one's teaching philosophy deepens and becomes defined in greater detail. At the same time, one develops stronger knowledge of theories of learning and a fuller repertoire of skills and strategies to match these. One might well expect, then, that the veteran teacher will be able to describe more cogently how his or her teaching philosophy is expressed in practice--that is, in the organization of a syllabus, methods of evaluation, daily class activities, etc. These might well be developed more fully in course portfolios.
For example, a profile of a specific course (as one example) might show through samples and commentary how EACH of the following is linked to your teaching philosophy, as expressed in your own statement:
- course organization (syllabus, schedule)
- a few key assignments and methods of assessing learning or outcomes
- a few representative days in the classroom (video clips helpful, here?)
- other unique dimensions of the course?
The purpose is not just to show that you can do these things, or even do them well, but that they express your goals in teaching (as a benchmark). Specific comments by students or peer reviewers might reinforce your own analysis and demonstrate that your philosophy effectively guides your work.
Teaching Style
Do you have a distinctive teaching style? What makes your teaching unique and especially notable or valuable to students? This may be a complex synthesis of teaching goals and teaching methods. Describe this as part of your professional reflection, or more particularly in your statement of teaching philosophy. Compare yourself as a teacher with your peers (within the same department or at other institutions). Amplify your special features. Give examples. Perhaps focus on one episode in teaching that epitomizes your goals and, equally, reflects your teaching overall. Describe what is special about the episode AND why or how it is representative of your other teaching.