Teaching philosophy
Reflecting on your philosophy of teaching is a good start for designing your course and will be an important component of the process when your teaching is being assessed. A statement of teaching philosophy is a short summary of the instructor’s beliefs, approaches, and methods related to teaching and learning in the university environment. Such a statement may be built using the following guidelines.
Personal thoughts and opinions about teaching and learning, teacher and learner:
- Why do I teach?
- What is the student’s role in learning process?
- What is the teacher’s role?
Preferred teaching methods and approaches (teaching style):
- What kind of classes do I use most (lectures, discussions, tutorials, labs) and why?
- Which teaching aids and techniques do I prefer (use of technology in classroom, group work, class discussion...) and why?
Preferred testing and grading formats:
- What types of tests and assignments do I use and why?
For a more extensive coverage of teaching philosophy statement structure, please refer to the article by Ellen Carusetta: Your Teaching Philosophy Statement. While this article was originally written for persons in full-time positions, it provides some information that contract academic instructors might find useful.
