A teaching statement (also referred to as a teaching philosophy) is a personal narrative reflecting one’s thoughts, beliefs, and experiences as an educator. It entails various components that outline teaching methods, best practices, and techniques in which to engage in continuous growth and learning. Any educator (regardless of their amount of time in the field) can create a teaching statement.

Why are Teaching Statements Important? 

Teaching statements can be vital to the overall success of an educator. To produce a teaching statement, teachers must be extremely self-aware and mindful of their performance in the classroom. By doing this, they can properly self-reflect and implement necessary changes that ultimately influence student achievement. The creation of a teaching philosophy can also assist teachers in planning and directing future instruction and initiate the pursuit of additional resources.

It also allows teachers to evaluate themselves and their practices to determine their overall effectiveness and attitudes concerning the classroom. Additionally, teaching statements are beneficial when attempting to acquire a teaching position or a different role in the educational system as they inform others about your personal viewpoints on teaching before ever witnessing your performance in the classroom.

What are the Elements of a Teaching Statement? 

Once the determination has been made that the creation of a teaching statement is necessary, the process of developing and organizing must begin. As mentioned before, several items can be included, and it is up to the individual teacher to decide which items are most suitable and useful for their philosophy. Below are some ideas to assist in the planning and creation of a personal teaching statement.

Introduction

To begin the teaching statement, start by introducing your personal teaching beliefs. Discuss why you selected teaching as your profession and why it is important to you. You may also include information about your specific teaching style and how it benefits your students in the classroom.

Body

For the body of the teaching statement, a plethora of items may be included; however, it is important to select items that are the most meaningful to you personally as an educator.

Outline Effective Instructional Practices

How do you approach instruction? Do you implement more teacher-centered instruction or student-centered instruction? Inform the reader how you operate when introducing content. Be sure to describe the structure of an average lesson in your classroom. In addition, it would be helpful to include information about what the students are doing throughout the day (i.e. hands-on activities, real-world applications, and so on).

Describe Your Classroom Environment

To fully grasp your teaching style and beliefs, those reading your teaching philosophy need to feel completely submerged in your classroom climate. Describe daily routines and other unique elements. How do you motivate students? Are students generally on task and engaged? What overall feeling do students and visitors feel upon entering the classroom? Use these questions as a starting point for informing readers (and yourself) about the health and environment that students work in on a daily basis.

Acknowledge Your Strengths

Self-reflection is such a huge component of developing a teaching statement. To reinforce positive classroom actions, you should identify the areas in which you perform well. You can do this by thinking about lessons that were received well by students, revisiting feedback from evaluations completed by administrators, etc. This is your chance to “shine” and describe what works well for you and your students!

Pinpoint Your Weaknesses

On the flip side, to improve teaching abilities, we have to be willing to openly and honestly identify areas in which we struggle. When referencing failed lessons, try to discover what went wrong. Look back at evaluation feedback and locate what area(s) they suggested to improve. Do not be afraid to share your weaknesses and include them in the teaching philosophy as this type of disclosure makes you appear more relatable and willing to seek change.

Understand Student Achievement

How do you assess student learning? What do you do with this information? Does it direct future instruction, and do you tailor teaching to meet the needs of students based on the data? Those reading your teaching statement will more than likely want to know if you are proactive in your role in the classroom. If students are struggling, do you reteach content and change your approach to best meet student needs? Describe how the assessment process looks for your students and how you utilize that information to direct instruction.

For all of these elements, including personal examples you have experienced is extremely important. Whether you are seeking improvement as an educator, applying for a different position, or pursuing a graduate degree, those reading the teaching statement will want to understand and believe in the information you are transferring to them. Including real examples makes your thoughts and teaching beliefs more relevant and gives them an idea of how you conduct yourself in the classroom. It is also wise to conduct the text from a first-person perspective as it reflects one’s personal experiences.

Conclusion

First, one of the best ways to conclude a teaching statement is to determine how your teaching philosophy enhances student learning. Next, you may decide to close your thoughts by developing professional goals that you would like to achieve. It is important that the teaching statement becomes a working document that redirects your focus as an educator to achieving student success and achieving personal goals. When this occurs, readers understand that you are flexible and intent on the idea of improving your teaching methods for years to come.

Additional Tips

To make the teaching statement more relatable and effective, it is important to reflect and report upon areas in which you excel. For instance, if you implemented an amazing unit in math where students used unique and exciting materials, describe it in full detail.

Another item that should be considered in detailing how your idea of teaching has changed or evolved with more time and experience. Are you open to new teaching and learning methods via technology and other resources? If so, explain steps you have taken or are willing to take to initiate such additions.

When formulating your personal teaching statement, it may be beneficial to survey fellow educators, administrators, or your students to understand your performance in the classroom better.

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What Is a Teaching Philosophy?

A teaching philosophy is a personal statement as to your core beliefs about teaching and learning. It discusses your view on teaching and how to apply that to a teaching environment. A teaching philosophy answers the question: “Why do I teach?”

How Your Teaching Philosophy Can Guide You

Your teaching philosophy can guide you by simply directing your instruction and the way you handle classroom management types of situations. It will be a part of how you plan your lessons, how you deliver your instruction, your analysis of formal and informal data, and how you reflect and enhance your teaching style.

Learning is a lifelong process, and a great educator will constantly be learning. Continuously creating new knowledge and finding new teaching methodologies define lifelong learning for an educator. Your teaching philosophy also provides you with clearly defined goals and a “sense of direction” in what you do day-to-day in your classroom. Even if you are not reading through your teaching philosophy frequently, it is always on your mind because it is your purpose for teaching.

Developing Your Teaching Philosophy

A teaching philosophy is not a one-and-done deal. Your teaching philosophy will change as you grow and reflect as an educator. This live document will change frequently as you gain more experience and knowledge throughout your career.

When beginning to outline your teaching philosophy, you want to be sure to break it into an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Your teaching philosophy should be written in first person because it is your philosophy! Use statements such as, “I believe a student-centered approach to teaching is integral to student success” versus a statement such as, “It is important to use a student-centered approach to teaching.”

Another important tip when crafting your teaching philosophy is to focus on your current experience and views. Try to stay away from what you wish to achieve in the future. You also want to grab the reader’s attention. Using the KISS principle, “Keep it simple, stupid” is important, as utilizing advanced vocabulary does not make it a good, solid piece of writing. Of course, you want to include some education jargon, but don’t get too crazy. In one article I’ve read, it says to write it on the level an eighth-grade student could understand.

In the introduction you want to include an overview of your educational beliefs. Mentioning your teaching purpose is a great component to include, as well as your teaching methods, subject or pedagogical specialties, goals for students, and preferred assessment methods. An example of a statement to include in your introduction is, “I encourage engaged, creative, and abstract thinking by consistently utilizing student-centered learning activities.”

In the body, you will expand on everything you touched on in your introduction in greater detail. You will need to discuss how you will put all of your educational beliefs into practice. This would include different strategies and methods for teaching and evidence of those teaching methods.

There are various strategies and methods that can be included such as the role of technology, behavior management, parental/family involvement, the role of administration, incorporation of different instructional modes, and student feedback. You might write something such as, “I believe that self-reflection is important for not just myself, but my students. A reflection sheet at the end of the week is one way I was able to monitor my students’ efforts in a simple way.”

If you have any examples of challenges you have encountered on your teaching (or student-teaching) journey, it is a good idea to include that in the body of your statement. Don’t forget to include the way you solved the issue as well. For example, “I had a group of students that were struggling with their basic multiplication facts, and it was impeding their ability to solve more complex math problems. I implemented a center into my rotations where the focus was basic facts and over the course of three months, I saw significant growth in the group and the entire class. My scores were the highest in the building.”

In the conclusion of your teaching philosophy, you want to wrap up all the ideas you mentioned throughout your statement. Be sure to circle back to what you consider to be the purpose of teaching. You want to leave a lasting impression on the reader where they feel moved with what you have written. Including some details of what make you unique as a teacher, and what makes you stand out in a crowd, is a great piece to include in your conclusion. An example of a statement that you might include in your conclusion is, “I pride myself on making students feel welcome and important in my classroom. The greatest compliment I have received from a student is that my classroom makes them feel like they can be who they truly are.”

The great Phil Collins once said, “In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.” Your teaching philosophy is how you define yourself as an educator, but as you teach more, and learn more, it will evolve through time. Reflection is important, not just for teaching, but life, so a teaching philosophy that evolves over time, is one that is truly meaningful.

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