A day in the life of a teacher is unpredictable to say the least. Teachers mold minds, young and old alike, in a variety of ways. There will be many challenging scenarios encountered throughout your years, but before any of that, you have to land the teaching job. When applying for jobs, one important piece of your application will be your teaching philosophy.
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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