Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement

Why do teaching philosophies matter? Teaching philosophies are a powerful tool for faculty and future faculty alike. By defining your approach to instruction, a teaching philosophy gives you a benchmark for demonstrating your impact in the classroom. Whether you're looking for work, pursuing tenure, or simply trying to refine your teaching practices, having a philosophy can help you advance at every stage of your academic career. 

What will the workshop cover? In this two-part workshop, you will learn how to write an effective, peer-reviewed teaching philosophy statement that reflects your teaching beliefs and experiences, approaches to student learning, and examples of best practices in evidence-based instruction.

Facilitators: Denise Leonard, Assistant Director, Academic Services, The Teaching Center of Washington University in St. Louis; Sarah Hokanson, Director, Professional Development and Postdoctoral Affairs, Boston University.

Who's invited? Anyone can register for our workshop, though students from CIRTL institutions will be given preference. Our targeted audience includes graduate students, postdocs, and faculty. 

What's required of me before and after the workshop? Participants will need to do some preparatory work before the workshop's first session, some writing in between the first and second sessions, and some wrap-up work afterwards. Participants will fill out a pre-workshop survey before first session. In between sessions, participants will write draft teaching philosophy statements and begin the peer review process with other students' drafts. After the final session, participants are encouraged to submit a revised statement. Instructors anticipate this work taking about 2 hours altogether. 

Where will the workshop take place? We'll use Moodle to host assignments and discussion boards before and after the workshop; you'll automatically receive a Moodle account once you're enrolled in the workshop. The live workshop sessions, which everyone is required to attend, will take place in Blackboard Collaborate. To participate in the Blackboard Collaborate sessions, you will need to download the necessary software (please see the Blackboard Collaborate link in the sidebar) and have access to headphones and a computer with a microphone and camera.

Accessibility: We want to make this workshop accessible to as many people as possible. If you have questions about the workshop content, how to register, or how to use the required technology, contact kdiamond3 AT wisc.edu