Teaching Philosophy Statements
- Laura Williams, PhD
- Jun 2, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 19, 2024
I fell in love with teaching as a graduate student. It was the driver behind the pursuit of my PhD. I wanted to be able to teach in higher education and make a difference in the lives of students. I took the initiative to develop my teaching skillset through various workshops and development programs. The first workshop I ever took through the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo (my alma mater, and current employer) was about how to create your own teaching philosophy statement. If you have ever done this before then you know what I mean when I say that it is no easy feat!
I have applied to a lot (and I mean A LOT) of jobs over the past 3 years; anything and everything from sessional instructor positions, 1, 2, 3-year contract positions, full time permanent positions - with a focus on teaching within kinesiology and health science and / or with a focus on educational development. I have spent a lot of time polishing my teaching philosophy statement.
I've been reflecting on teaching and learning in higher education a lot since I began my current role back in July of 2022. So much has changed! Instructors are invested in incorporating a lot of things into their teaching: anti-racist pedagogies, Indigenization, decolonization practices, mental wellness strategies, accessibility and AODA requirements (Ontario, Canada), components of institutional initiatives (as an example, UW's Future Ready Talent Framework), and likely a bunch of other things that I am missing. Furthermore, the release of various generative AI tools such as ChatGPT (language) and DALL-E (images) has the propensity to drastically change how we teach, how we assess, and how our students learn.
I started my current, 1-year contract position as a junior Ed Developer / Instructional Designer with CTE back in July of 2022. Anyone in the "academic arena" knows that even on a 1-year contract, one must still continually search and apply to potential career opportunities. This means I keep all of my application materials up to date and have the opportunity to review and reflect on my teaching philosophy on a regular basis.
It got me thinking - do academics and professionals continually reflect on their teaching philosophies once they attain that coveted permanent position? Probably not. I think many of us create a teaching philosophy statement early in our careers and then tuck them away in a drawer somewhere (like our students do with our feedback, LOL), never to be seen again. With everything we learned about teaching and learning in higher education over the pandemic, and the various pedagogical practices that we want to (or are being told to) incorporate from the list above, it feels like higher education is undergoing, and will continue to undergo, large fluctuations over the next few years. I think now is the time for us to dust off that teaching philosophy statement tucked away in the proverbial drawer and review it. Does it still resonate with you and your beliefs about education? What would you keep? What would you change (if anything) and why? I know I personally have been reflecting on my own teaching philosophies. I know what I thought in 2017, and in 2022, but in light of everything that has changed even over the past year, I really am starting to question - what do I believe NOW? What about my beliefs will serve my students and what might actually be a hindrance to their learning? What am I holding on to and what can I - and SHOULD I - really let go of?
I say this as though it is an easy thing for educators and academics to do. Well, guess what - it's not. It's actually really really hard. Introspection is difficult, and often times uncomfortable. However, it is a valuable practice, and will serve us, and our students, better in the future.
Resources to help you examine your teaching philosophy:
Comments