CharMaine Hines, Ed.S. Session: Teaching Portfolio and Philosophy

October , 2011

Strategies for Writing Effective Teaching Philosophy Statements

Strategies for Writing an effective Teaching Philosophy Statement:

Focus on concrete questions Make a list of qualities of an effective teacher Ponder what you don’t like in a teacher Do research to understand the culture of the institution you are pursuing Focus on how you will teach vs. what you have taught Be specific; quantify your statements with examples Ground your teaching philosophy in the principles of the discipline of your field

Why:

- Explain your role and purpose in wanting to educate - What shapes that desire?

Whom You Teach:

Define your audience of learners Discuss your commitment to diversity in learning

What:

List the course and subjects you accomplished to teach What are the characteristics of effective learning that you employ in the classroom

o Instructional strategies o Goals, outcomes and assessment o Individual student learning

How: Explain ways to engage students intellectually in the classroom How can you tell students are learning? How do your values, beliefs and attitude relate to learning in the classroom?

Additional Things to Consider and Apply:

How do you learn? (Visual, Kinesthetic, Oratory) What is your leadership style? What major educational philosophy do you lend to?

o Perennial: “the classic structure of science, math and literature as dominant learning” o Essential: “cultural literacy and a broad foundation is necessary to be effective in life” o Progressive: “educate the individual and whole student relating real-life problems to learning” o Social: “education is valuable when students learn how they can improve society”

CharMaine Hines, Ed.S. Session: Teaching Portfolio and Philosophy

October , 2011

The Teaching Portfolio A Teaching Philosophy is requested when pursuing teaching positions, seeking tenure and/or as part of a Teaching Portfolio. It reflects your philosophy of teaching, commitment to diversity and understanding of the institutions culture, which is of particular importance for community college systems. Types of Portfolios:

Course Portfolio: specific to a course Professional Portfolio: for promotion and tenure Teaching Portfolio: documents aspects of a person’s teaching ability

Two (2) types of evaluation a Teaching Portfolio is typically used for:

Summative Evaluation: Used to judge the outcome of one’s work and to demonstrate the quality of a person’s work for hiring, promotions or in a course of study.

Formative Evaluation: A method to identify areas to be improved and suggest possible ways to improve for professional development.

Characteristics of an Effective Portfolio:

Structured o Organized, complete and creative

Representative o Comprehensive in scope portraying a cross-section of work in teaching

Selective o Limited to the appropriateness of documenting one’s work; Not a restating of the CV. o Insure that each piece of evidence has an accompanying context and explanation.

Elements of an Effective Portfolio:

1. Teaching Philosophy

2. Documentation of Teaching a. List of courses instructed b. Syllabi c. Course Descriptions (objectives, outcomes, assessment method) d. Sample Assignments, Exams, Quizzes, Videotaped Lectures

3. Teaching Effectiveness

a. Evaluations (Chair, Student, Peer Reviews, etc.) b. Student competencies post instruction (exam scores, papers, written feedback)

4. Professional Development

a. Memberships, Representation in Organizations b. Conferences, workshops, CEU’s

5. Professional Contributions to the Profession/Institution

a. Publishing: articles, journals, textbooks b. Faculty committee, curriculum development

6. Honors, Awards and Recognitions

CharMaine Hines, Ed.S. Session: Teaching Portfolio and Philosophy

October , 2011

Teaching Portfolio Examples

Ohio State University: University Center for the Advancement of Teaching: Developing a Teaching Portfolio: Examples of Teaching Portfolio Table of Contents http://ucat.osu.edu/portfolio/TableOfContents.html University of Wisconsin-Madison, College of Engineering: Handbook for Creating Course Portfolios http://www.engr.wisc.edu/services/elc/portfolios.pdf Singer, David M. Stanford University. Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences http://pangea.stanford.edu/~dmsinger/Teaching_Portfolio.pdf Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey: Center for Teaching Advancement & Assessment Research http://taproject.rutgers.edu/services_tips/teach_portfolio.pdf

CharMaine Hines, Ed.S. Session: Teaching Portfolio and Philosophy

October , 2011

Online Bibliography Post-Secondary Institutions: Teaching Philosophy Statements and Developing Portfolios

Duquesne University: Center for Teaching Excellence: Teaching Philosophy http://www.duq.edu/cte/academic-careers/teaching-philosophy.cfm Iowa State University: Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/philosophy.html Ohio State University: University Center for the Advancement of Teaching: Developing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement. http://ucat.osu.edu/teaching_portfolio/philosophy/philosophy2.html Ohio State University: Van Note Chism, Nancy. "Writing a Philosophy of Teaching Statement.”

http://ftad.osu.edu/portfolio/philosophy/Philosophy.html. Oregon State University: School of Education How To: Write an Educational Philosophy Statement

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/suggestions.html Sample Education Philosophy Statements on Education http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/sample.html

Princeton University; The McGraw Center for Teaching & Learning http://www.princeton.edu/mcgraw/library/for-grad-students/teaching-statement/ Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey: Center for Teaching Advancement & Assessment Research

http://ctaar.rutgers.edu/teaching/portfolios.html The University of Georgia: The Center for Teaching and Learning: Future Faculty Teaching Philosophy

Statements. http://www.ctl.uga.edu/teach_asst/ta_mentors/philosophy/index.html The University of Michigan: Center for Research on Learning and Teaching http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts.php The University of Minnesota: Center for Teaching and Learning: Writing Your Teaching Philosophy: A Step-by-Step Approach. http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/philosophy/index.html Vanderbilt University: Center for Teaching: Teaching Portfolios http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-portfolios/ Washington University, St. Louis

http://teachingcenter.wustl.edu/writing-teaching-philosophy-statement Yale University: McDougal Graduate Teaching Center: Sample Teaching Philosophies by Discipline (2006).

http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/teaching/forms/Sample%20Teaching%20Statements%20(ALL).pdf

CharMaine Hines, Ed.S. Session: Teaching Portfolio and Philosophy

October , 2011

Bibliography:

Teaching Philosophy Statements

Austin, Rachel Narehood. "Writing the Teaching Statement." Science Careers. April 14, 2006. http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/art...

Ellis, D. & Griffin, G. (2000). Developing a Teaching Philosophy Statement: A special challenge for graduate students. Journal of Graduate Teaching Assistant Development, 7(2), pp. 85-92.

Haugen, Lee. “Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement.” Center for Teaching Effectiveness. Iowa State University. http://www.celt.iastate.edu/teaching/philosophy.html.

Lang, James M. "4 Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy. The Chronicle of Higher Education. August 29, 2010. http://chronicle.com/article/5-Steps-to-a-Memorable/124199/.

Mangum, Teresa. "Views of the Classroom." Insider Higher Education. October 28, 2009. http://www.insidehighered.com/advice/academic_career_confidential/mangum10.

Montell, Gabriela. “How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy.” The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 27, 2003. http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Write-a-Statement-of/45133.

Montell, Gabriela. “What’s your Philosophy on Teaching, and Does it Matter?” The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 27, 2003. http://chronicle.com/article/Whats-Your-Philosophy-on/45132/.

O'Neal, Chris, Deborah Meizlish, and Matthew Kaplan. "Writing a Teaching Philosophy for the Academic Job Search." CRLT Occasional Papers. No. 23. University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. 2007. http://www.crlt.umich.edu/publinks/CRLT_no23.pdf .

Schonwetter, D. J., Sokal, L, et. al. (2002). Teaching philosophies reconsidered: A conceptual model for the development and evaluation of teaching philosophy statements. In International Journal for Academic Development, 7 (1).

Vick, Julie Miller and Jennifer S. Furlong. "Writing Samples and Teaching Statements," Julie Miller Vick and Jennifer S. Furlong, The Chronicle of Higher Education Dec. 20, 2010. http://chronicle.com/article/Writing-SamplesTeaching/125726/.