The goal of this guide is to help educators at MSU develop a meaningful and effective teaching philosophy statement. Whether you are preparing materials for a job application, tenure review, or personal reflection, this resource offers practical advice and prompts to support your writing process.

What is a Teaching Philosophy Statement?

A teaching philosophy statement articulates your beliefs about teaching and learning, outlining your values, goals, and methods. It explains how you view the role of an educator, your perspectives on student learning, and how your specific strategies and practices aim to support student success. This personal narrative can foster self-reflection and professional growth, and be a required part of job, tenure, and promotion applications. Always written from a first-person perspective and usually about one to two pages in length, it should describe the following aspects of your teaching identity:

• Two to four core values/beliefs (based on scholarly literature, personal teaching and learning experiences, disciplinary traditions)
• Connections between these core values and teaching approach (can include supervision and advising), such as alignment between overarching learning goals for students and instructional choices (e.g., case-based learning, problem-based learning, interactive lectures)
• Examples from the teaching practice that support the narrative such as
  • course plans
  • instructional activities
  • instructional materials
  • assessment methods
• Measures of teaching success and plans for further growth, such as
  • student achievements
  • feedback from students and peers
  • enrolment numbers
  • personal development
  • teaching materials

Is a Teaching Philosophy Statement the Same as a Reflective Essay?

Not quite. The reflective essay required for reappointment, tenure, and promotion applications at MSU encompasses not only your teaching but all aspects of your academic assignment (e.g., research, administrative, advising). As such, the teaching philosophy statement is one part of the larger reflective essay. The entire reflective essay should start with providing some background about your academic assignment, your context, and the broader impact of your work before reflecting on your teaching.

To learn more, you can watch this 2021 video on the reflective essay by Suzanne Lang, Associate Provost and Associate Vice President, Academic Human Resources. Faculty and Academic Staff Development further provides examples of reflective essays by college from professors on their website.

Why Should I Spend Time on This?

Often required for job, tenure, promotion and award applications, teaching philosophy statements are also valuable tools for professional reflection and growth. Being able to articulate your teaching philosophy can strengthen your teaching practice and the narrative around it when communicating your effectiveness as an educator to others. Composing a teaching philosophy statement may help you:

• Increase self-awareness and foster personal growth by reflecting on what shapes your teaching approaches and how you measure your success
• Find and articulate your teaching identity
• Guide instructional decisions
• Demonstrate how your values translate into meaningful student learning experiences
• Identify directions for continued professional development

Ultimately, composing a teaching philosophy statement encourages ongoing reflection, helping you align your teaching practices with your core beliefs and evolving goals.

What are the Conventions?

There is some variation between institutions, the goal of your application (e.g., is it for a teaching award or reappointment?), and different disciplines (e.g., committees in the College of Education typically have higher expectations with respect to theoretical foundations than committees in the Sciences). When possible, ask peers to see examples from your discipline or search for examples online. Generally, a teaching philosophy statement should be:

• Concise: Keep it to one to two pages, single-spaced.
• Personal: Write in the first person (“I teach this way because…”).
• Authentic: Free of clichés (“give a man a fish…, teach him how to fish…”) and pretenses. For a teaching philosophy to be memorable, it should be unique and let your personality shine through.
• Well-aligned: Your teaching approach, examples, and plans for improvement should all be rooted in the values and beliefs you describe. If you cannot provide an example from your teaching that reflects your values, you have two options. One possibility is to spend more time on identifying your values until there is a match between your values and your teaching practice. Another possibility is to explain why there is a mismatch (e.g., up to now, you have not been in a position to make instructional decisions) and describe how you are planning on aligning your teaching with your values as soon as the opportunity arises.
• Concrete: Keep abstract claims to a minimum and link everything to examples from your teaching. If you are new to teaching, provide examples for activities and assessment methods you are planning to use.
• Jargon-free: easy to understand for readers from outside your discipline

Examples

Centre for Teaching and Learning, Western University, Canada: Examples of Teaching Philosophy Statements

Centre for Teaching and Learning, Western University, Canada: Examples of Approaches to Writing Your Teaching Philosophy

Communication Lab, MIT School of Engineering: Faculty Application: Teaching Statement

• Annotated example 1 (MIT PhD student in 2020-2021)
• Annotated example 2 (MIT Assistant professor)

How do I Know What my Teaching Philosophy Is?

Uncovering Values and Beliefs About Teaching and Learning

This can be the most difficult aspect of preparing a teaching philosophy statement. Below are some questions to prompt the reflection process.

Your experiences as a learner

• What kinds of learning environments, strategies, or supports help you engage most deeply
• What were your favorite courses like when you were a student? What made them your favorites?
• Who was your favorite teacher? What did you like about their teaching style/courses?

Your experiences as an educator

• What is an assessment/teaching strategy that really works for you? What do you like about it? Why are you using it?
• What is your favorite course to teach? What makes this course different?
• What do you love about the discipline you are teaching in? What do you love about the content of your courses?
• Is there a kind of feedback you have received repeatedly over the years? E.g., students often comment that the assessments are difficult but fair; that they feel safe to engage and ask questions; that their interest in the topic increased because of the course; that the course is very hands-on. What are you doing to inspire these comments and why?
• How do I approach learning and teaching when it differs from my preferences and experiences?
• How do I learn about varying perspectives and ideas?

Educational background and professional development

• How have professional development opportunities (e.g., teaching and learning conferences, workshops, learning communities, online modules, podcasts, blogs) influenced the way you think about teaching and learning?
• If you are familiar with learning theories, which ones resonate most with you? In what way?
• What lessons have you learned from work experiences outside academia and how do they inform your beliefs about teaching and learning?

Connecting Values and Beliefs to Teaching Methods and Examples

Different values and beliefs are associated with different methods. For example, the conviction that learning happens by doing could lead you to rely on teaching and assessment strategies that encourage the application of concepts. Believing that a sense of belonging is crucial for student motivation and learning might inspire you to putting effort into creating an inclusive learning environment. Similarly, these beliefs are linked to overarching learning goals for students. In the case of learning-by-doing, the overarching goal could be that students learn to connect theory to practice or that they leave the course with a growth mindset. In the case of creating a sense of belonging, the overarching goal might be to instill in students the confidence that they can forge their own path regardless of their background.

This section of the statement demonstrates that your teaching practice is purposeful, that you select teaching and assessment strategies corresponding to your values and beliefs, and to achieve the stated goals. Importantly, this section should not be merely abstract but include examples from your practice showcasing your teaching approach.

Articulating Measures of Success and Reflecting on Development

In the last section of your teaching philosophy statement, describe the indicators you use to evaluate your effectiveness as an educator. How do you determine whether a course is progressing as planned? How do you know that you are meeting the goals you have set for yourself? Reflect on how your teaching has evolved over time and what factors have influenced those changes. Highlight a few accomplishments you are proud of, as well as one or two areas you are actively working to improve. Finish by outlining plans for future contributions (e.g., redesigning a course, creating new assessments, participating in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) and continued professional development (e.g., attending workshops, participating in learning communities).

When is my Teaching Philosophy Statement Done?

To a certain degree, never. As mentioned in the beginning, an important aspect of the teaching philosophy statement is to demonstrate reflective practice and commitment to professional growth. This means, that you are encouraged to revise your statement every year. Think about your teaching experiences, your experiences as a learner (if applicable), feedback from students and peers, and ideas and recommendations from professional development. What further steps can you take to improve alignment between values and practice? What strengths do you have as an educator that you could build on? Importantly, a mismatch between values and teaching approach does not necessarily mean that it is always the approach that needs work. Sometimes it means that it is time to rethink previously held values and beliefs in the face of new experiences and evidence.

References and Further Resources

This articles content was informed by the resources below:

Haave, N. (2014). Six questions that will bring your teaching philosophy into focus. Faculty Focus.

International Studies Association. (2022, Oct. 5). Academic Career Series: Crafting a Teaching Philosophy Statement. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74T71KiaS9A

Kenny, N., Berenson, C., Jeffs, C., Nowell, L., & Grant, K. (2018). Teaching philosophies and teaching dossiers guide. Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Lang, S. (2021). The reflective essay [Video presentation]. Michigan State University, Media Space.

Schonwetter, D., Sokal, L., Friesen, M., & Taylor, K. L. (2002). Teaching philosophies reconsidered: A conceptual model for the development and evaluation of teaching philosophy statements. International Journal for Academic Development, 7(1), 83–97. https://doi.org/10.1080/13601440210156501

Here are further resources you might find helpful:

Brown, B. (n.d.). Living into our values exercise. Brenebrown.com.

Lang, J.M. (2010). 4 Steps to a Memorable Teaching Philosophy. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/4-steps-to-a-memorable-teaching-philosophy/?sra=true