Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning Statements of Teaching Philosophy: Critical Reflection about Teaching Practice Katie Kearns Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning citl@indiana.edu

Goals for today Know about the genre expectations of a statement of teaching philosophy Acquire strategies for reading effectively and producing persuasively in the genre Have ideas and motivation to get started writing

About the genre of the teaching statement ROLE/PURPOSE – why? AUDIENCE – who? FORMAT – how? TASK – what?

What brings you here today? I am applying for a job: This fall? Next fall? A couple years from now? I am applying for a fellowship or award I have a course assignment

Why develop a teaching statement and portfolio? Extrinsic factors To highlight important aspects of your teaching To indicate you are ready for an academic job Intrinsic factors To improve your teaching through reflection

Which institutions ask for a teaching statement? Doctoral Master’s Bachelor’s % requesting teaching statement during hiring process 54% 62% Humanities Social Sciences Natural Sciences % requesting teaching statement during hiring process 50% 80% Kaplan et al. (2007) To Improve the Academy 26: 242-262. Campus Instructional Consulting teaching@indiana.edu

About the genre of the teaching statement ROLE/PURPOSE – why? AUDIENCE – who? FORMAT – how? TASK – what?

What is teaching effectiveness?

What is the PURPOSE of a statement of teaching philosophy? Scholarly analysis of your teaching Thesis: What do you want students to learn to do? How do you design, implement, and assess for those outcomes? What have you learned? I’m a good teacher My students do cool stuff (because I make rational, intentional instructional choices)

What kind of writing is a teaching statement? Persuasive convincing, justifying, reasoning Expository explaining how to Descriptive visualizing, specific Narrative telling a story, beginnings/endings Reflective learning from an experience, connecting theory and practice

About the genre of the teaching statement ROLE/PURPOSE – why? AUDIENCE – who? FORMAT – how? TASK – what?

Analysis of a statement of teaching philosophy Beyond the content, what do you notice about the ORGANIZATION and LAYOUT of the document? What do you KNOW about this instructor’s teaching? How do they DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, ASSESS, and REFLECT on their teaching? What do you INFER about this instructor’s teaching? What do you WONDER about this instructor’s teaching? Campus Instructional Consulting teaching@indiana.edu

About the genre of the teaching statement ROLE/PURPOSE – why? AUDIENCE – who? FORMAT – how? TASK – what?

FORMAT of a teaching statement Typical page length Organization of document Organization within paragraphs

About the genre of the teaching statement ROLE/PURPOSE – why? AUDIENCE – who? FORMAT – how? TASK – what?

What questions does a teaching statement address? Design: Learning goals What do you want students to know, do, and appreciate about your discipline? Implement: Teaching methods How does your course design help students achieve these goals? Assess: Assessment of student learning How do you know students have achieved these learning goals? Reflect: Reflection on teaching What aspect of your teaching would you like to work on?

Nature of evidence in teaching and learning Student performance Ethnographic data Quantitative and qualitative Observations of behavior Formal and informal Artifacts of teaching Examples: papers, exams, quizzes, minute papers Teacherly reflections Student surveys Knowledge and skills Experiences Perceptions and feedback Seldin, P. 2004. The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions, 3rd edition.

What do search committees want to KNOW from a teaching statement? Evidence of teaching practice Vivid and specific descriptions of moments in your classes Your ability to design, implement, and assess learning in different contexts Kaplan et al. (2007) To Improve the Academy 26: 242-262. Bruff (2007) Notices of the AMS 54(10): 1308-1315. Campus Instructional Consulting teaching@indiana.edu

What do search committees INFER from a teaching statement? Student centered teaching Reflective and thoughtful practice Valuing of teaching Communication skills Match between the applicant and the institution Kaplan et al. (2007) To Improve the Academy 26: 242-262. Bruff (2007) Notices of the AMS 54(10): 1308-1315. Campus Instructional Consulting teaching@indiana.edu

The teaching statement as elevator speech Write about a key assignment or activity you use to encourage students’ critical thinking or another learning objective. Be prepared to share.

Common pitfalls with teaching statements Is trite, formulaic, or cliché Is preachy Uses jargon (specialized words) or buzzwords (empty words) Focuses on instructor’s personal qualities and attention to required duties of teaching Has no overall theme Includes too much Has no plan for continued improvement Does not balance or connect theory with practice philosophical practical

Next steps Learning more Getting feedback Getting Credit CITL consultation Writing Tutorial Services Getting feedback CITL: Portfolios, diversity statements CIRTL: National STEM preparing future faculty program Learning more CITL’s Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship Program College’s Graduate Area Teaching Certificate Getting Credit

Teaching Portfolios: Documenting and reflecting on teaching practice Katie Kearns, PhD Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning citl@indiana.edu

Teaching portfolio (dossier, “evidence of teaching effectiveness”) Course portfolio Investigation of one course and/or one teaching approach Teaching portfolio (dossier, “evidence of teaching effectiveness”) Summary of all courses

Two portfolio versions: Highlights and archives Public Highlights of selected materials Private collection Archive of everything

Sources of evidence for a statement of teaching philosophy Seldin, P. 2004. The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions, 3rd edition. Campus Instructional Consulting teaching@indiana.edu

Example portfolio

Analysis of a teaching portfolio What items are included in the portfolio? How does the author help you navigate the portfolio?

Portfolio materials: Course descriptions Level of course Freshman/senior Major/non-major Size of class Major topics covered Major responsibilities Designed syllabus? Designed assessments (homework, in-class activities, quizzes, exams, papers)? Format of responsibilities (lecture, discussion, problem session, grader) 29

Portfolio materials: Course materials Syllabus 2-3 classes Consider developing one for a course you have not taught yet Course activities 1-2 activities per course Sample student work 1-2 samples of graded work per course

Portfolio materials: Student evaluations Kinds of evaluation data Numerical ratings Comments What argument do you want to make? Improvement over time Success with certain classroom formats lecture, discussion/lab, service-learning Success with certain types of students majors/non-majors, freshman/seniors Success with certain content survey courses, topic courses Consideration: Summary of ratings vs. all ratings?

Portfolio materials: Student evaluations Summary student evaluations Graph or tabulate numerical ratings including a paragraph of analysis Use 5-7 items from ratings Include 1-2 global items from ratings Group comments into 4 or 5 categories Include one category addressing an area to work on Include category descriptions (1-2 sentences) Include 2-3 sample student comments supporting each category

Starting the teaching portfolio Your teaching portfolio should be an argument that demonstrates your teaching effectiveness. What is one piece of evidence that you might include in your portfolio? How does this piece of evidence illustrate your teaching effectiveness?

Portfolio materials: Content Introductions How does each piece of your portfolio support your argument for your teaching effectiveness? Content Introductions should: Explicitly connect each item to your argument of teaching effectiveness Demonstrate your selection process Be short ~ a 3-5 sentence paragraph will suffice Serve as a “user friendly” guide for the reader

Process Summarize teaching responsibilities Describe teaching philosophy, strategies, methodologies, and objectives Select items for portfolio providing evidence from teaching philosophy Prepare reflective statements about each item Compile and arrange materials in order

Next steps Learning more Getting feedback Getting Credit CITL consultation Writing Tutorial Services Getting feedback CITL: Portfolios, diversity statements CIRTL: National STEM preparing future faculty program Learning more CITL’s Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship Program College’s Graduate Area Teaching Certificate Getting Credit

Writing Process Reflection How did you decide what evidence to show? How did you make choices about showing breadth and depth of teaching experience? What did the actual writing process look like? Brainstorming, drafting, outlining, revisions, peer-review? How did you know this version was “good enough?”