Developing Your Teaching Narrative: An Introduction Melissa McDaniels Assistant Dean, The Graduate School & Postdoctoral Office Michigan State University mcdani73@msu.edu Next Several Days, add other names Please Cite As: McDaniels, M. (2017). Developing Your Teaching (Philosophy) Statement: An Introduction. Workshop presented on October 18, 2017.

Pedagogical Support for Postdocs What types of workshops or opportunities would you like available to you? Massive Open Online Course

Look for updates when this will be offered in Spring 2018 (free) stemteachingcourse.org Look for updates when this will be offered in Spring 2018 (free) 8-week MOOC! The course is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1347605

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FRAMEWORK (NOT RECIPE) MAKE INFORMATION RELEVANT TO YOU (reflection & writing time, conversation, questions & feedback) ONGOING CONVERSATION & RESOURCES @insideteaching (Twitter) Blog: http://insideteaching.grad.msu.edu www.melissamcdaniels.com/msuteachnarrative Documentation

By the end of today … Describe the uses and importance of a teaching narrative. Identify possible aspects of your work to discuss in your teaching narrative Utilize strategies to develop and refine the teaching narrative Commitment to a series of personal “next steps” towards completing your narrative.

The rapidly changing environment of postsecondary education, combined with the increasing complexity of faculty work, makes it imperative that you are able to efficiently and clearly articulate your professional accomplishments and contributions. The era of describing activities and uncritically handing in Evidence of your faculty work are over.

Think of a a teaching narrative as just one portion of your overall academic portfolio.

It is important to have a curated space from which you can draw as you need to promote different aspects of your work as an intellectual.

What is a teaching narrative?

Teaching Narrative: Uses

Teaching Narrative: Uses Statement of teaching interests in job application Centerpiece of teaching award application Content for a pedagogy talk or grant proposal Annual review or RPT process Self-reflection Model for others

Types of Teaching to Discuss in Narrative MU Research Interdisciplinary Land grant UMKC Community engagement Urban Student success & access MST Experiential learning UMSL

Types of Teaching to Discuss in Narrative Face-to-face classroom Laboratory (‘bench’ or field) Synchronous, asynchronous, or hybrid online Research mentoring Clinical teaching (nursing, medicine, law, clergy, other) Athletic or musical instruction Many other types MU Research Interdisciplinary Land grant UMKC Community engagement Urban Student success & access MST Experiential learning UMSL

You are trying to demonstrate … Your “teacher knowledge”!

Mishra & Koehler (2006)

Narrative Writing vs. Class Planning Identify the Message Identify Learning Outcomes Determine Acceptable Evidence Identify “Teaching Moments” Plan Learning Experiences Write Narrative Are the components ALIGNED? Are the components ALIGNED ? Did you clearly communicate your contributions in teaching? Did the students achieve desired learning outcomes?

Identify “Teaching Moments” audience audience Identify the Message Identify “Teaching Moments” Write Narrative audience audience

Narrative – Preparing to Write

PREPARATION (Question #4): Download Your Teaching Experience Tool: Preparing to Communicate Your Teaching Philosophy You need to be able to rely upon all aspects of your teaching experience to develop ideas for your teaching narrative. Tools like this will help you remember different aspects of your teaching you might discount or forget. You want all to draw on all of your teaching history and knowledge when you generate content for your narrative.

PREPARATION (Question #4): Download Your Teaching Experience What and where you have taught? Students (levels/subgroups) Teaching strategies & approaches Teaching – connections to other roles? Beliefs about & student learning How do important “others” assess high quality teaching? Please take 5 minutes to review the tool and complete at least Section 1 (contexts of teaching experience). “Data” for Teaching Component

Narrative will showcase: Your beliefs about teaching Your accomplishments in teaching

Narrative will showcase: Your beliefs about teaching Your accomplishments in teaching

GENERATE PIECES OF NARRATIVE: Beliefs About Teaching Think about a ‘critical moment’ in your teaching history – one that either opened up or shut down your learning or your students’ learning. This moment could be something you remember as a teaching success, a teaching challenge, or a perplexing event. How did you respond in those moments – for better or for worse? If you didn’t respond as you had hoped, what might you do differently next time? Through engagement in this exercise, assumptions underlying your teaching philosophy may emerge.

GENERATE PIECES OF NARRATIVE: Beliefs About Teaching Example Moments: Your class finally understands a complex concept A student asks you a question you cannot answer. You successfully (for the first time) facilitate a discussion among students that involves vigorous disagreement. The first time you catch a student plagiarizing A ‘light bulb’ moment you have about how to teach a challenging concept in your field.

GENERATE PIECES OF NARRATIVE: Beliefs About Teaching Describe the moment How did you respond (or not respond)? If you didn’t respond as you had hoped, what might you do next time?

GENERATE PIECES OF NARRATIVE: Beliefs About Teaching Describe the moment How did you respond (or not respond)? If you didn’t respond as you had hoped, what might you do next time? What beliefs about teaching emerge from these stories?

Other Questions What is the role of the student? What is the role of the teacher? Why do I teach the way I do? What does learning look like when it happens in my classroom? What is my approach to assessment?

Narrative will showcase: Your beliefs about teaching Your accomplishments in teaching

GENERATE PIECES OF NARRATIVE: Accomplishments in Teaching Curricular innovations Reflection on feedback you received about teaching Leadership in teaching Scholarship of teaching activity Other

GENERATE PIECES OF NARRATIVE: Articulate Accomplishments Write a series of strong statements asserting your core accomplishments (deductive approach) Utilize action verbs as you would in writing learning objectives for your students Consider Evidence to support your assertion

GENERATE PIECES OF NARRATIVE: Articulate Accomplishments Think about your approach to writing concrete and measurable learning objectives for students. Action verbs (Blooms Taxonomy)

Thank You! Melissa McDaniels, Ph.D. Assistant Dean The Graduate School Michigan State University mcdani73@msu.edu