A statement of teaching articulates your personal philosophy about teaching and learning:  how you define teaching, what  constitutes learning, and how you implement your viewpoints in the classroom.  The statement communicates your teaching goals and should be based on both practice and aspirations.

Before You Start

• The statement is a public document for students, colleagues, supervisors, personnel committees, and others.  It might be kept in a teaching portfolio, distributed at the beginning of a course, or posted on a web page.  Think about your audience and imagine talking to them.

• The statement is a living document, developing and deepening over time.

• Use the examples you provide or the statements you make to reveal what you believe about teaching and learning and how you exemplify those beliefs.

• The statement should connect to pieces of evidence in your portfolio (e.g., a syllabus, a student work sample, a peer observation).

• Give yourself plenty of time to think about the statement, create a first draft, and write a final draft.

Creating a Draft

• Give yourself 30 - 45 minutes to plan a draft:

  • Brainstorm a list or sketch a concept map of everything you consider teaching, including office hours and work with individual students.  You won't address everything in the statement, but you'll be surprised how much you have and how things connect.

  • Brainstorm a list of what you believe deeply about teaching and learning.

  • Create a list of questions you have about teaching and learning.

  • Brainstorm a list of the kind of skills you'd like to improve.

• From the lists or concept maps, pick no more than one or two big ideas or concepts to develop in the statement.

• Write in first person.

• Don't be too long:  2 - 3 pages is enough.

Self-Reflection

• Set the statement aside for a couple of days.  When you return to the document, read it out loud to yourself or read into a tape recorder and listen.

• Get a reality check about your statement's tone from several colleagues or friends (guard for overblown arrogance as well as self-effacement).

• Date and keep electronic and hard copy versions.  Look at them periodically for self-reflection purposes.  The beginning or end of a semester is a good time to take stock.

• A final draft should feel satisfying and complete. . .for the time being.