![Woman on computer screen](/sites/default/files/styles/ucws_hero_cta_desktop/public/2020-12/20-TAY-Learning-Module-Developing-Your-Dossier-Lesson-2-Hero.png?itok=lAgo8D9_)
Lesson 2: State your teaching philosophy
What is a teaching philosophy statement?
Now that you know what a teaching dossier is and have explored some examples, you can begin the process of stating your teaching philosophy statement.
A teaching philosophy statement is:
- a reflective narrative of how your experiences have informed your values, goals and beliefs regarding both teaching and learning
- a thesis around which the dossier is built
- a framework that is aligned to the presentation of evidence and exemplary materials
- the foundation of a teaching dossier
- one to two pages long
- written as a first-person narrative
How is a teaching philosophy statement structured?
It is useful to structure your teaching philosophy statement around 4 key components:
- Beliefs (what do you think?)
- Strategies (what do you do?)
- Impact (what has been the impact?)
- Goals (how will you improve?)
![Teaching philosophy statement structure](/sites/default/files/styles/ucws_image_desktop/public/2020-12/20-TAY-Learning-Module-Developing-Your-Dossier-Graphics-02_0.png?itok=rLOKCl1B)
Activity
Reflect:
- What resonates with you - what inspires you about the format or content?
- What do you notice about the philosophy statement structure? (e.g., length, format, alignment, tense, person)
- What components of the dossier are included? What do you notice about the length, format, etc?
- How is the stated philosophy aligned throughout the document?
- Find the reflective comments
- What surprises you?
- What are you curious about?
Lesson checklist
- Recognize the role of the philosophy statement in the teaching dossier
- Identify your beliefs about how students learn and how these beliefs inform how you teach
- Complete the first draft of your philosophy statement