Philosophy of Teaching

A reflective philosophy of teaching should really be a work in progress...something that the teacher continually examines and refines over the years. I wonder how many teachers in our district have a written statement of philosophy on hand?

I was lucky to take a year's worth of teacher prep classes through Concordia and I've written and rewritten my philosophy of teaching (I wonder how to link it here??). Through our required readings, I've examined some great guides to refining this philosophy. I found the CRLT's rubric extra helpful because it explicitly defines what you should have in your statement, as well as an idea of how detailed you should be. I also found that the U of Saskatchewan's learning center for teachers essentially walked you through creating your statement (very, very, very helpful). I've read many examples of teachers' statements and I liked how some are more informal than others.

Some examples are very scholarly; I believe teachers should approach this project as a scholarly exercise, but I think really lending your personal touch helps readers view it as your own philosophy (rather than just another boring essay). Overall, I think a statement of philosophy should really include what you thinks works, what you really believe in, and what you actually do in the classroom as opposed to a recitiation of what you think employers or parents would want to read.

Gabriela Montell offers some practical tips for creating your philosophy that I plan to use by bringing my statement out of storage and reviewing to see if I have too many pages, if I have made any empty statements, and if I have really adopted a tone of humility.

I think your classroom blog or website is a perfect place to link your teaching philosophy. That way parents, administrators and other teachers can read about your beliefs and practices...another great step in creating more transparency in the classroom.

Last litte note on teachers' statements: I think it's great and wonderful and easy for us students to craft a philosophy (especially if we have some experience in the classroom) but I think it will be a challenge to continually reflect over the years. Once you get into a routine, it's difficult to critically examine yourself and your work and who has time to sit around reflecting and crafting and writing philosophies? Of course, however, it's essential to do such reflecting in order to grow and keep up on your game.

I think maintaining a blog would give you an advantage when it comes time to rewrite and rexamine your philosophy, because it's a place you can delve into teaching issues and practices and beliefs...and a place to read others' practices and beliefs to incorporate into your own.