How do you create a teaching philosophy?

In my experience teaching is a way of life. I.e., being a teacher is simply who I am, rather than something I 'do'. I feel I have always been very lucky to gain access to wonderful learners. Every time I enter a 'goal' with a student (for example: they need to pass their school end Math exams), we both come out of the experience with 'more wonderful goodies' than we entered with, in addition to the goal attainment. The purpose of education for me therefore can be described as meeting students where they are, in each moment, and creating a space for them to find their feet, and therefore move forward to their next goal - whatever that goal may be.

I've never struggled with a teaching philosophy. From day one at Northeastern University and Boston University, I've told my students: I teach the way I'd like to be taught. In practice, that means being committed to my learners and their success, leading by example with excitement and curiosity for my field, and creating a classroom environment where high expectations, hard work, and friendly smiles can all coexist.

Your teaching philosophy continually evolves, and often we don’t know what it is until we make space and time to get to know it. So the first thing to do is make that space. Next, identify your core beliefs, about education at the level you work in; but also what are your beliefs about education in general, about your subject, and about the world. All these shape your philosophy. Your values also shape your philosophy. What are the life principles you cannot let go of? What matters most to you? And finally, how do all of these shape how you are when you are in a teaching environment with your students?

A philosophy is a metaphysical framework, a way of thinking about the world, a theory of life. At this level, it drives the structure, strategies, and tactics that lead to quantifiable measures. For example, if you have a redemptive teaching philosophy, you may allow students to redeem themselves by retaking tests. If your philosophy is community oriented, you may use group learning strategies. Most of your goals will lend to measurable outcomes. Some of your goals may not conform so easily to measurement; nonetheless, if those goals are important to your teaching philosophy, you should still work to include them into your courses.

I was bored for a long time as a university student. That's why when I started teaching at the University of Dunkerque (France), I immediately asked my students what they wanted to learn in each of my courses. As a result, my courses enabled students to develop practical skills that they would immediately apply after graduation. To make this work, I empathize with the students' difficulties, and train them in the greatest skill of all: adapting to any situation. This enables them to find solutions for complex situations, and thus contribute value to society.

A question I ask myself as a university teacher when considering learning outcomes is: What do you want your students to take with them from your teaching and—if you meet them in a year’s time—what will they have integrated into their thinking and doing? I would like them to understand, at least on some level, how to move ideas from the abstract to the concrete with the use of reflective observation and active experimentation. I strive to consider: How can we foster a posture of learning in students to be creative problem-solvers, and active experimenters who reflect on success and failures while striving to iterate on ideas?

The reason you do take action towards learning is a starting point to understand your 'goal' this is a great start towards understanding what it is you wish to achieve. Take the time and evaluate how you would like to be viewed as a lecturer/teacher/advisor. This will aid in you understanding your teaching philosophy and creating your 'outcome' 'goal'.

I strongly believe that students should gain not only knowledge and skills, but also personal growth and development from their learning experience. Setting clear expectations for teachers and learners, creating a roadmap for instruction, and assessing the effectiveness of teaching methods are essential. The purpose and direction of an educator's teaching approach can be cultivated by aligning their philosophy with the overarching goals of education.

A person in a different field I was consulting with on building a corporate education program reminded me "If the objective is not measurable, it's not an objective, but a hope." If you define your learning objectives and they are not measurable, then they are not objectives. Additionally, you can't have more than a few learning objectives. An old Native American proverb says, 'If the eagle chases two rabbits at the same time, it will go hungry.' Limit your objectives to what is really important.

Simon Sinek popularized the concept of "Start with Why" in leadership and organizational theory. He argues that effective leaders and organizations are those that start by asking "Why" before they consider the "How" and "What." Essentially, the "Why" forms the purpose, cause, or belief that inspires action. In the context of education, learning objectives serve as a foundation for content delivery, assessment, and learner engagement. They clarify the expected outcomes for students, providing a clear pathway for the "What," "How," and most critically, the "Why" of a course. If we can be specific with the "why" behind a course the learning objectives are the road map and output to get there.

Choose teaching strategies that are most suitable for the age of students you teach, the subject/content, and those that align with current research. Be open to learning best practice in ‘how’ we teach, through a growth mindset.

In my classroom, experiential learning is key. I think academic theories with real-world applications work best in schooling. After 20 years in business, I build assignments and projects that mirror real-world issues. This method lets students apply theoretical principles to case studies, collaborative projects, and simulations. Also, I value emotional and social development as much as intellectual development. I encourage students to share their experiences, ask questions, and think critically in my classroom. Another key to corporate success is teamwork and communication.

Make it practical, tangible, and sensitive. Students should not feel the urge of incubating theoretical knowledge full of concepts, empty ideas without real use cases in their daily life. Start with what they know, then elaborate what I call a "Known proven case fact", then allow each student to build his own inference from that foundation.

I firmly believe that the essence of education, as in all human activity that involves interaction with others, lies in love. Being an exceptional teacher requires a deep passion for students, learning, and the act of teaching. Even if specific goals can be achieved without this essential ingredient, we will always fall short of the ultimate goal: to cultivate the humanity in each individual.

First it is important to know that students perception differs. Therefore, when designing a course it is essential to make it suitable to all levels of learners whom will later register. To design a course, first I should know it’s level then I benchmark and read content of other universities delivery on the same subject, this will help me as tutor to broaden my knowledge and avoid any obsolete information. The material should be updated regularly, could be on yearly basis, especially with tech related materials such as softwares. When I design the activities I make them suitable to line up with different adult learners styles, making them reflecting these different styles. This will maintain interactive learning environments.

In graduate school, they always refer to this as Theoria and Praxis. Theoria literally translates to view or look at something with intention. It is where the word theory originates. Praxis is the practical application of Theoria or theory. Educators need to balance the two, but Praxis is what the students expect. How can I use this knowledge and what is the practical application to my situation? Sometimes it is easier to explain the application and then teach the theory behind it. Students are much more receptive to applicable learning objectives than worrying about the philosophical implications of what they are doing.

A teacher's teaching philosophy should reflect their core beliefs and teaching style, or be influenced by pedagogical theories. Educational theories such as constructivism, behaviorism, experiential learning, and others influence how educators instruct students. Understanding how these theories complement my teaching philosophy and leads to more meaningful and effective teaching.

It is essential to understand and select suitable theories and guidelines for teaching; it is also important to clearly state our own philosophy as educators so that the teacher’s actions in the classroom reflect his beliefs. My own education philosophy statements are embodied within the Constructivism framework. Constructivism is a paradigm of learning that describes the process of knowledge formation. In constructivist learning, students learn actively rather than wait passively for the teacher to spoon-feed them with information (Ellison & Wu, 2008). Constructivists believe that one has to adapt to the environment to acquire knowledge. In the process, one reshapes the acquired knowledge and creates new knowledge (Sternberg, 2008).

Teaching using real world experience especially your own creates good connections for students. Don't be afraid to tell them the good, the bad and the ugly. Tell them about your greatest moments in a career and your worst and most importantly what you learnt from those experiences, then tie it all in with the subject.

Or, alternatively to using long winded and classical sounding words, connect your teaching and learning approaches to proven studies and practice research that augments your professional decision making. Action research. Flipped learning. Gamification. Assessment of as well as for learning. Well structured lessons with formative points of reflection. Group work and collaboration to further teaching and learning skills amongst learners by empowering their sense of ownership in the classroom. A big problem with HE is we drive sophistry rather than focus on getting the essentials, which are based on decades of research, correct and cemented in learning.

It's an unfortunate reality in our society and in education we don't spend more time evaluating how well we diversify education and learning for the different modalities of students in a class. Everyone learns differently and educators should think about how their instruction will be received by learners or customers. There is a reason a shoe department carries multiple shoe sizes, colors, styles, and brands! It's because the marketplace recognizes there are different tastes, price points, and applications. We should adopt a more retail approach to teaching and gear our instruction to the broadest audience.

The Reverse Classroom model (AKA the Flipped Classroom) changes the teaching paradigm by shifting lectures to asynchronous formats. Classroom time is then repurposed for experiential exercises, discussions, and problem-solving. The flexibility allows students to learn at their own pace, accommodating various learning speeds. Hands-on, cooperative learning can mitigate stereotype threats that marginalized groups may face in traditional classrooms. Further, the format allows educators to easily integrate culturally relevant perspectives into the curriculum. Group activities give students from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to share and learn from each other’s unique perspectives.

My class comprises of students from different educational backgrounds, levels of language profiency, learning styles and some with different learning needs. The challenge here is to ensure that the teaching strategy boosts students' understanding of and confidence over the content learnt. As far as my experience goes, fostering a culture of collaboration, peer learning and openness in communication help build mutual trust among students and the educators in the classroom. This has, particularly, worked wonders for my class where the needs of differently-abled students have been met to a great extent while improving their confidence and making them believe they are in no way disadvantaged.

Inclusion in education practices is a highly sensitive arena. In this age where the world is strongly in support of accommodating differently-abled students into a regular classroom, inclusive practices go way beyond just mapping teaching methodologies and content. Emotional intelligence is an essential attribute that an educator must possess for mastering inclusive teaching practices with a diverse group of learners. Ascertaining and understanding the students' diverse learning needs is the first most important step in creating an inclusive classroom.

I learnt that the key to #nurturing a “culture of diversity, equity and inclusion” is putting it into action. Personally, I’d rather see fewer for-women-only sponsored activities or “colourful niche culture clubs” and a better focus on #working and learning teams in which people can shine in their #diversity and show their potential #benefits into #action — while inclusively safe #teaming and solving big problems.

Uma filosofia institucional de ensino precisa ser construída coletivamente e estar prevista no Plano de Desenvolvimento Institucional (PDI). E como filosofia deve sempre estar aberta aos questionamentos e às mudanças. Atualmente podemos sugerir que a filosofia de ensino deva ser discutida a partir das seguintes premissas: 1. Metodologias específicas para cursos de graduação e pós-graduação (lato e stricto sensu); 2. Incentivo à interdisciplinaridade; 3. Atualização curricular sistemática conforme demanda do mercado e práticas emergentes; 4. Incorporação de tecnologia educacional; 5. Programas de nivelamento personalizados; 6. Previsão de mobilidade acadêmica com instituições nacionais e/ou internacionais; 7. Incansável promoção de inovação.

A well known maxim "tell them what you're going to tell them, tell it to them, and then tell them what you told them" is stellar advice. From the start of the class, learners are aware of the narrative and structure of the class-- they may have questions pop up that they self-recognize will be addressed later. Finally, after summarizing main points, learners can identify issues or points of clarity/confusion with a great sense of all relevant material shared. From a classroom management perspective, its win-win for instructors and learners alike!

This is the perfect time to let the reader know who you are and what you stand for as a higher education professional. This is also a good time to make sure that you have weaved the answers to the main points throughout the philosophy and not just in the summary. Using the summary as the conclusion is a great way to tie your thoughts together and end your teaching philosophy strong.

Here's another thing that I find helpful from a search committee perspective: Don't be afraid to stand out. Some of the teaching statements we see are boilerplate - they look the same, say the same, and feel the same as everyone else. Be you! What makes you different from every other faculty candidate writing the statement right now.

I think a key part of the teaching philosophy is connecting it to the students, answering the what's in it for me question but making it personal to you and your personality. A teaching philosophy can help paint a picture of who you are and how you teach as well as what the student will receive from you, as an instructor.

It involves introspection and reflection on one's beliefs, values, and experiences related to education and learning. Begin by considering your core beliefs about the nature of knowledge, the learning process, and the educator's role. Think about the methods, techniques, and environments that best facilitate student learning, engagement, and success. Assess your teaching experiences, student feedback, and ongoing professional development to identify what works and what areas need refinement. Consider your goals for students, your approach to achieving these goals, and the rationale behind your pedagogical choices. It should always strive for a more inclusive, effective, and impactful educational experience for your students.

Don't enter the classroom with the mindset of being a mere transmitter of information. Encourage two-way communication. It is essential that your students have the opportunity to participate, express their opinions and ask questions. Even in a lecture context, which is typically more one-way, it is crucial to make time for exchange and interaction.

Consider your audience. Whether it’s the board room, the court room or the classroom, those how succeed know their listeners those who do not fail. The most successful educators understand their students. The most successful education lawyers understand the environment and the most successful business leaders remember what it was like when they were helping another business succeed. It’s all about people. If your people don’t understand it, train them, teach them, or replace yourself.