10 Centring Narrative in your Teaching Philosophy
Having reflected on your teaching practice and considered what you may wish to convey about yourself as an educator throughout your portfolio, you are well equipped to begin writing (or revising) your teaching philosophy. Approximately one page in length, the teaching philosophy fits with all aspects of a narrative approach: it provides an opportunity to communicate your values, beliefs, and approaches to teaching and learning; it is an impactful place to demonstrate institutional fit with your department, Faculty, and McMaster as a whole; and the core messages stated in the philosophy should align with what is conveyed throughout the rest of your portfolio.
Strong teaching philosophies often share several key characteristics that effectively communicate one’s approach to teaching and learning. In general, an effective teaching philosophy includes the following traits:
- An authentic and personal tone: Writing a teaching philosophy is an opportunity for you to convey elements of your personality so that readers can gain a sense of who you are and why you hold particular beliefs and values. Using first person language (e.g., “I” and “my”) and sharing brief stories or anecdotes can differentiate you from others and help contextualize the information in the rest of your portfolio.
- Reference to evidence: Your teaching philosophy is primarily about your beliefs and values as they relate to teaching and learning, but it also primes the reader to interpret evidence of teaching effectiveness elsewhere in the portfolio. You may wish to directly connect a belief or value to a specific example of application in the philosophy itself, or you may wish to refer the reader to another section of the portfolio that describes it in more detail.
- A developmental focus: While it may be tempting to present yourself in the best possible light, your teaching philosophy can be an opportunity to demonstrate how you continue to learn and improve your teaching practice. Acknowledging past or current challenges and how they shaped your beliefs or approaches to teaching signals an impressive commitment to continual professional development. Identifying your goals for future teaching demonstrates this commitment as well.
- Clear organization and concise language: Like the rest of your portfolio, your teaching philosophy should be presented in a way that reduces the amount of interpretation the reader must do to understand your points. A teaching philosophy should have a clear structure (e.g., each paragraph should address a discrete value or belief). You may wish to seek out other teaching philosophy statements to get a feel for a format that speaks to you.
It is also important to remember that there are various forms of teaching. McMaster University considers mentorship and graduate student supervision as teaching. In your philosophy statement, as well as in other sections of your teaching portfolio, you may wish to speak to these aspects of your teaching practice.
The next chapter reviews the components of a McMaster teaching portfolio outlined in SPS B2.