Writing a Successful Teaching Statement Peter Newbury Center for Teaching Development, UCSD ctd.ucsd.edu

1. WRITING A SUCCESSFUL
TEACHING STATEMENT
Peter Newbury, Ph.D.
Center for Teaching Development,
University of California, San Diego
pnewbury@ucsd.edu @polarisdotca
ctd.ucsd.edu #ctducsd
Adapted from presentations by Cynthia Lee (CSE, UCSD). Also, University of
Michigan, Vanderbilt University, and others…
January 24, 2013
ScienceBridge

2. End of grad school = stress
2
visa/immigration publish thesis in journal
thesis job search
moving
defense funding/grants
Research Statement CV
Teaching Statement references
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

3. Job announcements
3
Most job announcements require applicants to submit a
“Teaching Statement”
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

4. “A Teaching what ?”
4
Teaching Portfolio
Teaching Philosophy
• Teaching Statement
Teaching • Statement of Teaching
Statement • Statement of Teaching
Philosophy
• and more…
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

5. Purpose of a Teaching Portfolio
5
 Collect in one place all your evidence of teaching
 teaching philosophy
 teaching statement
 evaluations (like CAPE)
 examples of your work: slide deck, assignments,
exams
 Feedback from students, colleagues, bosses
 START ASAP
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

6. Purpose of a Teaching Philosophy
6
 Thesis statement for a broader teaching portfolio
 Helps tie together and synthesize evidences
 Demonstrate that you are reflective about
your teaching
 Communicate your goals and actions
 As you revise, it may shape how you teach
 Help you set goals for professional growth
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

7. Purpose of a Teaching Statement
7
 Be hired in your desired position
 Demonstrate that you are reflective about
your teaching
 Communicate your goals and actions
 Thesis statement for a broader teaching portfolio, if
one will be included in your application
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

8. A Teaching Statement gives…
8 cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
 Your conception of how learning occurs
 A description of how your teaching facilitates learning
 A reflection of why you teach the way you do
 The goals you have for yourself and for your students
 How your teaching enacts your beliefs and goals
 What, for you, constitutes evidence of student learning
 The ways in which you create an inclusive learning
environment
 Your interests in new techniques, activities, and types of
learning
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

9. Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement in
9
wordle, with keywords only
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884593/Teacing_Statement_content_from_Vander
Writingbilt_CfT_-_keywords_only
a Successful Teaching Statement

10. Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement in
10
wordle, all words
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884639/Teaching_Statement_content_from_Vande
rbilt_CfT_-_all_words
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

11. Count the
Example - Mathematics number of I,
me, my,…
11 www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpum
During my years of tutoring and teaching, I‟ve learned that
there is no such thing as “obvious” in mathematics. Each student learns in
his or her own unique way, and it takes a patient, creative instructor to
motivate and educate an entire class, whether it is populated by
budding mathematicians or students trying to satisfy a general
education requirement. In the classroom, I try to illustrate key points
using geometric, algebraic, and quantitative reasoning, and my
lecturing is broken up by applied problems and projects that students
work on in a small group environment. I view an instructor‟s role outside
of class to be just as important as his or her role in class. I hold as many
as ten office hours a week in order to fill in students‟ gaps in both
current material and course prerequisites, and I also encourage
students to come to my office to discuss challenge problems.
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

12. Count the
Example - Engineering number of
I, me, my,…
12 www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpum
My goal for student learning is to develop problem solving
skills, analytic skills, and, ultimately, ability to think holistically in order
to synthesize a creative solution and/or an insightful advice, and to
deliver them successfully. To develop these skills, it is essential to get
trained to think critically and actively. One good training method is to
conduct an engineering design project. In conducting a design project, a
student learns how to: (1) define and analyze a problem, (2) find and
assess a solution, and (3) deliver this solution to end-users. When
teaching design classes, in order to help students develop these skill
sets, I have tried to encourage them to find solutions by
themselves, instead of simply giving them my solutions.
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

13. How do I get all this…into that?
13
LEGO image: wrenfieldrambling.blogspot.com
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement Shuttle image: itsfullofstars.tumblr.com

14. Step 1
14
sit and think Step 1
sit and think
Just a thought Teaching Statement
Writing a Successful by gintoxin78 on flickr (CC)

15. 15
Which of these do you feel is your primary role as an
educator?
A) Teaching students facts and principles of the subject
B) Helping students develop basic learning skills
C) Helping students develop higher-order thinking skills
D) Preparing students for jobs/careers
E) Being a role model for students
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

16. Teaching Goals Inventory (Excerpt)
© 1993 Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross.
tinyurl.com/TeachingGoalsInventory
Please rate the importance of each of the […] goals listed below to the specific course you have selected. Assess each goal's
importance to what you deliberately aim to have your students accomplish, rather than the goal's general worthiness or overall
importance to your institution's mission. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers; only personally more or less accurate ones.
Indicate whether each goal you rate is:
(1) not applicable – a goal you never try to achieve
(2) unimportant – a goal you rarely try to achieve
(3) important – a goal you sometimes try to achieve
(4) very important – a goal you often try to achieve
(5) essential – a goal you always/nearly always try to achieve
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Goal
     17. Improve mathematical skills
     18. Learn terms and facts of this subject
     19. Learn concepts and theories in this subject
     20. Develop skill in using materials, tools, and/or technology central to this subject
     21. Learn to understand perspectives and values of this subject
     22. Prepare for transfer or graduate study
     23. Learn techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in this subject
     24. Learn to evaluate methods and materials in this subject
     25. Learn to appreciate important contributions to this subject
16      26. Develop an appreciation of the liberal arts and sciences
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

17. General Guidelines
17 cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
 Make your Teaching Statement brief and well
written. While Teaching Statements are probably
longer at the tenure level (i.e. 3-5 pages or
more), for hiring purposes they are typically 1-2
pages in length.
 Use narrative, first-person approach. This allows the
Teaching Statement to be both personal and
reflective.
 Be sincere and unique. Avoid clichés, especially ones
about how much passion you have for teaching.
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

18. General Guidelines
18 cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
 Make it specific rather than abstract. Ground your
ideas in 1-2 concrete examples, whether
experienced or anticipated. This will help the reader
to better visualize you in the classroom.
 Be discipline specific. Do not ignore your research.
Explain how you advance your field through
teaching.
 Avoid jargon and technical terms, as they can be
off-putting to some readers.
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

19. General Guidelines
19 cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
 Try not to simply repeat what is in your CV. Teaching
Statements are not exhaustive documents and should
be used to complement other materials for the hiring
or tenure processes.
 Be humble. Mention students in an enthusiastic, not
condescending way, and illustrate your willingness to
learn from your students and colleagues.
 Revise. Teaching is an evolving, reflective process,
and Teaching Statements can be adapted and
changed as necessary.
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

20. General Guidelines
20
 Customize for the Department you‟re applying to:
“I would be excited to teach introductory courses
like your MATH 10A and MATH 20B.”
“With my research background, I would be able
to teach graduate-level courses in European
history like HIST 554.”
 Remove UCSD-specific acronyms like
UCSD, CAPE, SIO, SE, MAE, CSE,…
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

21. General Guidelines
21
 Formatting: do everything you can to make it easy
for the hiring committee members to read your doc:
 Put a header on each page with your name, so
that the reader can easily associate your
awesome words with your name
 full justification gives your doc a polished look
 serif fonts (like Times Roman) are easier to read
on paper
 check your PDF very carefully for .docx to .pdf
conversion problems (esp. with bullet points)
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

22. KEY Guideline:
22
 You need a kick a** opening paragraph!
 What distinguishes you from everyone else applying?
 Why will the hiring committee remember your teaching
statement? Give them something to remember you by!
 Imagine the hiring committee only reads the 1st
paragraph carefully and skims the rest. Hit „em with
your best stuff right away – don‟t save it for the
concluding paragraph.
 It‟s okay to spend extra (way too much) time on the 1st
paragraph – it could get you (or cost you) the job
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

23. Five major components (Chism, 1998)
23 www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
1. Conceptualization of learning
How do people learn?
2. Conceptualization of teaching
How do I facilitate that learning?
3. Goals for students
Content and skills
4. Implementation of philosophy
What do I do in the classroom? Does it work?
5. Professional growth plan
How have I grown, and how will I grow in the future?
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

24. Write, rubric, revise, rubric, revise…
24 www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
Needs
Excellent Work Weak
Goals for student learning
Enactment of goals (teaching method)
Assessment of goals (measuring student learning)
Creating an inclusive learning environment
Structure, rhetoric and language
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

25. Resources
25
 Center for Research on Learning and Teaching
University of Michigan
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
 Center for Teaching
Vanderbilt University
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
 McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning
Princeton University
www.princeton.edu/mcgraw/library/for-grad-students/teaching-statement
 Center for the Advancement of Teaching
Ohio State University
ucat.osu.edu/teaching_portfolio/philosophy/philosophy2.html
 Center for Teaching Development
University of California, San Diego
ctd.ucsd.edu
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement

26. ScienceOnline2013 Watch Party
26
scienceonline.com/scienceonline2013/scienceonline2013-watch-parties/
@scienceonline @scioSD @comprendia
@HeatherBucshman @BoraZ #scio13 #scio13wp
Writing a Successful Teaching Statement