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Workshop about writing a teaching statement for academic job applications. Relies heavily on materials from the Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt U.
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WRITING A SUCCESSFUL TEACHING STATEMENT
October 18, 2012 and November 29, 201212:00 – 12:50 pm Center Hall Rm 217B
Peter NewburyCenter for Teaching [email protected]
@polarisdotcaAdapted from presi by Cynthia Lee (CSE, UCSD). Also, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University, and others…
Slides available at http://ctd.ucsd.edu/2012/11/writing-a-teaching-statement-again/
Overview
Purpose and structure of teaching statements Format and components Practical considerations
A few examplesSketch out your own teaching
statementsShare and peer critique
2
End of grad school = stress3
defense
thesis
Research Statement
Teaching Statement
job search
funding/grants
CV
references
publish thesis in journal
moving
visa/immigration
Job announcements4
Most job announcements require applicants to submit a “Teaching Statement”
“Teaching what?”5
Teaching Portfolio
Teaching
Statement
Teaching Philosophy
• Teaching Statement• Statement of Teaching• Statement of Teaching
Philosophy• and more…
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,
bossesSTART ASAP
Purpose of a Teaching Portfolio
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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 actionsAs you revise, it may shape how you teachHelp you set goals for professional growth
Purpose of a Teaching Philosophy
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Purpose of a Teaching Statement
Be hired in your desired positionDemonstrate that you are reflective
about your teaching
Communicate your goals and actionsThesis statement for a broader
teaching portfolio, if one will be included in your application
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Teaching Goals Inventory9
Take a few minutes to rate goals 1 – 10 Full survey at tinyurl.com/TeachingGoalsInventory
Not a
pplic
able
Unim
porta
nt
Impo
rtant
Very
Impo
rtant
Esse
ntial
1. Goal
A Teaching Statement gives…
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o Your conception of how learning occurso A description of how your teaching
facilitates student learningo A reflection of why you teach the way you
doo The goals you have for yourself and for your
studentso How your teaching enacts your beliefs and
goalso What, for you, constitutes evidence of
student learningo The ways in which you create an inclusive
learning environmento Your interests in new techniques, activities,
and types of learning
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement in wordle, with keywords only
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http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884593/Teacing_Statement_content_from_Vanderbilt_CfT_-_keywords_only
Vanderbilt CfT Teaching Statement in wordle, all words
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http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5884639/Teaching_Statement_content_from_Vanderbilt_CfT_-_all_words
Example
I subscribe to the cognitive theory of constructivism. That is, I’ve found that students don’t understand things deeply until they have time for “reflective abstraction” - a period where students pause, think back on what they have been told, and build in their own minds a picture of the concept. I thus believe that a good question, one which forces students to reflect on what they’ve absorbed, is worth at least five or ten minutes of lecture, so I employ Socratic discourse to help students work through the material for themselves.
General Guidelines14
o 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.
o Use narrative, first-person approach. This allows the Teaching Statement to be both personal and reflective.
o Be sincere and unique. Avoid clichés, especially ones about how much passion you have for teaching.
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
General Guidelines15
o 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.
o Be discipline specific. Do not ignore your research. Explain how you advance your field through teaching.
o Avoid jargon and technical terms, as they can be off-putting to some readers.cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-
statements/
General Guidelines16
o 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.
o Be humble. Mention students in an enthusiastic, not condescending way, and illustrate your willingness to learn from your students and colleagues.
o Revise. Teaching is an evolving, reflective process, and Teaching Statements can be adapted and changed as necessary.
cft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
General Guidelines17
o 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.”
o Formatting: do everything you can to make it easy for the hiring committee members to read your doc:o Put a header on each page with your
name, so that the reader can easily associate your awesome words with your name
o full justification gives your doc a polished look
How do I get all this…into that?
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LEGO image: wrenfieldrambling.blogspot.com
Shuttle image: itsfullofstars.tumblr.com
Five major components (Chism, 1998)
1. Conceptualization of learningHow do people learn?
2. Conceptualization of teachingHow do I facilitate that learning?
3. Goals for studentsContent and skills
4. Implementation of philosophyWhat do I do in the classroom? Does it work?
5. Professional growth planHow have I grown, and how will I grow in the
future?
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On your index card…20
Why do I teach?or
What do I believe or value about teaching and learning?
Rubric, revise, rubric, revise…
21
Goals for student learning
Enactment of goals (teaching method)
Assessment of goals (measuring student learning)
Creating an inclusive learning environment
Structure, rhetoric and language
ExcellentNeedsWork Weak
www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
Resources22
Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michiganhttp://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstpts
Center for TeachingVanderbilt Universitycft.vanderbilt.edu/teaching-guides/reflecting/teaching-statements/
McGraw Center for Teaching and LearningPrinceton Universitywww.princeton.edu/mcgraw/library/for-grad-students/teaching-statement
Center for the Advancement of TeachingOhio State Universityucat.osu.edu/teaching_portfolio/philosophy/philosophy2.html
Center for Teaching DevelopmentUniversity of California, San Diegoctd.ucsd.edu/pfp