Creating a quality teaching philosophy can be difficult; getting started can be the hardest. My first piece of advice for writing this important document is to ensure that it reflects who you are as an individual. This teaching philosophy will help you to secure your first teaching job, a new position, tenure, or a promotion so you need to make sure that it is clear, concise, and true to who you are as an educator. A really well written philosophy of education statement can set you apart from the competition and give you that needed edge.
Below is some advice on how to make an exceptionally well written document that covers all the important aspects of your teaching philosophy.
A Philosophy of Education statement is generally one to one and a half pages, double-spaced, and illustrates an educator’s beliefs about education, learning, and working with students. The statement covers numerous different issues, and therefore must be very concise, because you don’t want to ramble on for more than two pages. The writing of the statement can vary, but most use a straightforward, narrative essay approach. More creative educators may use a poem format. Others may pose questions and then their responses.
Your philosophy of education statement can touch on a variety of issues such as:
* Why you decided to enter the teaching profession.
* How you define teaching.
* What style of teaching you use and why you feel it is effective.
* How you wish to be remembered by your students.
* Why you believe teaching is a valuable career.
* What you do to help your students learn and develop as individuals.
* Someone who affected your life and your work as a teacher, such as a mentor, a theorist, a researcher, or an author.
* How you feel that learning occurs.
* What obstacles students face and how you can help them to overcome these difficulties.
* How your personal characteristics and approach to teaching impact on the learning and development of your students.
The writing of the statement must be reflective, personal, and exceptionally clear. You will be judged on grammar, spelling, and sentence structure, as well as on your thoughts about teaching. It is critical to have a well-organized, thoughtful, and error-free document, which gives a vivid picture of you as an educator. Using examples or metaphors may help when you are crafting your statement. Realize also that your statement will change over time to correspond to your developing beliefs, values, views, and approach to teaching.
The creation of the statement helps educators grow professionally; it helps define classroom goals, increases emotional investment in teaching, and helps to enhance awareness. It is a highly thought-provoking exercise, and you must be able to clearly articulate your goals and vision, as well as your road map to successfully reaching them.
If you’d like find out about our comprehensive philosophy of education statement development service, then visit our website, give me a call toll-free 1 877 738 -8052 or send an email to candoco@telus.net. I am here to help with your job search process.
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