Reflect back on your personal experiences as a student and as a teacher before beginning to write.  A philosophy is a personal statement but it must be grounded in logical thought and connections to ideas that are linked to your topic. It is important to describe your character and what you bring to teaching. Address the following questions when developing your teaching philosophy:

How do you learn best yourself?

What do you notice about how other people learn?

What learning theory (or theories) appeals to you most and why? It is recommended to choose one of the learning theories discussed in Chapter 3 (Bastable) or Chapter 14 (Billings) to support your teaching philosophy – however, there are other learning theories in the literature that could be considered.  Although it is not required, the learning “style” models/theories (Kolb’s, VARK, etc.) may be integrated into your teaching philosophy within the context of a learning theory.

How does your preferred learning theory (or theories) link to and support your planned teaching methods/strategies and activities?

How will your philosophy affect the teaching methods/strategies that you select?

What type of relationship do you anticipate having with your students/learners?

Are there any teaching methods/strategies you would avoid or adapt? (For example, describe how you would adapt that preferred method when assigned to teach a class/course involving content or a setting that is not ideally suited to that method.)

Comments will be made on your expression of ideas.  There are no right/wrong answers here, but you should begin to learn to express yourself in a powerful and meaningful way. Your paper should be no more than 3 pages, double-spaced, 11-12 Times New Roman font, excluding title page and reference page (no abstract needed). You may also write your paper in first person