Thursday, November 17, 2005
Progress
Yesterday I got four job applications sent off. I did not get the ones needing a statement of teaching philosophy sent yet. I have no idea what to write for my teaching philosophy. I fear that what they are looking for are some new fangled theories and methodologies. My philosophy is very old school. In short my philosophy is to provide information to students through lectures and reading assignments. Why does this require a formal essay to explain? At anyrate I am going to do the next small batch of applications this morning and then worry about the teaching philosophy statement. Maybe I can figure out a way to stretch the phrase "lectures and reading assignments" into a full page later today.
The first time I wrote a statement of teaching philosophy, I had a similar problem: how and why to say something that seemed so basic. But it's not a bad thing to articulate your interest in the fundamentals, to stake your claim to history as you see it.
ReplyDeleteYou might be pleasantly surprised both by how much you have to say once you start talking about teaching, and by how well-received a strong statement of engaged fundamentals education will be.
Or you might not. But for better or worse, it's a hoop we all must jump.
Thanks for the advice. Actually out of over 100 applications only three have asked for a statement of teaching philosophy. But, not having ever taught I view it as a pretty abstract project. I don't have any concrete data to draw upon regarding what actually works for me as a teacher. Ultimately, I think the lack of teaching experience is going to prevent me from ever getting a university job. Research and publications alone do not seem to count for anything.
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