What would you say about yourself if you were asked to explain your teaching philosophy as an educator? Do you have a guiding mission statement for your instructional practice?

You may be surprised with the number of educators who either do not have a teaching philosophy or cannot clearly and concisely articulate (without the use of clichés or generalizations about teaching) what their beliefs may be about learning and teaching. When I have been responsible for interviewing faculty for online teaching positions, many candidates I spoke with had not developed a clearly defined philosophy statement or never thought it was needed for their career. While it did not automatically disqualify them from a teaching position, it does not help them provide a true representation of what they believe about their career and teaching practice.

Every educator needs to develop a teaching philosophy statement. This is a summary which allows someone else (especially a recruiter or someone responsible for hiring new faculty) to develop insight into their teaching and instructional strategies, methods, and practices. I’ve seen two different approaches used for educators who have a well-defined statement; one which is researched-based and one that is personal and written in the first person.

If you are pursuing a new position, my recommendation is you chose the latter approach, a personally written statement, and present an overview which represents you as an educator. In higher education, many teaching positions require a mandatory statement as part of the screening process. What follows is a condensed version of philosophy statement I have used, to help you get started, or review what you have already developed. It may also help you further define your personal and professional mission statement with regards to education and teaching adults.

Step One: Conceptualization of Learning

There is a five-part approach that was developed by Nancy Chism, a former Director of Faculty and TA Development at the Ohio State University, which is very helpful for educators. The first part is titled Conceptualization of Learning and it is meant for an educator to describe what they believe about learning based upon their knowledge, expertise, education, and experience.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

Since my primary work is focused on distance learning, my view of learning is concerned with how students learn in a virtual environment. For online learning, it is my belief the basic principles of adult education do not change. However, the format of learning has changed and this is the reason why new and updated instructional strategies must be implemented. In a virtual classroom, the process of learning involves the acquisition of knowledge and the development of new skills. For knowledge to be acquired and retained in long-term memory, students must have an opportunity to apply what they are studying and be given a context for learning which is relevant to their lives and/or careers. The same can be stated for the development of new skills; learning occurs when students are given an opportunity to practice what they are being instructed to learn.

In an online classroom, as with any classroom environment, learning is not a one-time event. Learning also does not occur because an online course shell has been created, an instructor has been assigned to teach the course, and students are enrolled in the class. Learning occurs as a result of students receiving and reading materials, processing information received in a manner which prompts advanced cognitive skills, and then is applied to and connected with existing ideas, knowledge, and real-world scenarios so it is retained in long-term memory. The learning process does not stop there as that new knowledge must be recalled later if it is to continue to be retained. This means students will learn only if the subject and course topics are presented in a meaningful manner, one which requires them to do more than memorize concepts and information.

Step Two: Conceptualization of Teaching

The next section of a well-defined philosophy statement is a personal narrative about what it means to teach, the Conceptualization of Teaching. For me, it is a perspective about learning in a technologically-enabled classroom.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

There are phrases used to distinguish traditional classroom teaching from online teaching and includes “sage on the stage” and “guide on the side”. I prefer to view online teaching from another perspective. I’ve read three primary words used to describe the role of the online educator and it includes instructor, facilitator, and teacher. I believe an online educator must know how to instruct or implement instructional strategies as a function of classroom management.

An online educator must also know how to facilitate a learning process and teach the subject matter through his or her expertise and experience. Within the online classroom an educator must work to see students individually and with unique developmental needs. They must be responsive to their students, available, and easily accessible. They can teach, guide, and mentor students with every interaction, classroom post, and all communication with students.

Step Three: Goals for Students

The section that follows needs to be a personal perspective about the goals or expectations an instructor holds for their students, titled Goals for Students.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

For many online schools, the classes have been developed by someone other than the instructor who is assigned to teach the course. This doesn’t mean an instructor cannot have their own expectations of students, even if they are unable to alter or make additions to the course syllabus. An online educator can state their expectations in classroom announcements and/or through the feedback provided to students. What I expect students to do, and I support their attempts to do so, is to accomplish more than report what they have read.

I want them to work with the course topics, conduct research when needed, investigate subjects of interest them, and when it comes to posting a discussion message or submitting a written assignment, I want them to demonstrate critical thinking. What this means is they do more than state a general opinion or belief and instead, they write a well-researched statement or position about the topic. I encourage students to comprehend what they have read, analyze the information, and then apply it in some manner to their personal or professional lives. I show students I value their ideas, solutions, proposals, and analyses.

Step Four: Implementation of the Philosophy

This next section provides an overview of how the philosophy is put into practice and it shares insight into an educator’s instructional practice, titled Implementation of the Philosophy.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

My philosophy of online teaching has been influenced by my work as an online student, educator, and academic leader; and it continually evolves through my interactions with students and other educators. While I may not be able to be involved in the process of developing every course I’m teaching, I can develop instructional practices which influence how students learn. For example, when I am involved in online discussions, I will acknowledge something the student has written, build upon it through my own expertise and experience, and then ask a follow up question which helps to continue to move the conversation forward. When I provide feedback, I see it as an opportunity to teach students and I’ll use the same approach as my discussion posts by implementing Socratic questioning techniques. I want to prompt their intellectual curiosity and encourage them to learn.

With most online classes I have a brief period of time to connect with students and my approach is to try to build connections and nurture productive working relationships. I am aware of the tone of my messages, especially since words represent me as a person and educator in an online classroom. I also demonstrate empathy for those students who have low motivation and may be academically under-prepared. When I observe students, who are struggling or disengaging from the class, I’ll perform outreach attempts to try to help engage them back into the course and address their developmental needs. With every student, I acknowledge their efforts and encourage their continued progress, while always being readily available and easily accessible.

Step Five: Professional Growth Plan

The last component of a well-developed philosophy statement is an overview of how an educator plans to continue their own professional development, titled Professional Growth Plan. Many schools have a professional development requirement and this statement can demonstrate a willingness to continue to learn.

The following is an excerpt from my Teaching Philosophy Statement:

I consider myself to be a lifelong learner and understand my learning did not stop once I completed my last formal degree. I continue to learn through my work with online faculty development as the discourse I have with other faculty allows me to gain new perspectives about learning and teaching. I also continue to research the field I am actively involved in, which is distance learning, along with other topics of interest which include critical thinking, curriculum development, and adult learning or andragogy. I am also a writer and I have authored numerous articles, eBooks, and blog posts based upon my work and research, as a means of making my knowledge contribution to the fields of higher education, adult education, distance learning, and online teaching. 

My work with curriculum development projects has also allowed me to grow professionally, through the growth of my knowledge and skills. As a Modern Educator, I have developed a substantial following on social media, as a means of sharing resources and contributing ideas to an international pool of educators. Finally, I continue to work to as a scholar practitioner. The two milestones reached to date include publishing a journal article and presenting my research at an international conference for distance learning. Overall, I have a potential to continue to grow and learn, building from my strengths and working to strengthen my teaching practice, while also continuing to grow as an academic leader. This teaching philosophy is a personal representation of who I am as an educator.

What is Your Philosophy?

Whether or not you have developed a clear position about learning and teaching for your chosen field, now is the time to consider what you believe and the strategies you use, even if you are not seeking another position. Establishing a well-formed statement allows you to reflect upon your current practice and it will help you identify what is working well and areas that you can develop further. Every educator has a potential to continue to grow and learn, and developing a clear understanding of your beliefs and progress now will allow you to build from your strengths and bolster your instructional practice. A teaching philosophy is a personal representation of who you are as an educator, and something you can use to create professional developmental plans.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has 35 years of experience teaching and training adults. The first half of his career was spent in the field of Corporate Training and Development, with his last role as Manager of Training and Development.

Then in 2005, he made a transition into the field of distance learning. Over the past 19 years, he has been an online instructor, Faculty Development Specialist, Faculty Director, Faculty Development Manager, and Dissertation Chair.

Dr. Johnson is also an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.

Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.

Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

Dr. J offers transformative resources:

Please visit Dr. J’s Books page on his brand-new website: Dr. J’s Books

You can also find Dr. J on the following social media sites:  Instagram

       

Have you discovered the elation that comes with being able to follow through with your own efforts, when you overcome a challenge you thought was nearly impossible, and conquered fear of something new? You are able to accomplish this and more when you refuse to listen to and accept any self-doubts about yourself or your capacity to achieve your goals or dreams.

Yet as you know, self-doubts can be powerful detractors from your positive state of mind and best of intentions. While you may decide you are going to step forward and begin to take action, especially when this involves something important you’ve thought about doing for quite a long time, a moment of hesitation can sideline you. Some people find it easier to disbelieve than believe in their ability to overcome potential obstacles, even if the obstacles perceived are not real challenges.

One of the reasons why anyone would allow doubt to take hold is having habits of thought that do not support success. This is also known as mental routines or shortcuts, which means you have patterns or ways of thinking you have come to rely upon, for essentials such as help with completion of routine tasks, responding to new requests, processing information, and other similar routine occurrences.

In order for you to overcome any doubtful feelings which may arise, it is important to recognize what habits of thought may be responsible for how you are reacting, and then find methods to address the nature of the doubt itself. Once you are able to establish a supportive mindset, you will become more willing to trust yourself whenever you attempt or begin something new.

Habits of the Mind: Helpful and Not Helpful

Are you aware of the patterns or habits of your mind right now? Consider this scenario: You are given a new task at work, something you have never completed before, requiring skills you have only recently learned. What is your initial reaction to the task you’ve been given? What you think in this initial moment involves your habit of the mind. If you instantly respond in a positive manner and accept it is possible you can complete the task, you’ve established a helpful habit of the mind. The converse is also true. If you immediately questioned your ability to take on a new role, then you have an unsupportive habit of the mind.

This also occurs when you want to do anything which may be outside of your typical comfort zone. You may have a good idea, plan, or desire to change, but if your thought patterns don’t support what you want to begin, then it won’t matter how meaningful or important those ideas may be. When your habits of thought are negative or unsupportive, you are never going to feel like actually going through with something new. Instead, you’ll look for every reason possible to confirm your unsupportive reactions. There will be no reason to want to change, as thought patterns are often engrained for the long-term, and rarely examined for validity.

Five Strategies to Overcome Your Doubts

There is only one way you will ever break the habit of thought patterns you have now, and it is to become aware of what it is you are thinking, and change it before it interrupts your new ideas. You will know you need to use one of these strategies when you have a good idea, or you have a task to accomplish, and immediately there are negative reactive thoughts filling your mind. There are some strategies you can use, any time you either want to start a new project, you’ve been given something out of the ordinary to complete, or you find yourself questioning your determination and resolve, and you’re feeling as if you want to give into self-doubts.

#1. Develop a Vision

Whenever you want to make changes, the following strategy can assist you. Think ahead and develop an image of what a new future could look like after everything has been implemented, regardless of the size of those changes. Then hold onto that vision in your mind and allow yourself to experience the feelings of an improved future, regardless of any aspect of what’s involved, whether it is the scope, time, energy, or resources required.

What you are doing is becoming intentional in your response, rather than reactive, which can help you avoid negativity. As a result, you will likely work much harder to make your new idea or plan a reality. Once you establish positive beliefs, which is done with a supportive vision, you’ll find every reason to work past challenges and doubts.  

#2. Challenge Your Doubts

It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve thought about making a new start, developing new plans, creating a new project, or completing anything you have thought about over time. What matters most now is making a decision you are going to begin, even if it challenges your own self-doubt. If you do experience an unsupportive thought pattern, then you must challenge it. To do this ask yourself questions such as: Why do I believe this now? Why do I accept this belief now? You will discover when you make the first step, or take some form of action, a new future begins.

#3. Think of Your Potential

Many people use the power of regret to hold themselves back, and it often begins with the phrase: “If I had only”. Should you find yourself caught in the trap of regret, or holding yourself back because of past missteps or mistakes, then it is time to try a new method of thinking. You do this by thinking about your potential. It doesn’t matter what has occurred in the past as the future is where you’ll find your new outcomes. When you consider how much you can accomplish, it is done through the power of your beliefs, and not by doubting yourself. This form of thinking also offers you an opportunity to work past any questions you may hold about your ability or capacity to get started, as it is all about creating a sense of potential and hope.

#4. Develop Supportive Beliefs

The power of what you think lies in an ability to change how you feel at any time. Yet this requires being focused, in that you must become aware of what you are thinking and be willing to change it. When you do, you can develop new and supportive beliefs, stop persistent doubts about yourself, and look towards the future anew. What a supportive belief consists of is something as simple as a statement that involves “I can”, “I am going to”, “I will”, or “I know I have an ability to”.  But words alone are not enough. If you are going to make one of those statements, then you must try your best to accept those as being the truth now. When you do, you are transformed and able to support your own progress and self-development or improvement. As you continue to make those statements of supportive beliefs, you’ll find new thought habits are developed.

 #5. Find Your Source of Strength

The many strategies listed require you to engage in new forms of thinking, which may be quite different than how you are thinking now. The question then becomes this: How do you change patterns of thought that have been habitual in nature, especially when those thoughts are coming into direct conflict with something new you are contemplating? The answer has to do with your ability to find your internal source of strength, so that you are able to make a first step forward and move past reactive thoughts which may be negative or not supportive.

This source of strength is often referred to as determination, willpower, and resilience. It is personal to you and is something you often rely upon whenever challenges arise. You will recognize the need for strength, any time you want to question your abilities or capabilities. Regardless of what you call the source of your internal strength, remember you have something you can rely upon whenever you want to change or begin something new. This will help you to take the initial idea, turn it into a movement or step forward, and then help you sustain momentum as progress is made.

Discover How You Become Limitless

You have yet to fully realize the potential you possess, until you know what it’s like to conquer your doubts. It is possible to have doubts arise whenever you have something new you want to develop; however, you can overcome those thought patterns no matter how long you have nurtured them. You need to start believing in yourself, despite any questions about your ability to face what’s ahead, the times you’ve questioned decisions made in the past, or moments you counted as failures. The reason why is that you can always learn, adapt, and through determination, become even stronger.

It is possible to be in control of your life through control of your thoughts. Pay attention to how you respond to new situations or new tasks, as this involves your practiced habits of thought. As you develop nurturing self-beliefs, you will become more likely to keep thinking in this manner, replacing your unsupportive thoughts. There is nothing that can stop you from achieving what you want in life but your own self-doubts. Once you recognize and control your doubts, you become limitless in your ability to create new dreams, develop new goals, establish new outcomes, or plan a new future.

About Dr. Johnson

Dr. Bruce A. Johnson has been teaching and training adults since 1982. From 1982 to 2005 he worked in the field of training and development, with his last full-time role as Manager of Training and Development. Since 2005, Dr. Johnson has been working in the field of distance learning, with roles including online educator, Faculty Development Manager, Core Faculty, Dissertation Chair and Committee Member, and Faculty Development Specialist. He also worked part-time for many years as a Human Performance Improvement Consultant. 

Dr. Johnson is an inspirational author, writer, and educator. His life mission is to teach, mentor, write, and inspire others. He has earned a PhD in Postsecondary and Adult Education, a Certificate in Training and Performance Improvement (TPI), a Master’s in Adult Education, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

As a scholar practitioner, Dr. J was published in a scholarly journal, and he has been a featured presenter at an international distance learning conference, along with presenting at three faculty conferences. He has also published over 230 online articles about adult learning, higher education, distance learning, online teaching, and mindset development. Dr. J published three books related to higher education, including two about online teaching.

Getting Down to Business: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Business.

Transform Adult Education: Expert Teaching Strategies for Educators.

Transform Online Teaching: Expert Strategies and Essential Resources Every Educator Needs.

Come join Dr. J’s new group, Motivation for Transformation:

• Any time of the day, visit this group to find your source of motivation, to be inspired and more importantly, have your mindset transformed: Motivation for Transformation

Dr. J offers transformative resources

Please visit the Books page and Store page for more details.

You can also find Dr. J on the following social media sites:

Instagram