Teaching Philosophy

What is a philosophy of composition or a philosophy of teaching? Are there different types of philosophies? What teaching and learning strategies do you think might go into your philosophy?

A teaching philosophy should explain what a teacher intends to accomplish in the classroom, how he/she means to achieve those goals, and how he/she will measure his/her success. Every teacher’s teaching philosophy will be different, but since as composition teachers we will all have the same syllabus, we will have many of the same goals for our students. The major differences will lie in what exercises, activities, and lecture styles we employ to reach those goals.

In terms of composition, my teaching philosophy would explain how I plan to ensure that my students will become competent writers. Firstly, I would want to give the students a college entry level grasp of writing and grammar. The composition syllabus already specifies which type of writing exercises should be employed, so my part in this process will be giving good lectures that explain how to fulfill the requirements for the assignment of the week, closely monitoring group work, and giving useful feedback on those papers that I do end up grading and those that students bring to me in draft form during my office hours. My next goal would be to encourage critical thinking within the bounds of the assignments so that the students learn how to engage in the readings and come to their own conclusions about various issues. I would also make sure to provide readings and examples that come from different areas of interest and research so that the students will be better prepared for the reading and writing they will eventually do in whatever discipline they choose.

As a teacher I plan to very clearly articulate my expectations of my students and how they can excel in my class. This would involve a highly detailed syllabus with an explanation of the criteria by which the students will be graded. In my own experience, the less information that a teacher provides about an assignment, the more I panic, so I’d like to avoid having my students feel confused or resentful because I have not been clear. I will also be somewhat of a harsh grader. If students know that they will be held accountable for effectively demonstrating that they have learned the skills and information for the week, then they will be more likely to put in an effort to listen closely and write effectively. So far as group work, I intend to use it sparingly and only when I feel that the students have learned the skills that they need to thoughtfully and intelligently critique each other’s work.