Teaching Philosophy Statements

A teaching philosophy statement is an essay that explains what you believe about teaching and learning, why you believe it, and how your beliefs manifest in the classroom. The philosophy statement is a critical part of a teaching portfolio. Revisiting the philosophy statement every year or so can also serve as an important record of your growth and development as a teacher. Furthermore, a teaching philosophy statement is the first step in making teaching a scholarly activity grounded in purposeful reflection and critical thought.

This area of our site includes sample teaching philosophy statements from teachers at UK. Check back often for new material.

All teacher-developed materials are copyrighted! For more information on appropriate use of copyrighted materials, see our section on Copyright and Fair Use or contact us at Ed.Dev@uky.edu.

Also, contact us if you would like to talk about developing your own teaching philosophy statement.

Developing a Teaching Portfolio
This is an extensive site addressing every aspect of developing a teaching portfolio. It includes an excellent discussion of teaching philosophy statements.

Writing a Teaching Philosophy Statement
This is a practical, organized set of questions to answer as you develop your philosophy statement.

UK Teachers’ Philosophy Statements (pdfs)

Anonymous
Suketu Bhavsar – Physics and Astronomy (Coming soon!)
Phil Kraemer – Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education; Psychology
(Coming soon!)
Mark Williams – Horticulture