What belongs in a teaching statement according to the
2014 Teaching Portfolio Intensive Cohort:
- Influence on your teaching: Personal experience, experience as a language learner
- How do I conceptualize the relationship between teacher & student
- Description and specification of teaching approach--careful to use terms judiciously and according to needs and interests of target readers
- Specific examples of what you do in the classroom (part of a lesson plan, activity)
- How you work with students with different needs
- How you work with students as whole persons, help them to become good citizens, critical thinkers
- Coping with student biases/reluctance to learn
- How do you assess students, how your assessment methods prove that they're learning
- Your (and students') use of target language in class--when L1 is necessary
- Role of technology; tools that you use and why
- Why learning your L2 is important for students (specific reasons)
- Culture and language--how they're related
- Importance of a liberal arts education
- Researchers who have influenced your classroom structure/practices
- Role of your own research in your teaching
- Client-service provider vs. other model for the teacher-student relationship
- Your guidelines for designing a syllabus and planned outcomes
- Be honest about your experience (i.e. whether you've only taught under a coordinator, how much autonomy you have had, professional relationships you establish with colleagues, supervisors)
- Make it clear who the target audience is
- Hook in the reader EARLY
- Look for an appropriate balance between theory/objective and the personal