TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
UNDERGRADUATE HIGHER EDUCATION
College Professor Teaching Philosophy
Assessment is part of instruction, not an event that comes after it. I use a combination of
assignments, quizzes, exams, presentations, projects, or other discipline-appropriate work
to see what students understand and where they need further guidance. I make criteria
for strong work explicit, provide feedback that students can act on, and look for evidence
across more than one assignment before drawing conclusions about learning. When
patterns in student work show that a concept has not landed, I adjust the next class,
revisit a difficult idea, or change the way students practice it. I also use teaching feedback
and my own review of a course to identify what I should change the next time I teach it.
An inclusive classroom, to me, is one where academic standards are clear and students
can see a credible path toward meeting them. I establish expectations for respectful
discussion, make course materials and instructions as clear and accessible as possible,
and provide multiple ways for students to participate when appropriate. I want students to
encounter perspectives that may differ from their own without lowering the level of
intellectual challenge. Office hours and individual conversations are important parts of
that work; they give students a place to ask questions they may not raise in class and
allow me to understand where they are encountering difficulty.
I also view myself as a learner. College teaching requires attention to disciplinary
developments, evidence about instruction, and feedback from students and colleagues. I
am willing to change a lecture, redesign an assignment, adjust a grading practice, or try a
different approach when the learning evidence suggests that the old one is not doing its
job. My goal is not to create a classroom that depends on my performance. It is to create
a course in which students gradually become more independent, more precise in their
thinking, and more confident in using the tools of the discipline. For me, successful
teaching is visible when students begin to ask their own questions, defend conclusions
with evidence, and recognize that learning at the college level is an active responsibility
they increasingly know how to carry themselves.
College Professor Teaching Philosophy
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