You have prepared for your lecture. You’ve gone through the most common job interview questions and answers. And then it happens. The “What is your philosophy of education?” question. You pause, because what is a teaching philosophy? What are you even close to saying? First, take a deep breath, because we are here for you. Check out these educational philosophy examples from real teachers and tips for writing your own below.
What is an educational philosophy?
Before we delve into the examples, it is important to understand the purpose of an educational philosophy. This statement will provide an explanation of your teaching values and beliefs. Ultimately, your teaching philosophy is a combination of the methods you studied in college and your professional experiences, which you have learned from since then. It can even incorporate your own experiences (negative or positive) into the education. Many teachers include their teaching philosophy on their resumes and/or websites for parents to see.
There is no right answer
Know that off the cuff. Her teaching philosophy is not a yes/no answer. However, you want to be prepared to answer the question when asked. Take the time to really think about your teaching philosophy before going on the interview.
Draft your educational philosophy
Not sure where to start? First, take out a piece of paper or open a document on your computer. Then start by answering some of these questions:
- what do you think about education
- What is the purpose of education for the betterment of society?
- Do you think all students can learn?
- What goals do you have for your students?
- What goals do you have for yourself?
- Do you adhere to certain standards?
- What does it take to be a good teacher?
- How do you incorporate new techniques, activities, curriculum and technology into your classroom?
Finally, work on condensing your answers into a sentence or two that summarizes your philosophy. Additionally, some teachers expand these phrases with examples of how they plan to teach and implement the philosophy.
Examples of educational philosophy
We’ve collected some example teaching philosophies from our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group as a starting point for your process:
- I always try to make my students self-reliant learners, using their resources to figure it out, rather than just asking someone for the answers. – Amy J
- While I enjoy seeing students enjoying themselves in class, I also insist on hard work and focus on the task at hand. – Helpful professor
- My philosophy is that ALL students can learn. Good educators meet the diverse learning needs of all students to help all students reach their maximum learning potential. – Lisa B
- My classes are always tailored to the specific needs of my students. I work hard to differentiate learning to emphasize each student’s unique abilities. – Helpful professor
- I believe that all students are unique and need a teacher who addresses their individual needs in a safe and stimulating environment. I want to create a classroom where students can thrive and explore to reach their full potential. My goal is also to create a warm, loving environment where students feel safe to take risks and express themselves. – Valerie T.
- As I regularly use technology in the classroom, I first think about how technology can be used to augment learning. I see technology as a “cognitive tool” that shouldn’t just be used as a gimmick. Rather, I use technology when it can help students expand their thinking and learn more than if they hadn’t had technology in class. – Helpful professor
- In my classes, I like to focus on the student-teacher relationships/one-to-one interactions. Flexibility is a must and I’ve learned that no matter how long you’ve had them in your class, you do your best with the students you have. – Elizabeth Y
- I use a play-based approach to learning in my classroom for the early years. I follow Froebel’s approach, which states that “playing is the highest form of learning”. Play helps students learn through experimentation, discovery, and exploration. – Helpful professor
- I want to prepare my students to be able to do without me and take responsibility for their learning. I have implemented a growth mentality. – Kirk H
- I believe that motivated students are engaged, spend more time on assignments, and are less disruptive to their classmates. So I work hard to motivate students by exemplifying an inspired, positive attitude towards education every day. – Helpful professor
- My teaching philosophy focuses on seeing the student as a whole and allowing them to use their whole self to guide their own learning. As a secondary school teacher, I also strongly believe that all students should be exposed to the same core content of my subject so that in the future they have equal opportunity for careers and other experiences that depend on that content. – Jacky B.
- I believe that students learn best when they are intrinsically motivated. Therefore, I focus on creating lessons that are engaging, relevant to my students’ real lives, and encourage active discovery. – Helpful professor
- All children learn best when learning is hands-on! This works for both the high-level students and the low-level students, even those in between. I teach by creating experiences, not giving information. – Jessica R
- I focus heavily on formative assessment so I have my finger on the pulse of my students’ progress. I’m not afraid to change my teaching after formative assessments to ensure my students don’t fall through the gaps. – Helpful professor
- As teachers, it is our job to encourage creativity. To do this, it is important to me to accept my students’ mistakes, to create a learning environment in which they feel comfortable enough to take risks and to try new methods. – Chelsea L
- I use an inquiry-based approach to learning, where I start with a question and students make hypotheses to answer the questions. Through this approach, students practice skills such as “predicting” and “testing” to gain knowledge. – Helpful professor
- I believe that every child can learn and deserves the best possible, well-trained teacher who has high expectations of them. I differentiate all my lessons and include all learning modalities. – Amy S
- Students must become clear and confident communicators of their knowledge. I often create tests that require students to express themselves in writing and orally to help them develop their communication skills. – Helpful professor
- All students can and want to learn. My job is to pick them up from where they are and push them forward. – Holli A.
- I believe learning comes from understanding chaos. My role is to design work that allows students to process, explore, and discuss concepts in order to master what they are learning. I need to be part of the process to guide and challenge perceptions. – Shelley G.
- I encourage students to study in groups because I believe that conversations with others help students to express, challenge and refine their thought processes. By listening to their peers, students can also hear new perspectives that can broaden their horizons and deepen their own knowledge. – Helpful professor
- I want my students to know that they are valued members of our class community and I want to teach each of them what they need to continue growing in my classroom. – Doreen G.
- I believe students learn best when they learn in authentic contexts. By learning through problem solving in the real world, they discover the value of knowledge. – Helpful professor
- Create a classroom culture of learning through mistakes and overcoming obstacles through teamwork! – Jens B.
- I apply an authoritative approach to classroom management. This authoritative style focuses on gaining respect and rapport from students by being firm but fair at all times and ensuring all students know I have their best interests at heart. – Helpful professor
- Teach every child’s passion and encourage the joy and love of education and school. – Iris B
- I always expect my students to be willing to focus and engage. I often challenge my students to set their own goals and take steps each day to reach their goals. – Helpful professor
- It’s our job to introduce our kids to lots and lots of different things and to help them discover what they excel at and what they don’t! Then encourage their excellence and help them figure out how to compensate for their problem areas. This is how they grow into HAPPY, successful adults. – Haley T
- For me, the ideal teaching environment is student-centered. I strive to create learning scenarios in which students complete group projects while I move between groups to facilitate discussion. – Helpful professor
Visit ThoughtCo for more examples of educational philosophy. and helpful professor.
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