You’ve prepared for your teaching interview. You’ve worked through all the most common 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 do you even remotely say? Take a deep breath. We’ve got you covered. Check out these philosophy of education examples from real teachers and tips for drafting your own below.
What is a philosophy of education?
This statement will provide an explanation of your teaching values and beliefs. Your teaching philosophy is ultimately a combination of the methods you studied in college and any professional experiences you’ve learned from since. It may even incorporate your own experiences (negative or positive) in education. Many teachers place their teaching philosophy in their resumes and/or on their websites for parents to view.
There’s no right answer
Know that off the bat. Your teaching philosophy isn’t a yes/no question; however, you do want to be prepared to answer the question if asked. Take time to really think about your teaching philosophy before you go into the interview.
Drafting your philosophy of education
Not sure where to start? Take out a sheet of paper or open a document on your computer. Then begin to answer some of these questions:
- What do you believe about education?
- What purpose does education serve in bettering society?
- Do you believe all students can learn?
- What goals do you have for your students?
- What goals do you have for yourself?
- Do you abide by certain standards?
- What does it take to be a good teacher?
- How do you incorporate new techniques, activities, curriculum, and technology into your teaching?
Now work to combine your responses into one or two sentences that encapsulate your philosophy. Some teachers will expand on these sentences to include examples of how they plan to teach and implement the philosophy.
Philosophy of education examples
We’ve gathered some teaching philosophy examples from our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group as a launch point to your process:
- I am always trying to turn my students into self-sufficient learners and to use their resources to figure it out instead of resorting to just asking someone for the answers. —Amy J.
- My philosophy is that ALL students CAN learn. Good educators meet all students’ differentiated learning needs to help all students meet their maximum learning potentials. —Lisa B.
- I believe that all students are unique and need a teacher that caters to their individual needs in a safe and stimulating environment. I want to create a classroom where students can flourish and explore to reach their full potential. My goal is also to create a warm, loving environment, so students feel safe to take risks and express themselves. —Valerie T.
- In my classroom, I like to focus on the student-teacher relationships/one-on-one interactions. Flexibility is a must, and I’ve learned that you do the best you can with the students you have for however long you have them in your class. —Elizabeth Y
- I want to prepare my students to be able to get along without me and take ownership of their learning. I have implemented a growth mindset. —Kirk H.
- My teaching philosophy is centered around seeing the whole student and allowing the student to use their whole self to direct their own learning. As a secondary teacher, I also believe strongly in exposing all students to the same core content of my subject so that they have equal opportunities for careers and other experiences dependent upon that content in the future. —Jacky B.
- All children learn best when learning is hands on! This works for the high students, and the low students too, even the ones in between. I teach by creating experiences not giving information. —Jessica R.
- As teachers, it’s our job to foster creativity. In order to do that, it’s important for me to embrace the mistakes of my students, create a learning environment that allows them to feel comfortable enough to take chances, and try new methods. —Chelsie L.
- I believe that every child can learn and deserves the best, well-trained teacher possible who has high expectations for them. I differentiate all my lessons and include all learning modalities. —Amy S.
- All students can learn and want to learn. It is my job to meet them where they are and move them forward. —Holli A.
- I believe learning comes from making sense of chaos. My job is to design work that will allow students to process, explore and discuss concepts to own the learning. I need to be part of the process to guide and challenge perceptions. —Shelly G.
- I want my students to know that they are valued members of our classroom community, and I want to teach each of them what they need to continue to grow in my classroom. —Doreen G.
- Creating a classroom culture of learning through mistakes and overcoming obstacles through teamwork! —Jenn B.
- Teach to every child’s passion and encourage a joy for and love of education and school. —Iris B.
- It’s our job to introduce our kids to many, many different things and help them find what they excel in, and what they don’t! Then nurture their excellence and help them figure out how to compensate for their problem areas. That way, they will become HAPPY, successful adults. —Haley T.
Find more examples on Thought.Co.