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Anna Varvak
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If the position you are applying for has a teaching component, then the hiring committee wants to know whether you can fulfill that part in a competent manner. It's not really about some abstract philosophy of teaching and learning, but rather the practical side: what do you do in a classroom and why? How do you design your course and for what reason?

It also really helps to include examples where you put that philosophy into practice, even if it's on a small scale (say, a seminar or a workshop, or even tutoring). If not, did you assist a teacher who did? Such examples help demonstrate that you are prepared to carry out your teaching duties.

The hiring committee is also going to look for indications that you are willing to learn and adapt. In your statement, it helps to talk about how and from whom you have learned teaching techniques and philosophy, and whether you are interested in learning more.

In most universities and colleges, the undergraduate student tuition makes up the bulk of the institution's revenue, and they are not nearly as interested in your research as in your teaching ability. The hiring committee and the dean may not have your teaching potential as their primary focus, but they will certainly take it into consideration.

Anna Varvak
  • 592
  • 2
  • 9
  • 24