Teaching Philosophy & Portfolio Development
The CTE offers the asynchronous Drafting Your Teaching Philosophy Statement workshop in Canvas twice a year: in fall semester and in an accelerated format in the summer. Open to all Boston College graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, this workshop gives participants the opportunity to reflect on their teaching, learn some features of a successful teaching philosophy statement, as well as draft a paragraph of the statement and receive feedback from peers and CTE staff. After the official end of the workshop, there is an optional deadline for participants who want to complete a full draft of their statement for the academic job market and/or as part of Tier 2 of the CTE’s Teaching Development Programs, the Certificate in College Teaching Program.
The workshop is held in Canvas and is divided into two modules. Each module includes a selection of readings, discussion posts and replies, and other tasks. An overview of module topics are listed below:
Module One
- Reflect on your memorable experiences in the classroom
- Understand what a teaching philosophy statement is
Module Two
- Find and evaluate teaching philosophy statements within your own discipline
- Draft one paragraph of your statement
In Fall 2025, the workshop will be held from Tuesday, September 23 - Monday, October 20. Interested graduate students and postdoctoral fellows can indicate their interest by Friday, September 15.
Resources
For graduate students and postdoctoral fellows preparing to go on the job market, the CTE has developed a resource on the Teaching Portfolio and another focused on the Teaching Philosophy Statement. These guides provide reflection prompts, an overview of typical components, and links to sample materials.