Abstract
Statements of reflection on teaching and learning are sometimes called teaching philosophies, often featuring as a requirement for jobs, promotions, awards, and other applications. In this chapter, I would like to explore the possibilities of taking teaching philosophies seriously and argue that engagement with philosophy of education can provide multiple simultaneous benefits to the busy professor. First, a sophisticated teaching philosophy offers a clear statement of pedagogical purpose. Second, engagement with philosophy of education also opens research opportunities, as systematic reflections on the application of principles in the classroom context can speak to ongoing scholarly debates both in philosophy of education as well as the scholarship of teaching and learning. And finally, serious reflection on teaching philosophies can help with one’s pedagogical identity-formation from the outset of a scholarly career. I draw on educational development literature indicating that reflecting on teaching early in one’s career can help support pedagogical formation (Bullard and McLean in Journal of Geography in Higher Education 24:37–52, 2000; McLean and Bullard in Teacher Development 4:79–101, 2000). Ultimately, I argue that familiarization with key concepts in the philosophy of education can facilitate the incorporation of scholarship of teaching and learning within courses through intentional design.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Sometimes called “teaching dossiers.”
- 2.
For a recent review of the scholarship of teaching and learning in politics and international relations, see Murphy et al. (2023).
References
Becker, H. S. (2008). Writing for social scientists: How to start and finish your thesis, book, or article. University of Chicago Press.
Boyer, E. L. (1991). The scholarship of teaching from: Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. College Teaching, 39(1), 11–13.
Bullard, J. E., & McLean, M. (2000). Jumping through hoops?: Philosophy and practice expressed in geographers’ teaching portfolios. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 24(1), 37–52.
Calarco, J. M. (2020). A field guide to grad school: Uncovering the hidden curriculum. Princeton University Press.
Christensen Hughes, J., & Mighty, J. (2010). Taking stock: Research on teaching and learning in higher education. Queen's School of Policy Studies.
Coppola, B. P. (2002). Writing a statement of teaching philosophy. Journal of College Science Teaching, 31(7), 448.
Goodyear, G. E., & Allchin, D. (1998). Statements of teaching philosophy. To Improve the Academy, 17(1), 103–121.
Hamilton, M. (2018). Bridging the gap from teacher to teacher educator: The role of a teaching portfolio. Studying Teacher Education, 14(1), 88–102.
Kaplan, M., Meizlish, D. S., O’Neal, C., & Wright, M. C. (2008). 16: A research-based rubric for developing statements of teaching philosophy. To Improve the Academy, 26(1), 242–262.
Kelsky, K. (2015). The professor is in: The essential guide to turning your Ph. D. into a job. Crown.
Laundon, M., Cathcart, A., & Greer, D. A. (2020). Teaching philosophy statements. Journal of Management Education, 44(5), 577–587.
Laverie, D. A. (2002). Improving teaching through improving evaluation: A guide to course portfolios. Journal of Marketing Education, 24(2), 104–113.
Lewis, T. E. (2013). On study: Giorgio Agamben and educational potentiality. Routledge.
McLean, M., & Bullard, J. E. (2000). Becoming a university teacher: Evidence from teaching portfolios (how academics learn to teach). Teacher Development, 4(1), 79–101.
Murphy, M. P. A. (2017). Using active-learning pedagogy to develop essay-writing skills in introductory political theory tutorials. Journal of Political Science Education, 13(3), 346–354.
Murphy, M. P. A. (2020). Active learning as destituent potential: Agambenian philosophy of education and moderate steps towards the coming politics. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 52(1), 66–78.
Murphy, M. P. A. (2022). Evaluating simultaneous group activities through self-and peer-assessment: Addressing the “Evaluation Challenge” in Active Learning. Journal of Political Science Education, 18(4), 511–522.
Murphy, M. P. A., Heffernan, A., Dunton, C., & Arsenault, A. C. (2023). The disciplinary scholarship of teaching and learning in political science and international relations: Methods, topics, and impact. International Politics, 1–19.
Silvia, P. J. (2018). How to write a lot: A practical guide to productive academic writing. American Psychological Association.
Pelger, S., & Larsson, M. (2018). Advancement towards the scholarship of teaching and learning through the writing of teaching portfolios. International Journal for Academic Development, 23(3), 179–191.
Weimer, M. (2006). Enhancing scholarly work on teaching & learning: Professional literature that makes a difference. Jossey-Bass.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Murphy, M.P.A. (2023). Taking Teaching Philosophies Seriously: Pedagogical Identity, Philosophy of Education, and New Opportunities for Publication. In: Butcher, C., Bhasin, T., Gordon, E., Hallward, M.C. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Teaching and Research in Political Science. Political Pedagogies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42887-6_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42887-6_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-42886-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-42887-6
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)