The Teaching Statement

Before you start writing your statement, you need to think about what you want students to learn in your courses--not knowledge, but skills and abilities. One way to think about this is what do you want students to remember, if anything, five years after they've taken your courses? (Hint: it's not knowledge available in any textbook or website). Also, keep in mind that the teaching statement is not about you, the instructor (how you prepare, what you like/don't like, etc.), but about the students. What will they learn in your courses?

In general, avoid generalities and platitudes, for example that you were inspired to pursue a career in academia by a teacher you had 20 years ago--all these sound trite. Include specific examples. If possible, describe things you have either done in the classroom or seen another faculty do.

Unless you're applying to primarily undergraduate teaching institutions, your statement should not be longer than one page. For efficiency purposes and because this organization directly provides the specific information sought by search committees, one way to organize the page is to have three sections, with subtitles:

Teaching Experience & Interests (Paragraph 1: I have taught, and my responsibilities included; Paragraph 2: I am prepared to teach both broad survey courses and more advanced courses in my area of expertise).

Pedagogical Objectives & Strategies. This is basically how you think about your job as an instructor. What skills do you want your students to acquire? You may find ideas in some of the links provided by the Bok Center. You could also consider some of the books on pedagogy reviewed here.

Mentoring (optional): Do you have experience mentoring students (no need to mention their names). How do you see your role as a mentor of graduate students/postdocs?

Recommended reading:

Check out this interesting take on the Teaching Statement from a fellow Harvard postdoc--Good food for thought!
"Structure Matters: 21 Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity." CEB Life Sci Educ. 2013 Fall; 12(3): 322-331.
"Teaching the Process of Science: Faculty Perceptions and an Effective Methodology," CBE Life Sci Educ. 2010 Winter; 9(4): 524–535.

Video Recordings

Marty Samuels, Active Learning and Backward Design.