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Talking about Teaching During the Academic Job Interview. Kevin M. Johnston, Director MSU Teaching Assistant Programs kmj@msu.edu. Workshop Format. Workshop Structure - Philosophy to Practice Hand Outs, Materials - Guidelines to Practice Workshop Goals – Foundations for Practice .
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Talking about Teaching During the Academic Job Interview Kevin M. Johnston, Director MSU Teaching Assistant Programs kmj@msu.edu
Workshop Format • Workshop Structure - Philosophy to Practice • Hand Outs, Materials - Guidelines to Practice • Workshop Goals – Foundations for Practice Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
Warm Up Exercise! • My primary goals as a teacher are ___________________ . • My biggest challenges as a teacher are ___________________ . In two minutes, finish the following statements. Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
What is a Philosophy? How Does One Put A Philosophy into Practice? • A System of Motivating Concepts or Principles. (I Think, Therefore I Do…) • A Basic Theory or Viewpoint (Students Learn Best When…) • A System of Values by Which One Lives/Acts (My Role As A Teacher Scholar is…) Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
How Do We Use Our Philosophy in the Interview? • As a written document • As a baseline for communication about • teaching • As a means for enhancing discussions • about teaching practice Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
How Do You Talk About Yourself As A Teacher-Scholar? • Create Meaningful Reflective Statements about your teaching, one step at a time. • AnswerFundamentalQuestions when Writing Your Philosophy: What? How? Why? Who? • Create a Written Dialogue with yourself. Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
Answer These Basic Questions To Lay The Foundations for Talking about Teaching • “What is good teaching?” • “Howdo my students best learn?” • “Why is my teaching approach significant?” • “Who am I as a teacher?” Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
Teaching Philosophy Statements What comes next? • “I believe in creating an atmosphere in which students can learn.” Steve Yelon • “I believe in providing students with skills that they can use to teach themselves.” Kevin M. Johnston Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
What are Your Teaching Strengths? Weaknesses? How do we play to them in the interview and “explain” (solve) the others? Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
Do we confuse methods (the How’s?) with the reasoning behind them (the Why’s?)? How the syllabus helps… Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
Do teaching standards exist? Are mine the same as yours? How do we find out…? Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
The Interview, like teaching, should be dialogical. What questions should YOU ask? When? • What Departmental/Institutional resources/ support/training for teaching exist? • What is the average course/advising load? • What classroom technology is available? • Who in the department has been recognized as a great teacher? Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
The Interview, like teaching, is also context bound. For which institution(s) are you interviewing? PLEASE REMEMBER! • Research I Institutions • Comprehensive Universities • 4-Yr Institutions • Community Colleges Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
You can prepare now for much of what will come and where it will happen… …but not for everything. MSU TA Programs Talking About Teaching KMJ - FALL 2009
Let’s Practice: QUESTION TIME! Talking About Teaching - KMJ – FALL 2009