Statements of teaching philosophy vary considerably but, in general, an effective teaching statement is a concise (one- to two-page) description of your ideas about teaching and learning. In general, they are self-reflective essays that discuss what your most important teaching goals are and the strategies you have used (or plan to use) to attain those goals.

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Writing a Teaching Statement (PDF)—This CIDR bulletin is a good starting point. You can also find it here:
http://depts.washington.edu/cidrweb/resources/portfoliotools.html

Academic Job Search: Teaching Statements (PDF)—This three-page handout from the UW Career Center explains what a teaching statement is and provides tips for putting one together. You can also find it here:
http://careers.washington.edu/gradstudents/academicjobsearch

On Writing a Statement of Teaching Philosophy (PDF)—Prepared by Lead TA Scott Rausch in 1999, this is a one-page synopsis of the basic elements a statement of teaching philosophy and some tips on how to write an effective statement.

Brainstorming Your Statement of Teaching Philosophy (PDF)—This worksheet is designed to help draw out the ideas and themes you can use to assemble your teaching statement.

You may also find these resources helpful:

UC Berkeley Career Center—"PhDs—Teaching Portfolio" (PDF)

http://career.berkeley.edu/PhDs/PhDportfolio.stm

Stanford University Career Development Center—"Dossier Preparation" (PDF)

http://cardinalcareers.stanford.edu/guides/grad.html

"How to Write a Statement of Teaching Philosophy" (PDF), Chronicle of Higher Education

http://chronicle.com/jobs/2003/03/2003032702c.htm

These pages offer links to samples of teaching statements:

University of Ohio Faculty and TA Development–Developing a Teaching Portfolio

http://ftad.osu.edu/portfolio/philosophy/Philosophy.html

University of Pennsylvania–Samples of Philosophies

http://www.ctl.sas.upenn.edu/tools/philos.html

However, you may not want to read this article:

"What's Your Philosophy on Teaching, and Does it Matter?" (PDF), Chronicle of Higher Education

http://chronicle.com/jobs/2003/03/2003032701c.htm