Further Resources
Please note that the links and resources below provide information on the use and preparation of teaching dossiers that targets faculty members and university administrators. Not all of the items that are recommended for inclusion in the dossier will be possible for a graduate student entering the academic job market to include. Also, a graduate student will not necessarily have the breadth of teaching experience required in order to draft a dense and powerful Statement of Teaching Philosophy. However, it is still possible for a graduate student TA to develop a meaningful dossier and a strong teaching philosophy statement, or to at least begin collecting materials that will contribute to a more complete teaching dossier later on.
*Before consulting any of these resources, please read our notice on academic integrity regarding the plagiarizing of teaching dossiers and teaching philosophy statements.*
1. REFERENCE MATERIALS – available from the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation resource centre
Preparing a Teaching Dossier by Christopher Knapper and Susan Wilcox,
Instructional Development Centre, Queen’s University, 1998
Recording Teaching Accomplishment: A Dalhousie Guide to the Teaching Dossier by Carol O’Neil and Alan Wright, Office of Instructional Development and Technology, Dalhousie University, 5th Edition, 1999
The above publications include samples of real teaching dossiers from faculty members at various stages of their careers. They are available for on-site consultation from the University of Toronto’s Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation, 4th floor, Robarts Library, 130 St. George St.
2. ONLINE RESOURCES
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) has recently updated its guide to preparing a teaching dossier:
www.caut.ca/uploads/teaching_dossier_en.pdf
Teaching dossier guide available from the University of Victoria’s Learning and Teaching Centre:
Guide to Preparing Teaching Statements and Dossiers
Link to article by Dieter Schönwetter et al on preparing and evaluating teaching philosophy statements (available through the University of Toronto Library’s e-journal access system; full article reference is listed under Secondary Sources):
simplelink.library.utoronto.ca/url.cfm/47466
Dr. Daniel Pratt developed this online survey tool to help postsecondary instructors identify and articulate their own approach to teaching. It can be useful when trying to draft a Statement of Teaching Philosophy. The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and is free. Teaching Perspectives Inventory: www.teachingperspectives.com
A useful handbook on preparing teaching dossiers developed by the Centre for Teaching and Learning at Queen’s University:
https://www.queensu.ca/ctl/resources/evaluation-teaching/teaching-dossier
A useful list of steps to follow when compiling materials for a teaching dossier from the Learning and Teaching Centre at Dalhousie University: https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/dept/clt/Resources/Step-by-step%20Guide.pdf
Very practical and clear list of the components of a good teaching dossier from the Teaching Support Services office at the University of Guelph:
https://otl.uoguelph.ca/teaching-and-learning-resources/teaching-dossiers-and-philosophy-statements
3. SECONDARY SOURCES
Pratt, Daniel D. (and associates), Five Perspectives on Teaching in Adult and Higher Education. Florida: Kreiger Publishing, 1998. OISE/UT 374 P913F – offers a description of 5 main approaches to teaching
Schönwetter, Dieter J.; Laura Sokal; Marcia Friesen; K. Lynn Taylor, “Teaching philosophies reconsidered: a conceptual model for the development and evaluation of teaching philosophy statements” in International Journal for Academic Development, Volume 7, Issue 1 2002 , pages 83 – 97. – offers strategies for structuring and evaluating teaching philosophy statements; online link to article is included above under Online Resources
Seldin, Peter, The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions. Boston, MA: Anker Publishing, 1991. OISE/UT 378.1224 S464T – by far the most referenced source for help preparing teaching dossiers
Seldin, Peter; Elizabeth Miller. The Academic Portfolio: a Practical Guide to Documenting Teaching, Research and Service. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2008. OSIE/UT 378.1224 S464A – a newer resource by the same author of The Teaching Portfolio