The Teaching Philosophy Rubric (TPR): A Reflection Tool for Teaching Statements

Evidence-based teaching practices improve student learning, increase retention, and reduce achievement gaps, and are intended to make science instruction more learner-centered (LC) and equity-minded (EM). Teaching philosophies are one way for instructors to reflect on approaches, broader ideas, and values related to their teaching and their students' learning. The Teaching Philosophy Rubric (TPR) is a novel reflection tool that measures the LC and EM of university science instructors' teaching philosophies. We developed the TPR as a tool for early-career post-secondary science educators to more clearly chart areas of growth in their teaching philosophies. We anticipate this tool will be useful to developing university science instructors, both as a means of self-reflection and for guidance in preparation of job application or promotion documents. In this article, we asked: What is the evidence of validity and reliability for the TPR? Following best practices in its development, including triangulating data and iteratively revising based on expert feedback, we found that the TPR is a powerful tool for assessing the LC and EM of early-career science educators' teaching philosophies, particularly when used as a means of pedagogical reflection.