There’s a new book out called Activating a Teaching-Learning Philosophy. The word “activating” caught my attention. To me that says “doing something about your teaching-learning philosophy.” Unfortunately, our current use of teaching philosophy statements doesn’t usually contain that expectation. Most often faculty prepare these statements as part of job applications, promotion and tenure processes, or for permanent contract positions. Their use for these purposes diminishes their value in several ways. There’s strong motivation to construct the philosophy statement that anticipates what the reviewers want to read, as opposed to one that reflects actual belief. And, there’s not much danger of being held accountable for what’s in the statement. So generally, teaching philosophy statements end up in a file where they don’t have much impact on teaching or learning.