Intellectual Character

Over my career I have now and then been in a situation where I had to present my "teaching philosophy" in a statement. It has always been difficult and taken some effort. At the same time, I have over the years become more and more sure about what I am doing when I teach and how it should be done. A few days ago I ordered a book that looked interesting. it is written by Ron Ritchhart and the title is "Intellectual Character--what it is, why it matters, and how to get it".

It seems as if my ideas about teaching and thinking are close to what Ritchhart present in this book. This means that I do not have to write any teaching statements any more, just refer to the book. Ritchhart does a great job in presenting what it means to teach if you believe that teaching is to help students to think. There are some foundational thoughts expressed in the book as well as very hands-on and practical advice and guidelines. I like it!