Teaching Philosophy for Steve Wininger

Signature courses: Educational Psychology, Motivation and Emotion, and Sport Psychology.

Why do I teach?

I love to learn. Through teaching I have the opportunity to learn about interesting subjects and to share my understanding with my students! In addition, the areas in which I teach readily lend themselves to application. I find it gratifying to think that most of my students will walk away from my classes with knowledge and tools that enable them to better their lives and the lives of others.

My beliefs about learning

I believe the most successful learners are self-regulated learners and the research literature supports this belief. Consequently, one of my goals is to facilitate self-regulation in my students.

The first step is to establish value for the learning content. There are multiple means for accomplishing this step. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” If I am genuinely interested in what I am teaching there is a greater chance of arousing that same curiosity in my students. My aim is for students to be able to apply the materials covered in class to their lives. I strive to illustrate how the principles and theories I teach can be applied in students' everyday lives.

As Charles Brewer says, “If you do not know where you are going, the likelihood that you will get there borders on randomness.” Goals are a key component of self-regulated learning. I encourage my students to set their own personal goals at the beginning of the semester related to both learning processes and academic performance. I also provide my students with clear learning objectives.

Naturally, students need feedback about their progress towards mastering the learning objectives and their self-selected goals. Effective feedback consists of several different modes of assessment. First, student comprehension should be regularly assessed via formative assessment in class (questioning, non-verbals, group activities, etc.). Second, students should be encouraged to engage in routine monitoring of comprehension in all learning related pursuits (e.g., reading, note-taking, studying). Third, summative assessments should be reviewed with students in order to further remediate.

One of the most important processes of self-regulated learning is the identification of strategies to optimize learning. These strategies start with physical readiness prior to class (nutrition & sleep) and extend to cognitive strategies (attentional focus, time management, & anxiety regulation) as well as task-specific strategies (reading, note-taking, studying, test-taking). Ideally students identify and “test” strategies over the course of their academic careers ultimately resulting in the identification of their optimal strategies. I prompt my students to engage in or continue with this identification process.

There are also strategies that I can employ as a teacher. I believe that eliminating potential distracters and providing students with a variety of learning mediums is essential to maintaining their attention during class. My course policies aim to discourage distracting behaviors. My approach to teaching involves engaging students by incorporating a variety of learning aids, activities, and assignments such as conversational lecture, demonstration, class discussion, small group discussion, case studies, research to interpret, video clips, and hands-on-activities.

My classes are structured in a manner that sends clear expectations for responsibility. College is a precursor to students entering into a profession. Therefore, they should be able to exhibit professional behavior in my classes. This includes punctuality, professional language/grammar, preparedness, respect for others, and interdependence. By interdependence I mean knowing when to reach out for help. When a student has really struggled with a concept but still doesn’t grasp it, then it is time to seek assistance. I hope my students view me as approachable and feel comfortable asking for my help during these times.

Evaluation is the last phase of the self-regulation model. Students are encouraged to reflect on their level of goal achievement, reasons for achievement, and means for improving future achievement. From a teacher’s perspective, I regularly seek out feedback from my students about the content, methods, and structure of my classes. This evaluative feedback, along with new information gleaned from books, journals, and conferences, are my main sources for regular course improvement.

Metaphor

The metaphor I use when thinking about my approach to teaching is that of a parent. This is especially relevant for me as a father of four children. I think about how I would want someone to treat my own children. My main goals being to: a) provide for their needs while helping them to differentiate between needs vs. wants, b) build relationships with them via shared experiences, c) teach them important knowledge, skills, and values, d) communicate and maintain high expectations along with encouragement and assistance when needed, and e) ultimately preparing and allowing them to be autonomous (i.e. self-regulated).