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Benjamin Winter

Reflection on Teaching Development (May, 2018)


From the beginning of my time at Saint Louis University (SLU), I was certain of my goal to work
in education at the collegiate level in the discipline of Theology. If I were to consider the last four
years as a journey toward becoming a more effective and engaging teacher, many of the stops
along the way were at the Reinert Center. When I began the Certificate in University Teaching
Skills (CUTS) Program in 2014, I had just matriculated from an MA program wherein I was not
afforded the opportunity to work with students. At that point, my thinking about teaching was
highly theoretical—although I had co-taught a Great Books seminar as a senior in college, I was
unsure of how to approach teaching within my own field of Theology.

As I began attending Praxis Workshops during my first two years at SLU (2014-16), I quickly
became excited about the prospect of applying this new knowledge in the classroom. One of the
sessions that was most influential to my pedagogy dealt with formative assessment. The idea of
“high stakes, low frequency” really appealed to me. I wanted to play an active role in student
learning, and formative assessment seemed like the perfect way to get involved—while also
relieving some of the pressure that can arise from a grading structure focused solely on papers and
tests. I am pleased to report that this strategy of formative assessment has paid dividends during
my last two years of teaching Theology at SLU (2016-2018). Rather than viewing students as
autonomous entities who either succeed or fail based on latent ability, reflecting on formative
assessment has helped me understand and embrace the relational quality of learning. It is now my
opinion that students will learn very little without positive relationships with their teacher, their
peers, and yes, even with the texts we study. As is the case in any healthy relationship, ground
rules and boundaries must be set. But to neglect the relational character of teaching is to extinguish
the fire of passion and curiosity that inflames all who search for the truth—regardless of their field
or discipline.

Continuing on this theme, it was an eye-opening experience to work as a teaching assistant during
my third year of study (2016-17). I was given charge over nearly two hundred students; learning
their names alone was a demanding task! But through it all, I came to the realization that my
students are all individuals. I was profoundly moved by the responsibility and privilege of getting
to know each person in my discussion sections. Following my notes from a Praxis Workshop that
treated small group interaction, on my first day of teaching I divided students into discussion
groups based on their interests. On a whim, I decided to ask students to describe their favorite
television shows—I then collated these preferences to determine the best “fit” for small group
assignments. This strategy is one that I continue to use. It allows me to see what students are
passionate about, and sometimes even evolves into debates about the Theology of film and
television. More importantly, it helps break the ice in the classroom; students enjoy talking not just
about their majors and other boilerplate, but about an activity that some spend nearly as much time
doing as they do studying. In the beginning weeks, it is essential to develop a rapport—to establish
the classroom space as a safe environment where all are welcome, and where we make connections
between Theology and culture.

Although I embrace my role as the professor, I am not disengaged from the ins and outs of daily
student life. Before I began teaching in earnest, I was worried that I needed to prove my expertise
to students. This is a natural impulse for a graduate student who has not yet been fully accepted as
a member of the guild. Time and experience, however, have revealed that students are not inclined
to be skeptical about my knowledge. Instead, they are generally eager to learn—particularly when
I teach with the following mantra in mind: “Explain the topic in a way that is most helpful to
someone who is hearing this for the first time.” Once we have established a basic vocabulary about
a particular subdiscipline of Theology, we can then add layers to the foundation. This strategy
encourages students of varying backgrounds to either delve deeper, or to simply become cogent in
a new field. In all cases, students grow in knowledge by honing their skills of articulation through
speech and writing.

Also during this third year at SLU (2016-17), I was initiated into various Ignatian pedagogical
techniques—both by Jesuit mentors and through the Ignatian Pedagogy Institute. The story of
Ignatius of Loyola is captivating, and I have seen the effect it can have on students. Much like the
stories of Augustine of Hippo and Francis of Assisi, it features a protagonist who gives up one
mode of life for another, higher pursuit. I have always held an affinity for Plato’s allegory of the
cave; this story, along with those of the saints mentioned above, speaks volumes about the process
of learning Theology at the collegiate level. It is an oftentimes unpredictable progression that can
occur both in and outside of the classroom. It is an activity that benefits instructors as much as it
benefits students—both work together to draw meaning from texts and unveil intellectual and
social applications. After teaching my first solo Theological Foundations course (Fall 2017), I
rewrote the course description on my syllabus to reflect this reality. Similarly, I see my teaching
philosophy document as continually in a state of development. I revisit the text after each semester,
integrating new examples and ideas based on shared experiences with students.

Where to from here? In the future I would like to develop new syllabi so that I can draw from a
repertoire of resources to meet the teaching needs of any Catholic institution of higher education.
Upon the recommendation of a professor in my department, I purchased a copy of The Joy of
Teaching by Peter Filene. This book contains a great deal of practical advice on how to set up a
useful and coherent syllabus, and I anticipate that I will utilize it in my future endeavors. As I put
the final touches on my teaching portfolio from SLU, three common themes emerge: the
importance of organization, seeing teaching through the lens of relationships, and responding to
the material we study with enthusiasm. While I must always be willing to adapt, I feel strongly
that if I continue to focus on these three areas, I will also continue to make progress toward the
goal of becoming an effective teacher. I would like to end with the words of Saint Bonaventure,
whose approach to Theology has inspired not only my research, but also my sense of care for all
those I have the privilege of sharing time with in the classroom. Bonaventure reminds us that we
should not allow “reading to suffice without fervor, speculation without devotion, investigation
without admiration, knowledge without love, and understanding without humility.”

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