Autonomy-Supportive Teaching in Higher Education: A Practical Guide for College Professors

Using ordinary everyday language, Autonomy Supportive Teaching in Higrher Education: A Practical Guide for College Professors organizes and summarizes the mountain of research that has been conducted using autonomy supportive teaching (AST) in the classroom. Hundreds of books, articles, and presentations have been synthesized into a series of chapters and easy-to-follow workshops. By using this book, interested faculty can begin applying the principles of self-determination theory to their classrooms today. This resource is divided into three sections: 1) AST in Theory, which summarizes the state of the art of motivation psychology in the classroom; 2) AST in Practice, which provides eight workshops where readers are led through dozens of evidence-based and classroom tested strategies for applying AST to their own classrooms; and 3) AST Results, which explores faculty and student reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of AST as it was applied by a group of faculty at an American university. This book is for college faculty who are tired of student apathy, disinterest, and confrontation, who are interested in helping their students cultivate inner motivational resources. Autonomous learners are interested in more than getting a good grade or doing as they’re told. These are the motivations that increase need satisfaction, lead to lifelong learning, and support a wide variety of independent learning objectives.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Introduction Not a Vignette A Revolution in My Teaching Spirit AST Will Work for You and Your Students Three Potential Hurdles: Mistaken Beliefs that Interfere with Professional Development Mistaken Belief 1: It’s the Students’ Fault Mistaken Belief 2: Teachers Cannot Change Mistaken Belief 3: Controlling Teachers Are the Best Teachers Relation to Other Psychologies of Student Motivation Grit: Passion and Determination with Angela Duckworth and Cal Newport Fixed and Growth Mindsets with Carol Dweck Why We Learn the Ways that We Learn with Josh Eyler Structure of This Book PART I: THEORY 1 Self-Determination Theory and Higher Education A Brief History of the Psychology of Student Motivation Self-Determination Theory and the Three Basic Psychological Needs Autonomy Competence Relatedness Supporting Basic Psychological Needs Why the Students Wouldn’t Read Macbeth The Many Forms of Extrinsic Motivation Continuum of Extrinsic Motivation Internalization and the Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors No Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors External Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors Externalized Regulation Introjected Regulation Internalized Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors Identified Regulation Integrated Regulation Intrinsic Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors 2 Autonomy-Supportive Teaching Vignette 1, Where Online Students Missed the First Deadline Vignette 2, The One with Lethargic Graduate Students Autonomy-Supportive Teaching Seven Strategies for Supporting Student Autonomy Strategy 1: Autonomy-Supportive Teachers Adopt Their Students’ Perspective My Experience Taking Students’ Perspective Strategy 2: Autonomy-Supportive Teachers Invite Students to Pursue Their Interests My Experience Inviting Students to Pursue Their Interests Strategy 3: Autonomy-Supportive Teachers Present Learning Activities in Need-Satisfying Ways Autonomy Competence Relatedness My Experience Presenting Learning Activities in Need-Satisfying Ways Strategy 4: Autonomy-Supportive Teachers Provide Explanatory Rationale My Experience Providing Explanatory Rationale Strategy 5: Autonomy-Supportive Teachers Acknowledge Negative Feelings My Experience Acknowledging Negative Feelings Strategy 6: Autonomy-Supportive Teachers Use Invitational Language My Experience Using Invitational LanguageStrategy 7: Autonomy-Supportive Teachers Practice Patience My Experience Practicing Patience The Gestalt of Autonomy-Supportive Teaching 3 Evidence Supporting Autonomy-Supportive Teaching in Higher Education Evidence that AST Works in Higher Education Physical Education and Other General Education Courses Remedial Writing Courses Music and Performing Arts Psychology and Social Sciences Sciences and Liberal Arts in South America Arts and Humanities, Health Sciences, Engineering, and Exercise Sciences in Europe Online and Asynchronous Courses Graduate School Gender Differences in Highly Specific Cases Intercultural and International Applicability Conclusion PART II: APPLICATION 4 Self-Determination Theory Workshop Basic Psychological Needs Regulation of Beliefs, Values, and Behaviors 5 Diagnosing Teaching Styles with AST Inventories A Preliminary Note on the Difference Between Assessment and Evaluation Situations in School Inventory Assessing Structure Assessing Chaos Assessing Autonomy Support Assessing Control Completing the Inventory and Analyzing the Results Situations in School Inventory Advanced Scoring Learning Climate Questionnaire Classroom Observation Checksheet 6 Taking Students’ Perspective Methods for Getting Student Feedback Distribute Slips of Paper Asking for Anonymous Suggestions Hold an Open Town Hall–Type Forum Create a Virtual Survey or Poll When to Avoid Taking Students’ Perspective Put It into Practice Homework Activity #1: Distribute Comment Cards Homework Activity #2: Seek Candid Reviews about Course Content Homework Activity #3: Invite Students to Comment on the Lesson Plan for the Day Problems to Expect, and How to Deal with Them Students Have No Feedback to Share Students Don’t Seem to Be Interested in Their Own Suggestions Students Have Only Positive Feedback to Share 7 Intrinsic Motivation AST Strategy Two: Invite Students to Pursue Their Interests Homework: Identify an Aspect of the Course with Which You Are Comfortable Allowing Students to Participate in Choosing AST Strategy Three: Present Learning Activities in Need-Satisfying Ways Competence Relatedness Put It into Practice Homework Activity #1: Stop and Assess Where Your Students Are Homework Activity #2: Emphasize Relatedness by Encouraging Students to Work TogetherProblems to Expect and How to Deal with Them Students Have a Range of Skill Levels Students Are Not Interested in Working Together 8 Supporting Students’ Internalization AST Strategy Four: Provide Explanatory Rationale Put It into Practice Homework Activity #1: Explain Why You’re Doing the Next Thing You Will Be Doing Homework Activity #2: Integrate Rationale into Assignment InstructionsHomework Activity #3: Explore the TiLT Model of TeachingAST Strategy Five: Acknowledge Negative Feelings Homework Activity #1: Acknowledge and Accept the Negative Affect of One Student Homework Activity #2: Use Collective Negative Affect as a Diagnostic Tool Homework Activity #3: Reflect on the Ideal Emotional Profile of Students AST Strategy Six: Rely on Invitational Language Homework Activity #1: Rewrite Activity Instructions Using Invitational Language Homework Activity #2: Design an Alternative Assignment AST Strategy Seven: Practice Patience Homework Activity #1: Adjust the Amount of Time Needed for Completing an Activity Homework Activity #2: Patient Listening PART III: FINISHING TOUCHES 9 Sample Assessment of Using Autonomy Support in an Online Course AST in Online Courses: An Understudied Relationship Design Control Condition AST Condition Results Learning Climate Inventory Discussion Additional Results Student Comments about the AST Condition Discussion of Assessment Results Mistake Number 1: Expectations Were Unclear Mistake Number 2: My Understanding of AST Was Limited Mistake Number 3: I Integrated Too Few AST Strategies Conclusion 10 A Case Study of Teacher Transformation My 2016 Letter to Students Course “Deliverables” Desire2Learn Be Yourself My 2022 Analysis of the 2016 Letter to Students The Letter Is Long The Letter Is Formatted Using Headings There Is a Block Quote The Letter Is Not Written from the Students’ Perspective Students Are Expected to Be Guided by Intrinsic Motivation There Is Little Explanatory Rationale There Is No Room for Affect It’s My Way or the Highway Selective Patience It Isn’t All Bad A Digital Letter Written to an Online Health Psychology Course in 2022 General Observations Conclusion: Troubleshooting Problems and Looking Forward Some Instructors Will Do This Naturally Anticipating Problems The Need for Structure Logistical Problems with Adopting Autonomy-Supportive Teaching Confusion about What the Strategies Entail Disagreement about the Teachability of Certain Strategies External Pressures to Be Controlling A Call for More Research on AST in Higher Education AST in Large Lecture Halls Asynchronous Online Courses Professional and Organizational Development References Index About the Author

About the Author :
Patrick Whitehead is associate professor of psychology and coordinator of general education at Albany State University, where he was named 2019 scholar of the year. He has published six books including Psychologizing: A Personal, Practice-based Approach to Psychology and dozens of articles in the fields of psychology, philosophy, and higher education. He lives on a farm in Albany, Georgia, USA with his wife, Erica. For more information and resources for college faculty, see www.patrickmwhitehead.com

Review :
Dr. Whitehead's Autonomy-Supportive Teaching in Higher Education is a game-changer for faculty looking to improve and energize their classes and students. At a time when motivation is diminished by the many challenges faced by students, Dr. Whitehead offers strategies, informed by autonomy-supportive teaching, to enhance learning and increase student success and faculty satisfaction. I would definitely recommend this book to faculty looking for strategies to motivate students and, by doing so, unlock their academic potential! Patrick Whitehead’s excitement for autonomy-supportive teaching is palpable and contagious! As I read his book, I found myself wanting to jump up and implement idea after idea. Following his own advice, Whitehead provides satisfying rationales for his suggestions. This accessible volume will benefit veteran instructors and new faculty alike. Approachable, robustly researched, and timely, this book productively challenges the oversimplified distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, providing strategies that teachers can use to design courses that students want to be a part of and excel in. The question of motivation is central to any faculty member. Having a psychologist discuss the literature and AST and then provide practical, classroom-based examples of how the theory can be applied in classrooms is going to fill a pedagogical need. This book summarizes AST and the state of motivation psychology and then shows how AST works in the classroom and how faculty can apply it. Autonomy-Supportive Teaching in Higher Education examines recent scholarship on motivation in the classroom, and it offers a more nuanced approach, demonstrating how motivation is on a continuum as opposed to either extrinsic or internal. A timely and practical resource, this book shares important insights into how an autonomy-supportive teaching style can bring a new perspective to understand students' motivation, enhance their learning experience, and foster well-being. Grounded in self-determination theory's decades of empirical research, the author brings autonomy-supportive teaching to life through his passion and personal experience. This book is unique and valuable as it explains in everyday language what autonomy-supportive teaching is and provides ways to implement it in practice. Highly relevant to anyone in education today. Autonomy-Supportive Teaching in Higher Education: A Practical Guide for College Professors presents faculty with a theory-based, pragmatic guide to supporting students' achievement through teaching practices that allow students to develop autonomy-based motivations and agency in completing their coursework. In the current climate of change in higher education, such an approach is attractive in its goals and methods. I found myself reading the book both as a faculty member reflecting on my own teaching as well as the director of a teaching center who can use the process and materials included in the text as the basis for impactful programming with my colleagues across campus. To really motivate your students, you need to understand more than just the typical intrinsic/extrinsic line of thinking. This book explains how you can better support your students’ autonomy for more meaningful and lasting motivation. Patrick Whitehead’s book is an excellent guide for college instructors looking to motivate their students. It is so difficult to find a theory- and research-driven book on teaching but Dr. Whitehead has done just that. Beside having scientific support for his methods, he also offers practical suggestions and ways to implement these ideas into any college classroom. I will be using this book in my graduate-level Teaching of Psychology course and in training future graduate teaching assistants. This book presents AST in an accessible way, thus contributing to the field of teaching and learning. This is especially true as the author breaks down intrinsic motivation as an umbrella term. Understanding intrinsic motivation as a continuum rather than a fixed mindset has the potential change how instructors approach student learning.