Professor of
TESOL
(Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages)
Department of Languages &
Literatures
St. John Hall, Room 434H
(718) 990-5208
winterga@stjohns.edu
Courses Taught
ESLW 1300 Advanced Writing \ Reading
ESLS 1300 Advanced Oral \ Aural Communication
ESLW 1200 Intermediate Writing \ Reading
ESLS 1200 Intermediate Oral \ Aural Communication
TESOL: Theory and Practice
TESOL: Methods and Materials
Dr. Wintergerst earned her B.A. in German ‘summa cum
laude’ from St. John's University, Queens, NY; her M.A. in
TESOL, Ed. M. in Applied Linguistics, and Ed.D. in TESOL, all from
Teachers College, Columbia University, NY.
A native speaker of German, Dr. Wintergerst has published
extensively in the field of English as a Second Language (ESL) in
areas such as language and culture, learning styles, classroom
interaction, academic program review \ self-study, writing
assessment, professional standards, and advocacy for part-time
faculty, among others. She is the author of three books, one
monograph, more than 65 refereed \ professional articles, and
delivered more than 85 presentations at local, state, national, and
international conferences.
Under her leadership, the ESL Program at St. John’s University
was established, and she served as its first director for more than
10 years. Actively involved in numerous professional organizations,
Dr. Wintergerst has served as President of New York State TESOL,
President of the New York State Council on Languages, and
Chairperson of International TESOL’s Higher Education Interest
Section.
Her expertise is sought as a manuscript reviewer for refereed
journals, conference abstracts, and ESL textbooks, as well as an
evaluator for ESL Programs, German Language Programs, Educational
Testing Service’s Test of Written English, and the United Nations’
English Language Training Center. She is the editor of the
“Promising Practices” column of Idiom, the quarterly
publication of New York State TESOL.
Dr. Wintergerst is listed in several professional directories
and in 30 Who’s Who publications, including Who’s Who in America
and Who’s Who in the World. She was the recipient of New York State
TESOL’s James A. Lydon Distinguished Service Award, the
National Association for Bilingual Education’s Council for World
Languages and Cultures Institute’s Recognition Award, and New York
State TESOL’s Outstanding Teacher in Higher Education Award. She is
a five-time recipient of the St. John’s University Merit Award /
Faculty Recognition Award for research productivity.
Dr. Wintergerst’s research agenda has included collaborating
with Dr. Julia Upton (Provost, STJ) on her project to write the
official biography of Father Hans Ansgar Reinhold (1897-1968), a
German priest who was forced to leave Germany by the Nazis and who
has contributed significantly to the liturgical movement in the
United States. She translated his travelogue "From Hamburg to
Piraeos" and his personal correspondence from German into English.
Dr. Wintergerst is currently involved in a research project
connected with German-language heritage maintenance and in another
culture book for ESL/EFL teachers.
Dr. Wintergerst has taught all levels of ESL credit courses and
selected TESOL teacher training courses.