TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

WHAT IS LEARNING?
At the basic level, learning occurs when the student can recall information, paraphrase it, and then apply it to achieve the primary goal. However, once the student can appreciate the relevancy of information, detect patterns and elements, and then use it to develop different outcomes, they have then mastered that concept.

WHY I TEACH?
I am an avid learner. I value the process of finding relevant, valuable knowledge and applying it to improve my life and the life of those around me. I teach so I can transfer that passion for learning to my students. My goal for students is they become discerning, critical thinkers who have a desire and ability to apply what they acquire to develop academic, professional, and personal success. I want to them to become successful and compelling communicators who fearlessly tackle scholarly projects knowing they have sound problem solving strategies. Additionally, I seek to improve my students' success by presenting myself as not only a source of academic learning but as an attentive listener to their troubles and seasoned professional advisor.

WHAT I TEACH?
Because of my education and experience, I am prepared to teach the following courses: Criminal Justice - Criminology - Legal/Legal Procedures - Law Office Management Law Enforcement - English Composition & Literature Legal courses are an incredible development of the mind. Students must ingest large amounts of data, understand and analyze it, determine the relevant portions, and make valid conclusions from ever changing facts. Comprehensive reading and writing skills are clearly the basis of academic success. In these courses, my goal is to improve the students ability to communicate using sound reasoning positions that explain concepts, compel action, even evoke emotion.

HOW I TEACH?
I form my teaching methods by applying proven pedagogy and differentiating my lessons to create an equitable learning environment for all students. My goal is always to guide my students to mastery of any academic subject, and I use Blooms Taxonomy to frame my lesson plans. I start by pre-assessing my students preexisting knowledge to avoid redundancy or dispel any misinformation. I then deliver the initial explicit instruction. To accommodate diverse learning styles, I strive to differentiate my lessons whenever needed. Some students learn best in a traditional lecture atmosphere whereas some are inspired by a discussion, and still others retain best when they read and ponder on what they have read. I attempt to engage all of those strategies. After I assess students to ensure they can remember and explain the basic components of the explicit instruction, I present a problem to solve. With my guidance, students must analyze and apply the newly acquired knowledge to be successful at this stage of my lesson. As the complexity increases, I remove my support to enable learners to demonstrate their independent ability. Finally, I require that my students create a new product with the knowledge learned. This task requires students to understand the relevant elements and patterns of the information to construct new outcomes. Although I differentiate this new product graphic depictions, debates, models - my priority is always on writing regardless of the academic course. Whenever possible I incorporate the Socratic method of questioning into classroom discussions. The method puts the student at the center of their own learning. As the facilitator, I expose the gaps on their reasoning and guide their thoughts and ideas until they arrive at sensible, justifiable conclusions.

HOW DO I ASSESS MY STUDENTS?

Using a combination of formal and informal assessments, I assess my students early and often. Once again, the emphasis is on writing. I also use assessment to measure the effectiveness of my methods and strategies. This, coupled with the evaluation of my supervisors, assures that I maintain the highest values and continue to guide my students towards mastery.