Philosophy of Teaching Statement I Have Heard

Philosophy of Teaching Statement

I have heard people compare teaching to shining a light into the darkness. I like this analogy, because teachers certainly do bring light to the darkness. However, I do not think such a statement is strong enough. When I hear that statement, I picture a person in the woods, leading a bunch of people, holding the only flashlight. Yes, that person is a leader. Yes, that person is illuminating the darkness. However, that person is retaining all of the power and control in the scenario. The person holding the flashlight decides what to illuminate, and what to leave dark. In the woods, such an oversight could mean missing a threat, like a bear, or an opportunity, like berries. In real life, such intentional or accidental oversight could mean depriving students of an opportunity to enrich themselves through knowledge.

Therefore, rather than hoping to act as a light in the darkness, I hope to teach my students how to be a light in the darkness, rather than simply waiting for someone else to come along and illuminate things for them. This means that my students must be prepared to critically examine scenarios, search for facts, and look for innovative solutions to problems. In order to prepare students to critically examine issues, I use the Socratic Method for some of my teachings. There are pros and cons to using the Socratic Method for teaching. Students tend to have strong feelings, most of them negative about the Socratic Method. It puts students on the spot, and it makes them apply knowledge, rather than merely recite facts back to the teacher. Because of those characteristics, students may initially be resistant to the Socratic Method. However, the Socratic Method reflects how people must apply knowledge in life. Learning is not for the purpose of reciting facts, but to learn how those facts impact new scenarios and situations that arise in life. The Socratic Method helps prepare students for real-life applications of facts to help develop innovative solutions to existing problems.

Of course, as a criminal justice instructor, I know that my students will be facing a host of existing problems. If there is a field in the United States that is more beleaguered by controversy and disagreement than criminal justice, I am not sure what it is. Well-intentioned experts in the field argue about what the goals of the criminal justice system should be, whether those goals are being applied equally, and whether the system is accomplishing its goals. Some people look at high conviction and incarceration rates as a measure of success for the criminal justice system, while others look at them as a dismal failure. I see them as a combination of both. The U.S. has a good record of zealously prosecuting criminals that are ignored in other jurisdictions. For example, we prosecute sexual predators while some jurisdictions virtually ignore sex crimes. However, the U.S. has also criminalized some behavior that might not be inherently criminal, which may be a contributing factor in racial bias in arrest and conviction rates. Do I have the solutions to all of those problems? Of course, I do not. However, I do think that I can help teach students to develop those solutions.