Applying transformative pedagogy to Criminology
Matt Thurgood, Discipline Lead and a Senior Lecturer in the ACAP Discipline of Criminology and Justice, writes about his published chapter on transformative pedagogy.
I was fortunate to receive an invitation to present Symposium on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in Criminology at Deakin University, the presentations from which formed the basis of a book. The Symposium was put together as the field of Criminology has generally neglected teaching approaches, instead focusing on the various areas of content it covers and largely assuming that students will just 'get it'. However, as more students gain access to higher education courses, and more Criminology courses are offered, there is certainly a need to address how we teach.
This is what my presentation and chapter focused on, suggesting that greater emphasis be placed on
Freierian-style transformative pedagogies.
Applied to a Criminology context, this involves helping students to identify their own beliefs and attitudes regarding crime, criminal justice and society and the sources of these, and challenging them in a classroom context. At its heart, this approach is about developing students' critical analysis skills so they can make positive contributions to (transform) their workplaces and society more generally.
Lessons learned:
I have found that maintaining a student-focused approach to teaching makes for a more relaxed, fun and engaging classroom environment, not only for the students, but for me as well.
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