Teaching Philosophy

In Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he states that education can function in one of two ways.  Education can either be used as a means to inform the student body of the “present system and bring about conformity” or education can be used as an instrument that facilitates the “practice of freedom”.  By presenting education as the latter option, it prepares future graduates as critical and creative thinkers ready to participate within our ever-changing world.  This philosophy is extremely important, especially when teaching in the field of visual arts; a discipline which is often maligned.

Freire’s two theories on education can still be seen in the world of academia.  The fact remains for both schools of thought: education is a tool that can never be stolen once earned.  No matter what the student’s gender, race or age, once he or she obtains any source of knowledge; this belongs to him or her forever.  Ultimately, it is then up to each student to decide which of Freire’s avenues to pursue; conformity or a more creative approach. Either avenue remains with the student forever; a precious gift.

As an online photography professor, I act as a vehicle that conjoins the student with the course material.   Students learn in all different facets and in an attempt to accommodate this fact, I utilize many teaching methods: live lectures and discussions, class exercises, personal assignments, and video and written feedback.  Educational technology plays a major role in my classroom: from the photography equipment to test taking to grade keeping.  I want to help my students fully understand the message they want to convey through their photography.  In order to do this, students must learn the technical aspects of this medium in order to successfully create the image.  On top of acquiring technical skills, I believe it is imperative for students to be aware of the historical background and development of photography throughout the last 150 plus years to deepen their understanding of the medium as well as the content of their work.  Ideally, my goal, as adopted from Freire’s philosophy, is to convey this knowledge to the scholar in a way that enables them to recognize the possession of the information as a “practice of freedom”. That being said, it is a delicate balance of recognizing which avenue the students can flourish in and how to steer them in the right direction.

Students need mentoring for guidance and intellectual growth although they sometimes need the instructor to teach a sense of encouragement, which pushes their critical thinking skills to try and answer questions on their own.  This is where the “freedom” part comes into play; when the student truly understands the information taught to them and realizes that he or she has the potential to fully explore on their own; to educate themselves. When students make this discovery, it’s a powerful realization for them and consequently therein lies the real reward for me.