EDUCATION

 The following principles guide my teaching regardless of the course.

1.  Learning takes place in relationships:  Fostering personal relationships with students is a key component for their academic success.  I require all students to visit me at least once in my office during the semester.  This is just one small example of how this goal is fulfilled.  Nassau Community College (NCC) supports this effort by limiting class enrollments which is unique for higher education.

2.  Teach students how to study:  Study skills are not innate and need to be learned, but students report their educational experiences prior to NCC fail in this regard.  I reserve the first session for teaching study skills that will help students achieve their goals.  The best idea is to use active study techniques such as re-writing all your class notes immediately after a class session.  Unfortunately too many students engage in passive studying (such as reading and re-reading notes) with limited success.  NCC offers students various academic services include tutoring, extra help labs, and workshops in study skills.

3.  Students must have full access to notes:  Students should be given full opportunity to succeed in the class so I distribute my notes at the start of the semester.  This results in class sessions with higher caliber discussions and reduces overall student aniexty.

4.  Teaching is facilitation:  The lecture style of education is no longer appropriate.  Students need interactive learning experiences to help the development of critical thinking skills, oral communication, and analytical abilities.

I have discovered good teachers possess the following three characteristics:

1.  A Passion for Their Subject

2.  A Passion for Their Students

3.  A Passion for The Learning Process

Sociology of Law captures my interest in the legal responses to social problems. I am a "court watcher" and eagerly await the first Tuesday in October when the United States Supreme Court starts their new session.

This interest has led to publications in law journals housed at UC Berkley, UC Davis, University of San Francisco, Princeton University, SUNY Albany, and Dowling College. Due to severe time constraints, I now exclusively publish book reviews for criminal justice journals such as Youth Violence & Juvenile Justice, Punishment & Society and Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law & Society.

I serve as a Research Associate at The Center for Children, Families and the Law at Hofstra University School of Law. My current project is writing a report about youth at-risk on Long Island which will be distributed in the near future.

I attend several annual conferences for criminal justice organizations and associations each year and make presentations on a variety of topics.

In June 2009 my application to the Fulbright Senior Specialist program was accepted and I was placed on their roster for the next 5 years. I will be visiting the Institute of Criminology at University of Cambridge and participating in their Socio-Legal Group in October 2009.

My family, politics, sports, traveling, and playing tourist in New York City keep me busy.

Some articles are available at the following links:

http://www.albany.edu/scj/jcjpc/vol7is1/vol7is1.pdf