Teaching and Working with the Students (and Staff)

• In Event: Pedagogies & Praxis: Curriculum and Implementation for a Youth College Jail Program

Abstract

Implementing higher education in the context of juvenile detention for young people who have been pipelined out of traditional educational pathways requires innovative design, critical thinking, and unique approaches to learning. Having already taught college credit bearing courses in Wallkill Correctional Facility as part of New York University’s Prison Education Program, I was familiar with some of the challenges that accompany educational opportunities provided within the context of carceral settings. Trying to implement college curriculum in youth correctional facilities require a level of tact, dexterity, and flexibility necessary to encourage engagement, peer communication, and completion of assignments. Speaking to the challenges and opportunities for growth within ACS and CUNY’s CollegeNow programming, I look forward to sharing insights on how I attempted to implement peer review processes to support student efforts at engaging with one another in order to improve confidence, motivation, and curricular development in Critical Thinking and Public Speaking coursework.

Author

• Debanjan Roychoudhury, Baruch College, CUNY