PHILOSOPHY of TEACHING
The Value of Arts Education
Education in the arts allows students to see things in different perspectives; it gives them the means to experiment with ideas and solutions they would never otherwise face. Art makes their lives communicable. Students should enjoy the process of artmaking while also learning how to visually express themselves in a variety of media. They need to use the creative problem solving skills on the right side of the brain to make cognitive connections that link art to their own lives. The skills they learn in art class will aid them in acquiring life-long learning skills that are essential to higher order thinking. It is in this way that students understand the relevance of art to their own lives, as well as understanding the function of art through art history and art criticism.
Students in my classroom explore possibilities through visual problem solving that helps them face and overcome simple challenges that will translate to the same kind of problem solving they will face as adults. The arts build strong students and thinkers who rise above challenges and constantly ask questions and seek answers. It is for this purpose that I strongly believe that arts education belongs in every curriculum in order to achieve the highest levels of cognitive ability.
Each student is an individual who creates unique and personal artwork. Students should be able to talk and write about art in order to communicate their thoughts effectively. Through this constant interaction between disciplines and subjects, students need to communicate with one another, making art a very social interaction. Students build interpersonal connections with one another through hands on learning.
I think it’s integral in student development to make personal connections with students. A positive teacher-student relationship allows students to build trust in their teachers and thus, allow for mistake making and growth. Being an active listener and genuinely interested in students’ lives helps us to bond and build lifelong connections. Keeping connections with students, checking in with them periodically above and beyond their arts education is vital to keeping a successful program and professional community.
VISION
As an instructor in the visual arts, I anchor my teaching philosophy in empowering students to learn and grow as both artists and global citizens. Students should learn not only about artistic skills and techniques, but the history and the “why” behind artworks -- this allows students to have empathy and to think beyond their own world. I want students to question what they’re taught -- because question generation leads to a passion for learning, which in turn, creates strong and capable leaders.
I am a constant learner, molding and shaping the manner in which I teach in order to stay current and further my own skills in both the arts and in education. My role is to be a model for students and to help guide them through their career path in the arts and beyond. Building upon twenty first century learning skills such as critical & creative thinking, leadership, and collaboration & communication is important to stay relevant. I consistently work on my own skills by taking courses, workshops, and continuing my life as an active artist. Students see the relevance of art in my own life, and they interpret those connections as personal opportunities for art exploration. My teaching style is open and inviting; I believe an interactive classroom that encourages creative risk taking empowers students to seek answers through individual research and experimentation. Students often examine and test possibilities in their artmaking. The theme of narratives can often be found in my curriculum because artmaking is a means of telling stories. Expression through storytelling is a characteristic of leadership. “…the most fundamental stories fashioned by leaders concern issues of personal and group identity; those leaders who presume to bring about major alterations across a significant population must in some way help their audience members think through who they are” (Gardner, 1995). Students need to be able to tell stories to communicate their lives to others.
SUMMARY
I push students to learn and grow, to question what they’ve been told, and to think about what they are doing. Art is not a mindless subject; it requires strong thinking skills. The possibilities are endless when creation is a direct result of personal expression.
“I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen, and that when I start drawing an ordinary thing, I realize how extraordinary it is, sheer miracle.”
—Frederick Franck, The Zen of Seeing, 1973
The Value of Arts Education
Education in the arts allows students to see things in different perspectives; it gives them the means to experiment with ideas and solutions they would never otherwise face. Art makes their lives communicable. Students should enjoy the process of artmaking while also learning how to visually express themselves in a variety of media. They need to use the creative problem solving skills on the right side of the brain to make cognitive connections that link art to their own lives. The skills they learn in art class will aid them in acquiring life-long learning skills that are essential to higher order thinking. It is in this way that students understand the relevance of art to their own lives, as well as understanding the function of art through art history and art criticism.
Students in my classroom explore possibilities through visual problem solving that helps them face and overcome simple challenges that will translate to the same kind of problem solving they will face as adults. The arts build strong students and thinkers who rise above challenges and constantly ask questions and seek answers. It is for this purpose that I strongly believe that arts education belongs in every curriculum in order to achieve the highest levels of cognitive ability.
Each student is an individual who creates unique and personal artwork. Students should be able to talk and write about art in order to communicate their thoughts effectively. Through this constant interaction between disciplines and subjects, students need to communicate with one another, making art a very social interaction. Students build interpersonal connections with one another through hands on learning.
I think it’s integral in student development to make personal connections with students. A positive teacher-student relationship allows students to build trust in their teachers and thus, allow for mistake making and growth. Being an active listener and genuinely interested in students’ lives helps us to bond and build lifelong connections. Keeping connections with students, checking in with them periodically above and beyond their arts education is vital to keeping a successful program and professional community.
VISION
As an instructor in the visual arts, I anchor my teaching philosophy in empowering students to learn and grow as both artists and global citizens. Students should learn not only about artistic skills and techniques, but the history and the “why” behind artworks -- this allows students to have empathy and to think beyond their own world. I want students to question what they’re taught -- because question generation leads to a passion for learning, which in turn, creates strong and capable leaders.
I am a constant learner, molding and shaping the manner in which I teach in order to stay current and further my own skills in both the arts and in education. My role is to be a model for students and to help guide them through their career path in the arts and beyond. Building upon twenty first century learning skills such as critical & creative thinking, leadership, and collaboration & communication is important to stay relevant. I consistently work on my own skills by taking courses, workshops, and continuing my life as an active artist. Students see the relevance of art in my own life, and they interpret those connections as personal opportunities for art exploration. My teaching style is open and inviting; I believe an interactive classroom that encourages creative risk taking empowers students to seek answers through individual research and experimentation. Students often examine and test possibilities in their artmaking. The theme of narratives can often be found in my curriculum because artmaking is a means of telling stories. Expression through storytelling is a characteristic of leadership. “…the most fundamental stories fashioned by leaders concern issues of personal and group identity; those leaders who presume to bring about major alterations across a significant population must in some way help their audience members think through who they are” (Gardner, 1995). Students need to be able to tell stories to communicate their lives to others.
SUMMARY
I push students to learn and grow, to question what they’ve been told, and to think about what they are doing. Art is not a mindless subject; it requires strong thinking skills. The possibilities are endless when creation is a direct result of personal expression.
“I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen, and that when I start drawing an ordinary thing, I realize how extraordinary it is, sheer miracle.”
—Frederick Franck, The Zen of Seeing, 1973
