Teaching Philosophy
Teaching Philosophy My philosophical approach to Art Education is centered on encouraging managed student exploration and risk taking through artistic practice. Although of course these lessons are applied in the art classroom, they are also correlated to how one may approach curiosity and problem-solving in other areas of life. This inquisitiveness and wonder help inform art lessons focused on the world around us and the different communities in which we live. I aspire to introduce these themes through teaching about artists that examine these subjects, as I believe that it is crucial for students to become familiar with viewing and digesting artworks. Viewing art in the classroom regularly helps students to begin to learn how to describe, analyze, interpret, and evaluate works. This, in turn, will lead to students using these critical elements to experiment with their own art-making and give helpful feedback to others’ works.
Every person on earth learns in a different way, and it is important that as a teacher I adapt my instruction to reflect that. Observation and learning who students are and their needs is crucial to being a successful facilitator and communicator in the classroom. This will ultimately guide judgment on student needs and ability level so you can adapt to them. It is also important to be able to provide students with multiple explanations on how to conduct a certain task or activity. Therefore, I find it to be imperative to be well versed in the concepts that you are presenting to students, as one should never ask a student to complete a task that the instructor has never done themselves! That isn’t to say, however, that a teacher shouldn’t be willing to learn with, and from their students. Showing to students that you are willing to explore together and be experimental will encourage them to do the same within their practice. By using a variety of formative and summative assessments, I will be able to evaluate students’ comprehension of the standards conducted in such lessons. These assessments not only assess students’ grasp on the subject, but it also provides great feedback for me as I continue to develop my lesson plans.
As a teenager, I was very drawn to becoming a teacher and was always interested in art. I grappled with the idea of becoming an art teacher for a long time, falling in and out of the idea due to my own confidence issues regarding my abilities. During this time, I tried many other career paths, but through those experiences, life continued to lead me back to art education. After gaining the courage to give this dream another shot, I signed up for classes at my local community college and never looked back. I gained so many skills and knowledge during my time there, but I think my main takeaway was that school is MEANT for learning. A future doctor doesn’t show up to their first day of college knowing already how to diagnose a patient, just like a future art educator doesn’t show up knowing everything about art or how to manage a classroom. Since this revelation in my life, I have made it a point to try and put myself out there in the art and teaching world and not let my fear of the ‘what-its’ get in the way. Whether it ends in an acceptance to a show or a decline of a new job, it sounds cliché, but you really don’t ever know what is going to happen until you try. This is what has led me to determine this philosophy, as exploring and taking risk can of course lead to reward, but also to a learning and growing opportunity