My Teaching Philosophy
Teaching art is about more than just teaching technical skills and art history; it is about inspiring creativity, encouraging critical thinking, and facilitating social and emotional growth. With this in mind, my teaching philosophy is based on three major themes:
Fostering connection:
People learn by making connections to the material and to each other through authentic experiences that they can then relate back to their own lives. I believe that artwork can be a collective activity through the use of group projects and discussion. I feel that it is my job to provide an environment that is physically and emotionally safe in order to remove barriers for students to allow them to hear differing perspectives and to feel heard themselves. This involves establishing clear boundaries and expectations from day one, holding everyone accountable to them, and modeling the behavior I want to see from students in my role as an educator. I believe in the importance of getting to know my students as individuals with specific thoughts, interests, and needs both inside and outside of the classroom. I am committed to connecting students to diverse artworks and perspectives, and believe in providing a multicultural art education curriculum as a way of fostering global awareness. In addition to cultivating connections between peers and across cultures, I believe a well-rounded art curriculum includes connections to other academic subjects, historical and contemporary artists, and current social issues.
The idea that anyone can create art:
Students often come into the classroom thinking there is a very particular aesthetic that can be labelled as “good” art and that a “real” artist can instantly and magically create hyper-realistic artwork. When considering Lowenfeld’s stages of artistic development, we can see that this thought process is developmentally typical of students, particularly those in late elementary school to early high school. It is my job to encourage students to re-examine those beliefs and build their creative confidence by exposing students to diverse artwork styles and techniques and encouraging the exploration and practice of many different types of art. I seek to re-frame "mistakes" as opportunities for learning, problem solving, creativity, and growth. I remind students that having to work at a skill in art, like in other subjects, is a natural part of growth. I strive to create assignments that pose a creative challenge for students that allows room for their voice, choice, and interests to emerge. I seek to help them let go of artistic bias and self-criticism that may stunt their creativity and growth.
A commitment to learning:
Learning is a crucial part of art education, both for the student and the teacher. I look forward to designing cross-curricular and interdisciplinary collaborations with my colleagues. When creating lessons, I think about skills that students are gaining in their other classes and then reinforce and build upon those. I aspire to create an environment where students feel like they can take risks, explore, and be curious about art itself, as well as its potential connections to the world around them. In addition to learning how to make art, it is important for students to learn how to think critically about art. Through observation, discussion, and critique activities I ask students to think actively and reflectively about their own artwork, as well as the artwork of their peers and professional artists. I acknowledge that each student comes into my room on their own learning path, and it is important to differentiate instruction in order to meet each student where they are. I strive to teach towards a growth mindset so that students with various learning styles and abilities feel empowered to engage and progress in a way that is unique to them. Furthermore, I am committed to continually learning new ways to create engaging and current curriculum, and to model the curiosity and educational risk taking that I seek to encourage in my students.
By focusing on these three themes, I hope to create an environment in which students develop the ability to be curious not only about art, but about how it connects to their wider experiences and lives. Through creating space for intentional communication from different perspectives, with a focus on learning and growing, I hope to inspire students with the confidence to explore, question, create, and find new ways to make meaning of the world around them. It is my hope that through creating and discussing artwork, students will develop empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking skills that they will carry into all aspects of their lives as ongoing and connected learners.
It is my belief that an art classroom should be safe, inviting, and a stimulating environment in which to learn. Art classrooms tend to require freedom of movement, frequent collaboration, and a lot of different tools and materials. Because of this, it can sometimes be challenging to create and maintain a safe, inviting, and stimulating space. In order to achieve this kind of environment in an art room, one needs to have well developed and at times evolving classroom management strategies. I believe that classroom management should be primarily considered a prevention strategy and that proactive techniques should be used to decrease the likelihood of problematic behavior instead of using mainly reactive measures after difficult behavior arises. While I am most certainly still learning classroom management skills every day that I teach, I do have some tactics that I have found successful while I was student teaching, as well as while I was an educator in k-12 schools for a local non-profit:
Have a predictable and organized space. If materials are organized and where everyone is expecting them to be, it makes it easier for students to easily find and care for them. I like to have spaces to store wet and dry materials separately. I try to make spaces where students sit in groups so that they can interact, share materials, and collaborate easily while working. I have also learned that regardless of the age being taught, it is helpful to have a separate area for students who need to take an emotional or mental health break. Having comfortable seating and mindless coloring activities in this separate area is important in my classroom.
Set up a routine for when students enter the room. Whether I am teaching 5-year-olds or 15-year-olds, I find it important to greet students at the door or as they enter the classroom. It builds rapport and helps them transition to class. I have also found that students respond well to a predictable routine to start class. This may include providing immediate tasks/expectations upon entering the room, such as grabbing their folder from their class shelf, grabbing a pencil. I also like to start every class off with a brief review of what they did the class before.
Make clear what the day’s goals/expectations are. For students to meet my expectations, it is important that they know what they are. I like to set a goal for each class and be clear about the long-term timeline so that students know what they are working on now and what they are working towards.
Be aware of how I use tone, volume, body language and proximity. As someone who was a foster parent, has worked as a sexual assault educator, and has student taught, I have realized that yelling is generally not a necessary or effective strategy. Keeping my volume low and just varying tone often serves me better than yelling to communicate what my expectations are. I have also learned that having a long conversation about every behavior issue is unrealistic, and that looking at a student or going to stand near the students engaging in undesirable behavior can be just as successful at times.
Prepare ahead of time to account for potential struggles. A lot of undesirable behavior comes up when students are confused or overwhelmed. While it is impossible to foresee every potential challenge with a lesson plan or activity, I try my best to identify where some students may struggle with an activity and to make adjustments to the lesson plan or plan accommodations for students who may need them.
Use humor. I have been told by several students and my mentor teachers that my humor is an asset when diffusing situations. I try to use it to more gently correct behavior or to put people at ease. It is important to know my audience when using this management strategy though.
Catch them doing well. In general students like to hear that they are doing things correctly. I use positive reinforcement and praise whenever possible, as it builds trust and rewards desirable behavior.
Model the behavior that I wish to see. If I want my students to follow classroom rules like being respectful towards their peers and myself or cleaning up tools and work-spaces then I firmly believe that it is my job to model that for students.
I fully agree with Dr. Ross Greene’s position that “kids do well when they can,” and I feel that it is my job as a teacher to organize my space, regulate my own emotions, help students regulate their emotions, and be clear about expectations in order to help students do well.