When I began teaching nearly two decades ago, my philosophy of teaching was very broad and general, as is the case with most new teachers. While I still believe that every child has the capacity to learn, the ability to be successful in some way, and should have exposure to the arts, my philosophy has evolved to meet more specific needs of my subject area. As a teacher of the visual arts, I have three main goals for teaching:

• To provide my students with the necessary technical skills and knowledge of materials.

• To facilitate students’ critical thinking and creative processes.

• To encourage students to become curious, independent learners. 

 

I provide my students with the necessary technical skills and knowledge of materials.

 

I believe all my students can find success in some form when taking my class. Because my class is a beginner’s level class, students come to me with a myriad of skills, knowledge and talents. I address this each year at the beginning of the fall term by expressing to my students that while I do not believe I will magically make them great masters in a year’s time, I do believe I can help them grow as creators. I begin the year by teaching art basics such as the elements of art and principles of design in conjunction with teaching students how to create a border, write a signature, and properly use the tools they work with everyday. I encourage those students with prior knowledge and skills to use this introductory time to hone their skills. When introducing new techniques or tools, I always make sure the skill or tool is first demonstrated for my students. I have found that with the aid of my projector, iPad, and a few useful apps, I am able to be more mobile during demonstrations. I continuously visually monitor students as they work to determine which students need additional assistance with a skill or tool. As the year progresses, students have multiple opportunities with their projects to practice mastery of these basic skills and techniques. For instance, by October, putting a border on their art project is simply second nature because they have executed that skill numerous times. Beginning second semester, we build upon the basics adding those more complex skills and techniques. Even though every student may come to me with different skills, knowledge, and talents, they will all leave with a firm foundation of the basics. 

 

I facilitate students’ critical thinking and creative processes. 

 

I explain to students that every project I assign is a problem I am asking them to solve.  With each new project, students first receive the knowledge needed to address the problem. Then parameters are set, and students are asked to creatively and uniquely work out a solution. When students struggle, I encourage them to look at the problem in a different manner thus building their problem-solving skills. In many cases, students struggle with drawing intricate images. After learning about line and shape, I can suggest they first break down the object to its base elements then add additional details afterward. Another aspect of building the critical thinking process is teaching students to take an analytical look at artwork.  By training them to see and pick out the elements and principles in a work of art, students begin to develop a more discerning art eye. I do this by having students complete a monthly art critique in which they assess well known artwork, artwork of their peers, and their own artwork. One final facet to building the creative process is exposure. Students must have access to artwork, whether it is though pictures in art books, posters on the wall, a virtual art gallery online, or actual works of art themselves. This exposure allows students to experience, understand, and mimic artists’ thought processes and creative techniques. When all of these elements are combined, I have a student who will look at the world more critically and creatively. 

 

To encourage students to become curious, independent learners.

 

I believe that my students, especially at this age, should have the opportunity to explore, make mistakes, and guide their own learning experience. Through experimentation and investigation of art media, techniques, and history students will begin look deeper into themselves and the world around them. Even though all projects have a general set of criteria, it is up to the students to choose the more specific elements of their projects such as: color scheme, style, and media. As the year advances, students have more choices and freedoms concerning their projects. There is not always a right or wrong answer when it comes to art and allowing students to experiment with even the smallest aspect of a project grants them ownership over their learning process. I also believe making your material relevant to student’s lives opens the door to more curious and independent learning. When students see meaningful connections to their lives, they are naturally inquisitive. They want to learn more about the artwork, the artist, or the art style and will seek out information on their own. Allowing students choices and freedoms when it comes to their projects and connecting what they study to their lives is a simple but effective way to encourage them to become curious, independent learners.