Teaching Philosophy

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

I never thought I would be an art teacher, or teacher of any kind, but I love learning and sharing my knowledge and experiences with others in order to make them feel comfortable with trying new things. I am a ski instructor and a traveler and an artist, and enjoy an amazing life of adventure. I have had careers in graphic and interior design. According to Cindy Foley, Director of Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art, artists must be comfortable with ambiguity, play to generate ideas, and conduct trans-disciplinary research. (Foley, 2014) These skills of ambiguity, play, and research are the foundation of creativity. Every student needs to develop these skills no matter what they do in life.

Some key beliefs I have about art education that I will put into practice are:

1. Students should be introduced to many different artists, histories, media, and topics so that they may develop their own thoughts about art and life in a global society.

2. Lessons need to be scaffolded to build fundamental skills so that students will be successful in expressing more complex ideas. Students need to be able to explore and experiment without the fear of failure in order to learn. I encourage risk-taking.

3. Learning must be student-centered. Projects must be personally meaningful to students so that they will be invested in the process and outcome. “Overall, interest derives from the challenge of envisioning and creating something that was not there before the student conceived it. It keeps students engaged and taking responsibility for their work in their art classes” (Davis, 2012).

4. Asking questions makes people think. I believe inquiry-based instruction guides students to think more deeply and generate more solutions in art and life.

5. Finally, integrating art with other subjects generates more learning connections to the real world and therefore are more memorable. Lessons must be differentiated to be interesting, exciting, thought-provoking, or just plain fun so that all students will be intrinsically motivated.

I feel that if students are taught in a respectful, safe, and fun environment, they will gain the confidence to try anything. For my individual growth, I will continue to take art and education courses, attend workshops, conferences, and collaborate with others to improve my craft of being an art educator. I hope to give to my students the skills to be creative fearless life-long learners.

References:

Davis, J. H. (2012). Why Our High Schools Need the Arts. Teachers College Press and National Art Education Association.

Teaching art or teaching to think like an artist? | Cindy Foley | TEDxColumbus. (2014, November 26). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcFRfJb2ONk