My Personal Teaching Philosophy
A lifelong participation in the arts is part of a life fully lived. Studying art provides personal fulfillment and allows students to feel connected to the world around them.
A curriculum that is solely about the art will bore the students, but by recognizing the power of images, students can address major themes that are pertinent in their contemporary culture. Studying the outside world via the art classroom will allow students to have the awareness needed to make informed choices in their lives. Visual culture can be the link that brings the art to life for students and allows them to see the relevance of art in their own lives. I like to portray the big picture and connect art in the classroom to a theme that the students feel they can relate to. By this definition, I consider myself a postmodernist. In the Gaudelius and Speirs book, Contemporary Issues in Art Education, they are quoted as saying "Postmodern content, by its very nature, raises questions that involve the viewer in a search for meaningful connections to issues important for learning beyond the instructional context."
Like science and math, art is taught because it is essential for an educated understanding of the world, as long as deciphering skills are acquired and fine tuned students can begin to see how art really relates to the rest of the world. When students are criticizing art and making art, there should be an emphasis on the creative and expressive facets of the human personality.
Art students should not only be making art, but they should be experiencing roles of the curator, installation designer, and publicist. Simply focusing on art making in the classroom is only allowing students to know part of the artistic venues that they are capable of. Allowing students to have a hands-on role when exhibiting their work will give them more pride and experience. Writing about art, talking about each other's works and designing their own exhibits are all activities that will enhance students’ overall art experiences. I believe out-of-classroom experiences are just as necessary. I am currently working on developing a methodology for art teachers to use to bring museum experiences into their classrooms. With the ultimate goal being able to physically visit a museum, students will take ownership of what they see in a museum if they connect with it on a personal level before ever entering the gallery. An experience such as standing in front of a master's original work can be a very powerful and humbling event. All students should have the opportunity to stand in front of a masterpiece.
Teaching art has become my passion. I am reading, researching, writing, and teaching- all to better myself as an artist and as an educator. Students deserve the best instruction possible. It is my job as an educator to bring my passion and enthusiasm to students in hopes that I will reach them and make a difference in their lives.
A curriculum that is solely about the art will bore the students, but by recognizing the power of images, students can address major themes that are pertinent in their contemporary culture. Studying the outside world via the art classroom will allow students to have the awareness needed to make informed choices in their lives. Visual culture can be the link that brings the art to life for students and allows them to see the relevance of art in their own lives. I like to portray the big picture and connect art in the classroom to a theme that the students feel they can relate to. By this definition, I consider myself a postmodernist. In the Gaudelius and Speirs book, Contemporary Issues in Art Education, they are quoted as saying "Postmodern content, by its very nature, raises questions that involve the viewer in a search for meaningful connections to issues important for learning beyond the instructional context."
Like science and math, art is taught because it is essential for an educated understanding of the world, as long as deciphering skills are acquired and fine tuned students can begin to see how art really relates to the rest of the world. When students are criticizing art and making art, there should be an emphasis on the creative and expressive facets of the human personality.
Art students should not only be making art, but they should be experiencing roles of the curator, installation designer, and publicist. Simply focusing on art making in the classroom is only allowing students to know part of the artistic venues that they are capable of. Allowing students to have a hands-on role when exhibiting their work will give them more pride and experience. Writing about art, talking about each other's works and designing their own exhibits are all activities that will enhance students’ overall art experiences. I believe out-of-classroom experiences are just as necessary. I am currently working on developing a methodology for art teachers to use to bring museum experiences into their classrooms. With the ultimate goal being able to physically visit a museum, students will take ownership of what they see in a museum if they connect with it on a personal level before ever entering the gallery. An experience such as standing in front of a master's original work can be a very powerful and humbling event. All students should have the opportunity to stand in front of a masterpiece.
Teaching art has become my passion. I am reading, researching, writing, and teaching- all to better myself as an artist and as an educator. Students deserve the best instruction possible. It is my job as an educator to bring my passion and enthusiasm to students in hopes that I will reach them and make a difference in their lives.