Teaching Philosophy
“We don’t make mistakes. We just have happy little accidents.”- Bob Ross
I have loved art since I was a little girl. I remember drawing for hours as a child, completely enthralled. I was absolutely absorbed; time was no object and my art was uninhibited. There was so much joy in the act of creating, and I was full of ideas and free from criticism. It was pure joy and passion when I put my pencil on the page and saw what would happen. This is the kind of environment I want to create in my art classroom. I want to foster an environment where student-centered learning is the focus and create a supportive environment where students feel like “happy accidents” are not a hindrance but part of the creative process.
Values: I believe art is both joyful and essential. It develops important skills like creative and critical thinking, social-emotional skills, and problem solving. These are important skills children can use in all facets of life. My goal as a teacher is to foster a love of creativity in children and youth that they can use in all facets of life. Art also naturally caters to all types of learners whether they be auditory, visual, or tactile; A teacher can speak about an artist, have students look at a painting, then get hands on with paint all in the same lesson. There is something for everyone.
Teaching Style: I want students to be able to explore and experiment with a variety of media and materials such as painting, clay, collage, 3-D art, and mixed media. I will do a lot of project based learning, with lessons on art history, current events, elements and principles of art, techniques and self-expression. It will be important for students to collaborate in order to learn from each other. I will have them break into small groups for peer and group discussions about particular topics, and share their artwork with one another during the artmaking process and after. For individual projects it is essential to incorporate the student’s own background and identity into their work. Both these things will help them develop their social-emotional skills.
Classroom Management: I will use encouragement, guidance, and positive discipline to manage my classroom. I want to be respectful and kind, but firm with the students I work with. Things like redirection when a student is not on task, and positive reinforcement when students are feeling discouraged or frustrated would be some of my strategies to creating a successful, respectful and productive class.
Teaching Style: I want students to be able to explore and experiment with a variety of media and materials such as painting, clay, collage, 3-D art, and mixed media. I will do a lot of project based learning, with lessons on art history, current events, elements and principles of art, techniques and self-expression. It will be important for students to collaborate in order to learn from each other. I will have them break into small groups for peer and group discussions about particular topics, and share their artwork with one another during the artmaking process and after. For individual projects it is essential to incorporate the student’s own background and identity into their work. Both these things will help them develop their social-emotional skills.
Classroom Management: I will use encouragement, guidance, and positive discipline to manage my classroom. I want to be respectful and kind, but firm with the students I work with. Things like redirection when a student is not on task, and positive reinforcement when students are feeling discouraged or frustrated would be some of my strategies to creating a successful, respectful and productive class.