Student Testimonials

Philosophy of Teaching

I have an unconditional love for teaching. I attribute the origin of this love to the formative experience of leading my elementary school class in an art assignment at the age of 11. There was something in the atmosphere of the room as my classmates worked on their drawings that lit a fire for my journey as an artist and educator. Though, I would not have understood it as such at the time, I like to think that it illuminated something fundamental for me: that mark making has power and that the desire to create is inherent and necessary for all of us. My philosophy of teaching is directly connected to my belief in the power of hands on creating for all.  

Now more than ever, I believe that the visual arts classroom is for every student. There are so few opportunities for students to experience the physicality and creative problem solving that is inherent in art making, and so many areas in life and work that require these things in practice. I strive to approach each lesson with the importance of process in mind, so that each student, regardless of skill level, or natural inclination, will find opportunity and fulfilment in the act of making. The observational and spatial awareness skills that are developed in an arts class cross over to all areas of curriculum and can provide students with the confidence to explore many areas of interest.

I work carefully to scaffold the learning of formal elements of art making with creativity and self-reflection. My experience as an artist is an important component in this because, in my own practice, I am problem solving in the same ways that I am asking my students to. I strongly believe in showing and emphasizing the necessary work behind the creation of art, so that students know they are not the only ones who find it challenging. Finding balance between the technical and the free flowing, expressive components of art making, engages observation and encourages response. When students leave my class I want them to feel they have the skills to observe and respond to their world through the practices of visual art.

Never before have we been so deeply immersed in visual culture. The saturation of images and the momentum of rapidly changing technology bring new significance to the importance of visual literacy and critical thinking. Providing context for learning through exploring the history of art and design as well as studying contemporary artists and their practices is an important component to the structure of my lessons. Having insight into the history of images is helpful not only for inspiration but to build experience in the analysis of visual information and to promote a dialogue of inquiry.  It is also important to me that I provide culturally diverse examples from art history and contemporary artists, as to provide as much opportunity as I can, for students to connect their own lived experience to what they are learning.

My teaching methods are rooted in the inherent structure of a studio class. This framework is perfectly described in Hetland, Winner, Veenema, and Sheridan’s (2007) Studio Thinking, with the three studio structures of Demonstration/ Lectures, Students at Work, and Critique. Within these structures Hetland et al. (2007) describes eight studio habits of mind: develop craft, engage and persist, envision, express, observe, reflect, stretch and explore, and understand the art world. These studio habits of mind mirror the steps and process that an artist goes through in their studio as they work through a project. It is always my goal to have students tap into their own modes of studio thinking, so they learn to recognize the power of creativity in their lives and lay claim to it, no matter their professional interest.

 Classroom Management

Teaching in a visual arts classroom can have a very different flow to it than some other subjects. The majority of the work is hands on, interactive, and messy. I structure my management plan with this active classroom dynamic in mind. Though my management style is geared toward the art room, I believe my methods are transferrable to any classroom. I manage my classes through my behaviour with my students, developing strong routines, classroom environment, and respect.

It is my behaviour with my students rather than their behaviour in my classroom that I see as most important in my management. A classroom full of students is diverse, always changing, and sometimes unpredictable. Each student brings to the room their own experiences, emotions, and personal struggles. I have found that the best way for me to manage my class is to make sure to keep a patient, calm and consistent nature and that I am honest and genuine with them. It is very important to me that my students know what to expect from me; that I can mirror balance, safety, and structure for them. I often find the way that I react to events in the classroom can be the difference between escalation and resolution.

When a student’s behaviour has become disruptive, my proximity, eye contact and tone of voice can often resolve the issue. On occasion, when I feel it necessary, I will take the student aside, to remove them from the situation and speak calmly to them about their behaviour. In these instances I try to ask them questions about their behaviour in order to help them take responsibility and to help them understand my reaction to their behaviour. Fairness is very important to students and I think if they see I am doing my best to be honest and fair with them, they are more understanding and respectful of the classroom structure. The art room can often have a chaotic feel, with students working, talking, and engaging in creative play. Maintaining structure and flow in this type of environment also requires strong routines.

Developing rules and routines in my classroom is part of making sure that the creative chaos that sometimes ensues is controllable, constructive, and fun. Visual arts classes are about learning through play but in order for the play to be productive it must be born through developed routines. I love warm ups and cool downs. Beginning each class with a five minute warm up is a fantastic way to establish a working energy in the class and can help prepare the students for listening to instruction.  Equally as important, is a cool down, which involves cleaning up and putting materials away. With younger grades I like to rotate clean up leadership roles, giving each student a chance to be involved and responsible for certain aspects of the clean up process. I like choosing a particular song to play in order to easily transition into cool down clean up time. I like to make sure that every student is aware of where to find and put away materials. Keeping a clean and functioning classroom is important when establishing the environment of my room.

Classroom environment and flow are amazing components of management. Keeping a spick and span classroom that is devoid of life is not particularly necessary but maintaining a clean structure is important to help keep students calm and in control over their environment. I am a devotee of the idea that everything must have its place and that students have to be actively involved with knowing where to find things and where to put them away. Establishing this structure helps with productivity and efficiency.

I prefer developing a table set up that supports collaborative work while also giving students an opportunity to work independently. Creating a balance of group tables and single tables along with a rotational seating plan helps establish a nice working environment. Decorating the room with an arrangement of student work and famous works of art for inspiration, helps the creative environment of the class, engages students, and gives them a sense of pride to see their work on the walls. Showing and talking about student work helps to develop confidence in their creativity and promotes respect for each other and their abilities.

I try to establish the concept of respect at the beginning of class and carry it through until the end. It is not always easy to be creative in a classroom filled with people; negativity can arise when respect is missing. Creativity and imagination can be stifled by negativity, so it is vital that I mirror respectful behaviour and that my students know it is an unquestionable part of my classroom. Too often when beginning new projects students will voice “I can’t do this” or “I am no good at this”, these particular sayings can be damaging to the creative dynamic so I try to curb them as soon as they arise. I like to reword them for the students: “What can we do so that we can accomplish this project successfully?” or “what are you the best at in this class? How can you incorporate that into what you are doing?”. I find that if I can consistently redirect these negative sayings students begin to see their challenges as an important part of the creative process and their personal progress.

A properly managed class is a key component to a successful class. However, I understand that each class that I teach will have its own unique needs. My behaviour with my students, developing strong routines, classroom environment, and respect, are the structure of my management plan and within those aspects I try to actively involve my students so that I can use their unique needs to develop management that works best for them.

Assessment

The start of a course always begins with a simple but engaging assignment for the purpose of diagnostic assessment. These beginner assignments are designed with a high success rate in mind, giving students an opportunity for creative freedom and use of imagination while providing me with an opportunity to see how they each work independently, creatively, and their general skill level entering the class.

Each project or unit that is developed for a class is created alongside clear and well developed rubrics. The purpose of the rubrics is to provide a summative assessment of sketchbooks/portfolios and final unit projects. The rubrics connect closely to each outcome I am trying to cover and are built with the use of a table of specification. This is to ensure that each component of a course is structured to build upon previous knowledge and skills learned.   

I also use these rubrics to help with formative assessment. When students are introduced to a new unit or project they are given the corresponding rubric. I like to provide students with an opportunity to see the purpose behind each of the components of a project and connect them to how they will be evaluated. As they work on a project they can check in with the rubric as a form of self evaluation and I often refer back to the rubrics during progress meetings midway through a semester. Other forms of formative assessment are often centred on art inquiry and peer critique sessions that happen throughout a semester. 

As the structure of an art class is mostly project based, traditional forms of summative assessment, such as tests and exams, are not typically used. Instead the marking scheme of a class is constructed from projects, sketchbooks, portfolios, and class participation.

References

Hetland, L., Winner E.,Veenema, S., Sheridan K.M,  (2007), Studio Thinking: the real benefits of visual arts education, New York, NY, Teachers Collage Columbia University