Educational Philosophy

My educational philosophy is that through teaching art my students will learn creative skills to foster their personal expression, expand and reinforce their cognitive abilities, and build their appreciation of themselves, others, and the world around them.

All students should have exposure to a foundation in the arts.  As people we all want to express ourselves in one form or another and by teaching visual art techniques we allow any person to exercise this avenue.  Through the act of creating art and reflecting upon it I believe we learn things about ourselves and that helps define who we are.  For students who are learning about the our vast world in school it is of importance that they also learn about how other cultures express themselves and what unique creative things will bring them happiness and give them something to be proud of. 

Working with the arts truly benefits students’ growth in school. Considering Bloom’s taxonomy students in art classes practice the foundation levels such as acquisition of new knowledge, comprehending differing art forms and skills, and of course applying these to make their own art.  Studying art also gives students the opportunities to practice higher levels in blooms taxonomy such as carefully analyzing art works being historical, their own, or their peers and then evaluating them on set criteria.  Students learn to synthesize the different elements of art when making an artwork, for example using shapes and colors to establish patterns that are symmetrically balanced within an art work.  Where cognitive studies show many of us use mainly left brain skill sets, art classes attempt to balance this by exercising the right brained intuitive, creative, spatial, and non-verbal skills.

Lastly I believe learning about the world of art is equivalent to gaining an appreciation for others.  I expose students to multicultural art forms that give them insight to the diversity of their world.  Also the act of creating art is a personal subject and when shared with others offer a certain amount of vulnerability.  I think that when students participate in this act it allows them to feel validated when others accept their art as good and likewise it gives them the freedom to look at others art in a more personal way.  I believe students who both make art and critique art have an advantage in appreciating the differences that exist in the world.   

I believe art is of vital importance in our educational system.  It is a pedagogy that I am passionate about and it is my goal to be the best art teacher I can be.  My philosophy of art is carried out every day I step in a classroom.