DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Teaching Philosophy

“Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not a preparation for life but is life itself.”
 -John Dewey
As John Dewey’s quote above suggests, education is a life-long process, in which our interactions with other people, places, and objects fuel our personal growth, and understanding of the world in which we live. As a teacher, I play a dual role in this process of education. I am a facilitator, providing knowledge, questions, and experiences for my students to grow from. At the same time I am a learner myself, transforming my own teaching practices in response to what I am learning from and about my students. At it’s most healthy, the relationship between teacher and student is reciprocal in nature; a feedback loop which requires an ethic of respect on both the teacher’s and students’ part for meaningful growth to result. Respect governs the way I interact with learners, it is something I model continually, and it is what I seek to instill in my students in every lesson: respect for one-another, for their materials, and for themselves and their inherent potential.
As an educator, I believe that a student-centered classroom is a necessity for authentic student growth. The most essential role I can play in this as a teacher is to engage learners through content that is relevant and meaningful to them. An effective educator must make knowing their students the priority, and do so though careful listening, involvement, and observation. In doing so, they acknowledge that each class of students which they teach will be different from the next, and each will require a diverse approach. These differences, in terms of developmental characteristics, social dynamics, student backgrounds and interests, can act as a guide in determining what relevant content will provide each particular group of students with ample opportunities for exploration, in-depth questioning, and personal meaning-making. 
These three things are key in learning and growing in an art classroom, because they provide students with ownership over the content they are learning, and empower learners not just to absorb the knowledge at hand, but to deeply experience it, apply it, adapt it, and transform it. In doing these things, we don’t just learn, we learn well. In this way, education is made significant to students when they can contextualize what is being learned in the classroom as a real-life experience, where the skills and knowledge being taught are reusable and relevant. When we think of education as “life itself,” as Dewey says, we are more likely to teach our students not just the facts, but the cognitive, social, and emotional skills they need to continue to grow each day of their lives.

 

“Education is a social process; education is growth; education is not a preparation for life but is life itself.”

 -John Dewey


       As John Dewey’s quote above suggests, education is a lifelong process, in which our interactions with other people, places, and objects fuel our personal growth and understanding of the world in which we live. As a teacher, I play a dual role in this process of education. I am a facilitator providing knowledge, questions, and artistic experiences for my students to grow from. At the same time I am a learner, transforming my own teaching practices in response to what I am learning from and about my students. I believe my strongest asset as an artist-teacher is the joy I take in listening to the ideas, thoughts, and stories of my students with absolute interest. I am a genuinely passionate, thoughtful, and calming presence in the classroom. It is my goal to make sure that my students know that their voices are valued, and will be heard. At its most healthy, the relationship between teacher and student is reciprocal in nature--a feedback loop which requires an ethic of respect on both the teacher’s and students’ part for meaningful growth to result. Respect governs the way I interact with learners; it is something I model continually, and it is what I seek to instill in my students in every lesson: respect for one-another; for their community, environment, and materials, and for themselves and their inherent potential.

       As an educator, I believe that a student-centered classroom is a necessity for authentic student growth. The most essential role I can play in this as a teacher is to engage learners through content that is relevant and meaningful to them. An effective educator must make knowing their students the priority, and do so through careful listening and observation of students’ needs and interests. In doing so, they acknowledge that each class of students, which they teach will be different from the next, and each will require a diverse approach. These differences, in terms of developmental characteristics, social dynamics, student backgrounds and interests, can act as a guide in determining what relevant content will provide each particular group of students with ample opportunities for exploration, in-depth questioning, and personal meaning-making.

       Through establishing an ethic of respect, and being responsive to the individual identities and interests of learners, I aim to give my students ownership over the content they are learning. I believe that this empowers learners not just to absorb the knowledge at hand, but to deeply experience it, apply it, adapt it, and transform it. In doing these things, we don’t just learn, we learn well. In this way, education is made significant to students when they can contextualize what is being learned in the classroom as a real-life experience that is inseparable from their own experiences, ideas, thoughts, and stories.  When we think of education as “life itself,” as Dewey says, we are more likely to teach our students not just the facts, but the cognitive, social, and emotional skills they need to continue to grow each day of their lives

 

 

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.
Show Comments (0)