DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.

Teaching Philosophy

 

 

I am currently a student of the Masters of Arts in Teaching Program, at the Maryland Institute College of Art, and a recent graduate of the institution’s Interaction Design and Art Program. I am interested in Interaction Design and have wish to educate others through the use of its principles. As a grade school student, I felt a deep connection with my creative ability. A supportive environment only fostered that mind set. I work in art and design because I find fulfillment in creation, and I follow a path of education not for the perceived job security but because I do not feel that these skills and concepts are mine to use alone. My desire to teach comes from a desire to make information accessible to others.

Now having a firm foundation built on years of development as an artist/designer, I look back with confidence at where I have come from and how I work today. I find the best way to come to decisions is to have all the metaphorical cards on the table, weighing the pros and cons before making a choice. I am a detail-oriented individual who prefers to be meticulous in my decision-making. I am able to make quick decisions when the situation calls for it, but constructive outcomes are not often made on decisions that were not well thought out. Everything is dissected, analyzed, and reconstructed to make sure the design, be it artistic or instructional, does what it was intended to do.

As a pragmatic teacher, I must be holistic and inclusive in my lesson creation. As a reconstructionist, I too feel that the classroom is a place where powerful changes can occur, both constructive and regressive. I strive for a harmony of idealism and realism within my classroom. Yes, we must seek the “truth” whatever that truth may be. The truth depends on the form of meaning-making that is inclusive of students’ multiple perspectives.

I do not subscribe to a single philosophical box, but I prefer to select pieces from theories I have studied in order to best cater to my students’ needs. I know that teaching can be very fluid, and students always surprise you. I always leave the door open for the chance that a student will guide the class in a new direction.

It is in looking back that I not only see how I work but where my work has taken me. It’s easy to see that, in some ways, I was destined to work in interaction design and destined to become a teacher. My hope is that my students will have a supportive environment for creativity, and I plan to give it to them.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.