The way children think, comprehend, and analyze while they are still children, will affect the way they think, comprehend, and analyze as an adult. What do I mean by this? I mean that when children are constantly changing and going through developmental stages, they begin to establish their own personal ideas, thoughts, conclusions, etc. Children should be challenged to think new thoughts, discover new solutions, and try new ideas in their classrooms, so that they can apply it to real life events and situations. I believe that teaching art to a classroom full of students with creative minds that have yet to be unleashed could be one of the most challenging, yet exciting learning processes for both the teacher and the students. An art teacher needs to carry attributes that will encourage and comfort, as well as challenge and assist personal and relational growth. I believe that art has a unique way of opening windows for children to discover new potential and even perfect existing ones. One of my biggest goals in life as an art teacher is to make a lasting impact on as many kids as I can. Teachers must make it a necessary duty to help students rethink the way they view themselves and help them reach their highest potential, not just in art, but in all areas of their life.
To be an effective teacher, it requires a lot. It requires a patient and passionate heart. It requires a prepared and organized individual that is ready to take on all the differences the students bring to the classroom. An art teacher must always be prepared to use their own innovative and creative skills at all times. Teachers must find ways to motivate the students so that they can reach educational and personal goals. Children come equipped with questions, comments, and concerns, and how teachers respond plays a huge role in the student’s comfortability to continue to be vocal and responsive. Teachers should celebrate differences and be considerate of student needs. Learning how to simultaneously bring out all their differences while maintaining a positive and encouraging environment is important. Allow their differences to become learning opportunities instead of learning hindrances and dividers.
In my classroom art teaching and learning would be a lot more than materials on a surface, end of the year art shows, and refrigerator projects. It consists of a "Discipline Based" education that serves students in the areas of art production, art criticism, art history, and aesthetics. In the art classroom, students should be challenged to think critically about art and respond using artistic language. They should be able to not only learn the Elements of Design and Principles of Art, but also be able to recognize them in another artwork. These four disciplines should be introduced as essential components, and students should be able to utilize one discipline to achieve an assignment or goal of another discipline. They all are related, yet they bring to the table different aspects of art.
Students will be challenged to create meaningful art pieces through learning, proper planning, and analyzing. The process will require sketches and experimentation and in addition, they will also be challenged to explain their ideas comprehensively. One thing I have learned as a student is that it is much easier to carry out a final draft or piece when you understand your ideas and are confident in your decisions. It is important to stress the importance of the process. Students should learn about historical artists and the artists that are creating today beforehand, so that they can be inspired to create themselves. They should confront master artwork and develop an understanding of their process before diving into their own artwork. In other words, they should have a motive that drives them and the only way to do that is to understand the materials and how they work, other artists and how they create, and who they are so that they can present that to others through art. During critiques students will be asked to stay engaged and actively participate. It is the teacher's duty to help facilitate conversations that bring about new concepts and topics, as well as introduce how to understand and question historical references and techniques. Critiques will be a fantastic way for me to see how students apply what they have learned by our conversations and discussions about famous and ancient artworks and even their own.
I believe that it is imperative that students learn to love and care for their artwork, because it should mean something to them. My goal is to encourage risk-taking when it comes to trying new methods, materials, and techniques. To keep the students learning, I would demonstrate to students how materials can be manipulated and used in different ways. As the teacher, I know that I am responsible for the classroom climate, so I must ensure that the students stay motivated to reach their art making goals. I want to introduce a variety of ways to create 2D and 3D artwork. I want students to reach a goal of self-reliance, so students rely less on the influence and preferences of the teacher and others and more on their own ability to make decisions.
As mentioned above, students will come displaying all their differences and it is our duty to encourage those differences to be used positively. I encourage solutions in the classrooms. All teachers should encourage solutions. When I mention solutions, I mean that teachers must be able to comfort their students so that they do not see their differences as problematic. As mentioned in the "Institutional Standards for Candidates in Initial Teacher Programs," understanding that their culture, race, social class, gender, special needs, etc. is important. It shapes their worldwide view, and we need to be able to support that through our teaching and curriculum. As a teacher, you carry the responsibility of setting the classroom mood. You are a huge example in the lives of your students, and it is a extensive and brave task. To be lively and optimistic or to be dull and pessimistic is the teacher’s choice, and that certainly will affect the way the students learn, grow, and of course, form their own opinions about what art is and can be.
One of my favorite quotes comes from man named Clive Staples Lewis. He says "The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." I love this quote because it reminds me that we are here to pour hope and encouragement into the students that can be sucked dry by their communities, their schools and even their own homes. Teachers are here to educate and to provide guidance during their student’s growth. At the same time, teachers are growing and investing time into their own teaching methods and strategies. My goal is to not only focus on the subject that I am teaching but take time to invest in their lives and stretch further and go deeper. I want to understand them and be a part of their journey. I want to be able to help students get comfortable with speaking on and addressing issues in the world today. I want to encourage the students to take risks in trying new art techniques that they have never tried before. I want to remind them that it is okay to mess up because mistakes don’t mean failure. Growing has a lot to do with making the wrong moves. It has given me the opportunity to see the sides of children that some people may never get to experience. Some children create the most amazing things, and it makes me want to bring to light that they have potential and importance. Teachers have a role to equip students into becoming critical thinkers for their future and to strive for more than mediocrity. It is a role that expands beyond the fundamentals of their subjects and leaks into other aspects of their lives. We are given the opportunity to become a role model in their lives and our goal should be to make a lasting impact and life-long skills to prepare them for their future.
To be an effective teacher, it requires a lot. It requires a patient and passionate heart. It requires a prepared and organized individual that is ready to take on all the differences the students bring to the classroom. An art teacher must always be prepared to use their own innovative and creative skills at all times. Teachers must find ways to motivate the students so that they can reach educational and personal goals. Children come equipped with questions, comments, and concerns, and how teachers respond plays a huge role in the student’s comfortability to continue to be vocal and responsive. Teachers should celebrate differences and be considerate of student needs. Learning how to simultaneously bring out all their differences while maintaining a positive and encouraging environment is important. Allow their differences to become learning opportunities instead of learning hindrances and dividers.
In my classroom art teaching and learning would be a lot more than materials on a surface, end of the year art shows, and refrigerator projects. It consists of a "Discipline Based" education that serves students in the areas of art production, art criticism, art history, and aesthetics. In the art classroom, students should be challenged to think critically about art and respond using artistic language. They should be able to not only learn the Elements of Design and Principles of Art, but also be able to recognize them in another artwork. These four disciplines should be introduced as essential components, and students should be able to utilize one discipline to achieve an assignment or goal of another discipline. They all are related, yet they bring to the table different aspects of art.
Students will be challenged to create meaningful art pieces through learning, proper planning, and analyzing. The process will require sketches and experimentation and in addition, they will also be challenged to explain their ideas comprehensively. One thing I have learned as a student is that it is much easier to carry out a final draft or piece when you understand your ideas and are confident in your decisions. It is important to stress the importance of the process. Students should learn about historical artists and the artists that are creating today beforehand, so that they can be inspired to create themselves. They should confront master artwork and develop an understanding of their process before diving into their own artwork. In other words, they should have a motive that drives them and the only way to do that is to understand the materials and how they work, other artists and how they create, and who they are so that they can present that to others through art. During critiques students will be asked to stay engaged and actively participate. It is the teacher's duty to help facilitate conversations that bring about new concepts and topics, as well as introduce how to understand and question historical references and techniques. Critiques will be a fantastic way for me to see how students apply what they have learned by our conversations and discussions about famous and ancient artworks and even their own.
I believe that it is imperative that students learn to love and care for their artwork, because it should mean something to them. My goal is to encourage risk-taking when it comes to trying new methods, materials, and techniques. To keep the students learning, I would demonstrate to students how materials can be manipulated and used in different ways. As the teacher, I know that I am responsible for the classroom climate, so I must ensure that the students stay motivated to reach their art making goals. I want to introduce a variety of ways to create 2D and 3D artwork. I want students to reach a goal of self-reliance, so students rely less on the influence and preferences of the teacher and others and more on their own ability to make decisions.
As mentioned above, students will come displaying all their differences and it is our duty to encourage those differences to be used positively. I encourage solutions in the classrooms. All teachers should encourage solutions. When I mention solutions, I mean that teachers must be able to comfort their students so that they do not see their differences as problematic. As mentioned in the "Institutional Standards for Candidates in Initial Teacher Programs," understanding that their culture, race, social class, gender, special needs, etc. is important. It shapes their worldwide view, and we need to be able to support that through our teaching and curriculum. As a teacher, you carry the responsibility of setting the classroom mood. You are a huge example in the lives of your students, and it is a extensive and brave task. To be lively and optimistic or to be dull and pessimistic is the teacher’s choice, and that certainly will affect the way the students learn, grow, and of course, form their own opinions about what art is and can be.
One of my favorite quotes comes from man named Clive Staples Lewis. He says "The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." I love this quote because it reminds me that we are here to pour hope and encouragement into the students that can be sucked dry by their communities, their schools and even their own homes. Teachers are here to educate and to provide guidance during their student’s growth. At the same time, teachers are growing and investing time into their own teaching methods and strategies. My goal is to not only focus on the subject that I am teaching but take time to invest in their lives and stretch further and go deeper. I want to understand them and be a part of their journey. I want to be able to help students get comfortable with speaking on and addressing issues in the world today. I want to encourage the students to take risks in trying new art techniques that they have never tried before. I want to remind them that it is okay to mess up because mistakes don’t mean failure. Growing has a lot to do with making the wrong moves. It has given me the opportunity to see the sides of children that some people may never get to experience. Some children create the most amazing things, and it makes me want to bring to light that they have potential and importance. Teachers have a role to equip students into becoming critical thinkers for their future and to strive for more than mediocrity. It is a role that expands beyond the fundamentals of their subjects and leaks into other aspects of their lives. We are given the opportunity to become a role model in their lives and our goal should be to make a lasting impact and life-long skills to prepare them for their future.
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