Teaching Philosophy
The core elements of my teaching philosophy are inspired by Constructivism and include approaches like choice-based creation, scaffolded instruction, and active learning through collaboration and discussion. I also prioritize the importance of physical and emotional safety.
The Constructivist theory allows students to essentially discover, on their own, how to learn. This skill is critically important for student growth in all areas of their lives, including resilience and self esteem. Luckily, the art room is a perfect space to honor the students’ need to ‘learn how to learn’, and with the right educator and methods, student success can be bountiful. Artists interpret life. No matter the person or the subject, the artist uses their life experiences to create artworks. This is why no two artworks will ever be exactly the same! Constructivism embraces peoples’ experiences, and calls people to use them in order to build connections, solutions, and a sense of fulfillment. No matter if we are making individual artworks, collaborating, interpreting artworks, or responding to art history, I will always embrace and encourage students to build on their experiences and enrich their knowledge.
I love choice-based creation with a balance of scaffolding. I always want students to honor their ideas and dreams by bringing them to life in the form of art, and I want to make sure they have the tools and skills to do so in a way that conveys their ideas as clearly as they imagine. Art is a language, and people relate and respond to it in many ways. I want to equip my students with the knowledge and technical skills to connect with others in ways that feel most exciting and authentic to them.
Both physical and emotional safety are keys to my philosophy as well. To create art and show it to others is to take a part of yourself and subject yourself to other’s opinions. How scary! I want to make sure that I equip my students with the self esteem and resilience to keep making art in the face of adversity, and to learn how to speak about art in ways that are constructive and honestly helpful. As seen in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we know that students cannot reach self-actualization without physical safety. Therefore it is a part of my philosophy to know my students on a personal level and do my best to meet their physical safety needs.
My teaching philosophy pulls from a variety of theories and models, but most importantly my philosophy reflects my personal experiences when teaching art. Constructivism, choice-based creation, and physical and emotional safety are all things that have brought incredible artworks to life and communities together.