Bubolz 1 Nina Bubolz SED 435 February 27, 2013

Philosophy of Art Education

My goal as an art educator is for my students to find confidence, relevance and skills within the art class that they can carry with them beyond the classroom. My understanding is that students do not need an art class where they sit in quiet rows and are told step by step how to execute a certain product. Students need a safe environment in which they can creatively and fearlessly experiment with ideas, failures, collaborations, questions and solutions. The confidence and skills cultivated in this environment will be pricelessly applicable to addressing obstacles in life and the workplace. They need a space where they can learn to understand themselves and others, and see that different perspectives can be embraced. I believe the Art curriculum should be relevant to the student and his/her world. By creating a framework of projects that are relevant to the student (thematic units on Identity, or Memory), students can be more personally invested in their work, take ownership of it, and see to it that they meet the challenges and succeed. This relates to the Art for Life approach in contemporary art education, and insures that students will draw the most benefits from a rich art project if they feel invested in it. For example, if students are creating a collage about a certain memory of theirs, they already find relevance in the project. In this way, the projects are often already differentiated to fit the interest of the individuals. Students can choose their own interest within a theme, and experiment with the techniques in their own way. As an art instructor my role is to be a facilitator and an informed resource for the students. This allows me to encourage the students to take the project in their own direction, and for me to challenge them relative to their individual abilities. In this sort of environment where learning and is exploring is more so guided by the instructor, students can feel a sense of freedom in exploring subjects that they can engage in. As each student creates his/her own project, the classroom as a community begins to develop a sense of tolerance and understanding through the different interpretations of the assignment. This is especially apparent during critiques where students can openly and positively share about their artwork, and their reflections on others artwork. Art projects that encourage collaboration (such as an individual collage and then a group collage) also foster a positive community and learning environment if the instructor is present to guide discussions and behaviors towards a more beneficial direction. This idea of guiding classroom behavior and discussion also relates to my approach to classroom management. I conduct my classes best when I can redirect misbehavior and steer other behaviors with positive reinforcement. By encouraging the positive in my classroom (helpfulness, collaboration, sharing, etc) this will often discourage the negative, and act as a preventative measure. I am sure to communicate my expectations with the class and treat my students with respect and dignity (privately addressing a student, or diffusing a situation) as I confront any behaviors that are not appropriate. In relation to prevention and expressing expectations- these methods are most successful when supported at home as well. For this reason I will make myself available to parents and share with them the expectations of my classroom. Additionally, art and creativity flourish when you introduce openended questioning. In this way I will communicate to my students parents that I would encourage them to engage in dialogue with their children about art. Some parents might worry they do not know enough

Bubolz 2 about art to talk about it, but by just asking questions like Why do you think the artist chose those colors? or What story do you think might go with this art work? is a great way to start students thinking and engaging them with their parents and art. Parents can also find more hands-on ways to engage with the art classroom through visits, chaperoning, supporting arts events, and being an overall advocate for art education in their district. Lastly, as a learner myself I find that technology is a wonderful resource for exploring images, techniques, and information in regards to the arts. It also provides a means to create art, and a means to generate brainstorms, idea-mapping, and idea sharing. In my experience teaching I have used digital cameras to create and manipulate photos, Smart Boards to show and discuss artists work, iPads to demonstrate techniques and processes, video to show artist interviews, and computers for general research and image resourcing. As classroom technology continues to develop, I hope to continue to explore its relevance in art education. Conclusively, exposing students to art introduces them to new ways of thinking and perceiving the world around them, thus giving them an edge in problem solving. They build up confidence in themselves and each other by rising to challenges and working together in positive environments that are facilitated by an instructor. The overall classroom, or art studio, is a place of encouragement: encouragement to explore, experiment, make mistakes, and to be the best you can be. This is supported by parental communication and engagement. Lastly, to solidify the idea of relevance in the art classroom, technology is increasingly relevant to our world today, and to incorporate it into the classroom instruction will only make art that much more meaningful to contemporary students.