When teaching art, my philosophy is that instruction should be designed to teach students not only about aesthetics and technical skills, but have an emphasis on teaching students to “think like an artist”. This means focusing on how to facilitate learning that develops students’ critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, and discover things about themselves. In order to create instruction that allows that type of learning, I believe that art lessons must be designed in ways in which students can find a personal connection, and passion for their project, and a pertinent reason for creating. To do so, I believe that it is extremely important to build relationships with each student, and focus on positive communication in order to allow my classes to be student centered. In my classroom, I want to incorporate choice-based learning, and teaching artistic behavior (TAB) in order to allow students to take the lead in their learning. For example, by allowing students choice within how they create in response to a provided project prompt, it allows them the freedom to take responsibility for their learning, feel personal connection, and see relevance to the outside world.
In order to be successful with this style of management and instruction, it is extremely important to consider differentiation and accommodation. If a student has an IEP or 504, I believe it is my responsibility to familiarize myself with their plan, and always consider what modifications need to be made so they are receiving the same amount of learning as their peers. Differentiation and accommodation should not only be considered for students with a documented need, but also for any students in the class. Every student learns differently, and by recognizing that, and allowing for different methods of instruction and creating, students can feel more motivated to learn. Choice based learning is a great way to consider differentiation because it allows students to choose mediums, prompts, or methods of working that work best for them. Delivering instruction through multiple methods such as demos, videos/pictures, class discussions, and readings can also allow students to grasp concepts in a way that best suits them.
Safety is also a very important part of instruction and management. In order to ensure safety and student’s understanding, it is important that expectations are set from the start. This means not only considering safety with materials and tools, but also emotional safety within the class. Not only will I work to ensure I am being responsive to students' backgrounds and needs, but I will also set expectations within my class that my students recognize that we all have differences, but that art is a space to express those differences and as artists we will respect all of those. As far as tools and materials go, I will be sure to give safety lessons on materials for appropriate grade levels, and store materials correctly according to health guidelines. I will make sure to create a system that is safe, simple and routine, so that students can quickly learn it and know what is expected.
The most important thing to me in my classroom will be community. Art is a way for us to all connect, and learn about others and the world. Through art, I will teach that everyone is different and those differences are equally valuable, but we can all find similarities with each other as well. I will build relationships with individual students, but also facilitate healthy, whole class discussions to foster positive communication within the group. I will also work to keep parents informed on their students’ achievements, and work to invite them into the community and learn more about my students’ backgrounds.
Here is a bulleted list of some classroom management strategies that I find helpful and will implement in my classroom:
In order to be successful with this style of management and instruction, it is extremely important to consider differentiation and accommodation. If a student has an IEP or 504, I believe it is my responsibility to familiarize myself with their plan, and always consider what modifications need to be made so they are receiving the same amount of learning as their peers. Differentiation and accommodation should not only be considered for students with a documented need, but also for any students in the class. Every student learns differently, and by recognizing that, and allowing for different methods of instruction and creating, students can feel more motivated to learn. Choice based learning is a great way to consider differentiation because it allows students to choose mediums, prompts, or methods of working that work best for them. Delivering instruction through multiple methods such as demos, videos/pictures, class discussions, and readings can also allow students to grasp concepts in a way that best suits them.
Safety is also a very important part of instruction and management. In order to ensure safety and student’s understanding, it is important that expectations are set from the start. This means not only considering safety with materials and tools, but also emotional safety within the class. Not only will I work to ensure I am being responsive to students' backgrounds and needs, but I will also set expectations within my class that my students recognize that we all have differences, but that art is a space to express those differences and as artists we will respect all of those. As far as tools and materials go, I will be sure to give safety lessons on materials for appropriate grade levels, and store materials correctly according to health guidelines. I will make sure to create a system that is safe, simple and routine, so that students can quickly learn it and know what is expected.
The most important thing to me in my classroom will be community. Art is a way for us to all connect, and learn about others and the world. Through art, I will teach that everyone is different and those differences are equally valuable, but we can all find similarities with each other as well. I will build relationships with individual students, but also facilitate healthy, whole class discussions to foster positive communication within the group. I will also work to keep parents informed on their students’ achievements, and work to invite them into the community and learn more about my students’ backgrounds.
Here is a bulleted list of some classroom management strategies that I find helpful and will implement in my classroom:
- Setting clear expectations and rules on day one
- Allowing students input when creating list
- Limiting rules/expectations to a few, clear and most important ones so they are easy to remember
- Develop routines from the beginning that we will stick to
- Design clear, simple organization systems that students can easily learn and memorize
- Assigned seats to begin with to learn names and encourage interaction with new people
- Changing seats for off task students
- Students can earn choice seating if the prove they can be on task and engaged
- Welcoming student voice and offering ways for students to provide feedback on how the class is going, or offer suggestions for change to be considered