PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION
Art affects how we interpret and understand one another and the world around us. Art allows us to see each other differently and through this creates empathy. The education of art is achievable and applicable to all of our lives inside and outside of academia. Through art education, students can learn how to express themselves creatively and learn about the connections between the self and the world, communities, different ideas, practices, and interpretations. I am very strongly committed to meeting the needs of each and every individual student. Seeing differences in students as assets, rather than deficits is so important in cultivating an inclusive classroom culture. Educators must teach to the strengths of students, rather than to the strengths of the teacher. My role as an art educator is to create a positive learning environment that addresses the needs of a diverse student group. I believe it is important to create a safe environment in order to build a level of trust with students, allowing them to be vulnerable and confident in their exploration of art. I understand that every single person, including myself, is different in the way we all think, learn, create, express ourselves, and interpret the world. Not one student has the exact same needs and it is important to recognize this in order for each individual to not only reach, but also exceed their own potential.
I want my students to learn through self exploration and discovery in a supportive environment. Some of the ways I would encourage student participation is to consistently consider their cultures, interests, and use the information gleaned from students in conversations, assessments, and exercises to inform the way I teach the curriculum with personal relevance across activities and projects. I plan to teach with interdisciplinary and holistic design principles at the forefront, as art can easily be used as a vehicle to learn about culture, history, science, current events, and other subjects. I will implement Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, and use Social Emotional Learning activities to foster an inclusive and positive learning space. Valuing and recognizing each other's cultural identities, and inviting students to teach from their own experiences would be our main focus through our exploration of art. Process play is integral to the exploration and discovery of different art practices. When learning something new, I believe it is important to give students the freedom of uninterrupted play and discovery, no matter how old they may be. “Today's students, over-constricted by an education system that often focuses on knowing the one right answer, need guidance in reclaiming their capacities for conceptual, imaginative play” (Gude, 2007).
I am inspired by social reconstructionism in which schools and students should be the leaders of change for the current social order. In Becoming A Teacher, Forrest W. Parkay states “In this time of great need… the schools should become the primary agent for planning and directing social change… Schools should not only transmit knowledge about the social order, they should seek to reconstruct it as well” (Parkay, 2016). I believe students should not be confined to the four walls of the classroom, they should be experiencing things such as field trips, community involvement projects, and cross-curricular based projects with other subjects as well. Social reconstructionism works to bring opportunities of interaction for students, “bringing the community, if not the entire world into the classroom” (Parkay, 2016). Social reconstructionism will hopefully give students the tools to better themselves and find within them the desire to strengthen their community and the world at large. If students learn topics they are passionate about and familiar with, this will result in them empowering their own lives outside of the classroom. This way of learning focuses on how education can promote social justice, “especially for underrepresented groups that often do not enjoy positions of power and influence on society” (Parkay, 2016). Social reconstructionism is so important because the young people in our classrooms are those who will grow up to be the change we need in this world.
Works Cited
Gude, Olivia. (2007). “Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st-Century Art & Culture Curriculum.”
Parkay, Forrest W. (2016). “Becoming a teacher: accepting the challenge of a profession.” Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
I want my students to learn through self exploration and discovery in a supportive environment. Some of the ways I would encourage student participation is to consistently consider their cultures, interests, and use the information gleaned from students in conversations, assessments, and exercises to inform the way I teach the curriculum with personal relevance across activities and projects. I plan to teach with interdisciplinary and holistic design principles at the forefront, as art can easily be used as a vehicle to learn about culture, history, science, current events, and other subjects. I will implement Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, and use Social Emotional Learning activities to foster an inclusive and positive learning space. Valuing and recognizing each other's cultural identities, and inviting students to teach from their own experiences would be our main focus through our exploration of art. Process play is integral to the exploration and discovery of different art practices. When learning something new, I believe it is important to give students the freedom of uninterrupted play and discovery, no matter how old they may be. “Today's students, over-constricted by an education system that often focuses on knowing the one right answer, need guidance in reclaiming their capacities for conceptual, imaginative play” (Gude, 2007).
I am inspired by social reconstructionism in which schools and students should be the leaders of change for the current social order. In Becoming A Teacher, Forrest W. Parkay states “In this time of great need… the schools should become the primary agent for planning and directing social change… Schools should not only transmit knowledge about the social order, they should seek to reconstruct it as well” (Parkay, 2016). I believe students should not be confined to the four walls of the classroom, they should be experiencing things such as field trips, community involvement projects, and cross-curricular based projects with other subjects as well. Social reconstructionism works to bring opportunities of interaction for students, “bringing the community, if not the entire world into the classroom” (Parkay, 2016). Social reconstructionism will hopefully give students the tools to better themselves and find within them the desire to strengthen their community and the world at large. If students learn topics they are passionate about and familiar with, this will result in them empowering their own lives outside of the classroom. This way of learning focuses on how education can promote social justice, “especially for underrepresented groups that often do not enjoy positions of power and influence on society” (Parkay, 2016). Social reconstructionism is so important because the young people in our classrooms are those who will grow up to be the change we need in this world.
Works Cited
Gude, Olivia. (2007). “Principles of Possibility: Considerations for a 21st-Century Art & Culture Curriculum.”
Parkay, Forrest W. (2016). “Becoming a teacher: accepting the challenge of a profession.” Boston: Allyn and Bacon.