Philosophy of Art Education
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” –Pablo Picasso
I believe that as human beings, we are all capable of creating art and being creative, two skills that are increasingly important in today’s world. But as Picasso points out, the problem is not being an artist, but remaining one. When I think of my philosophy of art education, I always come back to this quote, especially now after having taught at all grade levels. It reminds me of why I became an art teacher; to not only share my passion for the arts but to help students reach their highest potential, artistically and academically, giving them a solid foundation in art they can take with them wherever their paths may lead.
Art teaches us so much. It gives us a creative outlet, allowing us the opportunity to interpret, reflect upon and make sense of our world. It teaches us that there isn’t always a right or wrong answer, or one single way to achieve a goal, encouraging us to find our own way. Art teaches us to be creative thinkers, an increasingly valuable asset in the high-tech world in which we live. It teaches us new ways to express ourselves, one of the reasons I find it so wonderful to teach art; being able to offer new outlets, different mediums and help students explore new forms of art through different classes and lessons.
When it comes to my classroom, I follow the Getty Center’s Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE) approach to learning, while still incorporating the NYS Learning Standards for the Arts. DBAE features many aspects of art (art production, art criticism, art history and aesthetics), which I believe are vital parts to the subject and allows the student to not only develop their artistic skills, but to become more knowledgeable in the field of art. In any classroom, you will have all types of students and learners; so when creating my art lessons, units and projects, I follow the DBAE approach to accommodate each of my students who will undoubtedly perform at different levels.
Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences teaches us that each student has different intelligences, but all have the capacity to learn. I believe that in such a diverse world, it only makes sense that every child learns differently and will have different strengths. In my classroom, I try to create an environment that welcomes this diversity and encourages students to make each art project their own. For example, in my Digital Photography class, we were focusing on finding different and unique viewpoints when taking photos, encouraging students to move around the subject as opposed to just taking a snapshot and moving on. With this lesson, they were to choose two opposite images and we would then create a two-sided flip image; however, one student, while taking different viewpoints of a subject, discovered that if he slowly moved around the subject, taking a picture at each new vantage point, that he could create a stop-motion movie. Instead of having the student restricted to the guidelines of my project, I celebrated his discovery and encouraged him to go further and create the stop-motion short film in iMovie. This student still learned and understood the lesson’s objective, but found his own way of accomplishing the final project, making the lesson even that more valuable to him, as well as myself.
My goals as an art teacher are to develop my student’s artistic skills, knowledge and expression, no matter what level they are when they come to me. I promise each of my students, especially the reluctant ones, that if they follow my instructions, they will be better at art by the end of the course. I hope through engaging, meaningful and inspiring art projects my students gain a passion for the arts, whether it be creating it or appreciating it. I want each of my students to grow as creative thinkers, having learned the skills in my class of how to think outside the box and find solutions to the tasks their given. I hope to guide my students on their artistic and academic journeys, so that upon leaving my classroom, they are ready to take on new challenges and face new obstacles with a creative and artistic mind. Most of all, I hope to instill in my students the knowledge and desire they need through art, to pursue and achieve their own ambitions in life, whatever they may be; and to remain artistic and creative thinkers as they go on.
I believe that as human beings, we are all capable of creating art and being creative, two skills that are increasingly important in today’s world. But as Picasso points out, the problem is not being an artist, but remaining one. When I think of my philosophy of art education, I always come back to this quote, especially now after having taught at all grade levels. It reminds me of why I became an art teacher; to not only share my passion for the arts but to help students reach their highest potential, artistically and academically, giving them a solid foundation in art they can take with them wherever their paths may lead.
Art teaches us so much. It gives us a creative outlet, allowing us the opportunity to interpret, reflect upon and make sense of our world. It teaches us that there isn’t always a right or wrong answer, or one single way to achieve a goal, encouraging us to find our own way. Art teaches us to be creative thinkers, an increasingly valuable asset in the high-tech world in which we live. It teaches us new ways to express ourselves, one of the reasons I find it so wonderful to teach art; being able to offer new outlets, different mediums and help students explore new forms of art through different classes and lessons.
When it comes to my classroom, I follow the Getty Center’s Discipline-Based Art Education (DBAE) approach to learning, while still incorporating the NYS Learning Standards for the Arts. DBAE features many aspects of art (art production, art criticism, art history and aesthetics), which I believe are vital parts to the subject and allows the student to not only develop their artistic skills, but to become more knowledgeable in the field of art. In any classroom, you will have all types of students and learners; so when creating my art lessons, units and projects, I follow the DBAE approach to accommodate each of my students who will undoubtedly perform at different levels.
Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences teaches us that each student has different intelligences, but all have the capacity to learn. I believe that in such a diverse world, it only makes sense that every child learns differently and will have different strengths. In my classroom, I try to create an environment that welcomes this diversity and encourages students to make each art project their own. For example, in my Digital Photography class, we were focusing on finding different and unique viewpoints when taking photos, encouraging students to move around the subject as opposed to just taking a snapshot and moving on. With this lesson, they were to choose two opposite images and we would then create a two-sided flip image; however, one student, while taking different viewpoints of a subject, discovered that if he slowly moved around the subject, taking a picture at each new vantage point, that he could create a stop-motion movie. Instead of having the student restricted to the guidelines of my project, I celebrated his discovery and encouraged him to go further and create the stop-motion short film in iMovie. This student still learned and understood the lesson’s objective, but found his own way of accomplishing the final project, making the lesson even that more valuable to him, as well as myself.
My goals as an art teacher are to develop my student’s artistic skills, knowledge and expression, no matter what level they are when they come to me. I promise each of my students, especially the reluctant ones, that if they follow my instructions, they will be better at art by the end of the course. I hope through engaging, meaningful and inspiring art projects my students gain a passion for the arts, whether it be creating it or appreciating it. I want each of my students to grow as creative thinkers, having learned the skills in my class of how to think outside the box and find solutions to the tasks their given. I hope to guide my students on their artistic and academic journeys, so that upon leaving my classroom, they are ready to take on new challenges and face new obstacles with a creative and artistic mind. Most of all, I hope to instill in my students the knowledge and desire they need through art, to pursue and achieve their own ambitions in life, whatever they may be; and to remain artistic and creative thinkers as they go on.