Everything around us begins with a drawing. The buildings we are in, the chairs we sit in, the cars we drive – they all started with an idea and a drawing. Art education is invaluable as it teaches young people how to realise their ideas.
I believe it is my responsibility to foster a child’s imagination and creativity. The process of a student’s development, of an idea, helps them to acknowledge the potential of their innovation and creativity. This influences other subject areas as well, as the skills learned through art are transferable to all aspects of life. As Katerina Gregos declared, ‘art for arts sake is insufficient’ and in my opinion, it is irrelevant in art education. My approach to teaching revolves around the student and how best to acquire their creativity through heuristic pedagogy. Through this, students develop problem solving and critical thinking skills as they use their imagination to find solutions. They learn to become independent learners by giving them the responsibility of their own learning and the outcome of their project. As a teacher, I believe I am a facilitator of learning. Guiding my students in the process of their work is an important aspect of my teaching. With my background in visual communication design, I value the process of a project as much as the outcome. Throughout my classes, I encourage my students to learn from their experiences. I believe this develops their holistic development. Liberal progressive principles underlay the foundation of visual art education, encouraging freedom of speech and offering a place that nurture students’ well - being as they discover more about themselves and their beliefs. With my experience in the design industry, I value the modernist vocation ideals that art education can offer and I offer students an insight into what art can offer outside of the classroom. This is possible by using subject matters, which relate to their interests and expose them to the world around them with a new lens. Their interests are stimulated through hands-on discipline based classes and introducing them to art history and art practices. As seen in my lesson plans, student’s learning styles are considered every class. With the design projects I have conducted, students have earned an appreciation for the methods and processes designers undertake. With craft projects, students have learned the process artists take in their practice to achieve their conceptual outcome. Students replicate the artist’s way of thinking to create their own conceptual pieces, which have the ability to visually communicate to its viewers. Allowing choice in the classroom offers the opportunity for students to understand and choose their learning style, assisting independent learning. In each class, I make a conscious effort to praise the effort of a student instead of the aesthetic outcome of their project. I strongly promote formative assessment throughout my projects to ensure students are constantly aware of how they can improve, giving them the responsibility of their own learning. My ambition as an art educator is to expose my students to the possibilities of art by enhancing their perspective of the art world and what it can offer. Through gaining experience, I want to improve my teaching strategies by developing my techniques through daily reflections. During my recent research report, I developed research skills that I wish to progress further in order to thoroughly explore the impact of pedagogical strategies on the development of students’ learning. I believe that contributing to education research is the only way that education as a whole will develop and improve. It is my ambition to become a part of that development and improvement. |