My overarching philosophy of education is that the purpose of schooling is to create capable, engaged, and competent members of a society. I believe in the power of creating meaningful communities, and I think that school is one of the primary places we learn how to do that. I am so excited to address this purpose within my content area, but I believe that creating a community of learners will always underlie everything else I would like to achieve in my classroom. My theory of art education strongly aligns with Maxine Greene's, and her philosophy that "Part of teaching is helping people create themselves." I have been deeply influenced by her views on helping students experience the world in more profound and diverse ways through education in the Arts, and her deeply held belief in the importance of diversity in in representation and viewpoints. Building on Greene’s foundation, I appreciate Rita Irving’s concepts about synthesizing what we collect as human beings, learning through knowing, doing, and making. I want my students to experience all the different ways of thinking about things in my classes, pushing their minds to work in ways they may not experience in other educational arenas. I have also been deeply influenced by Olivia Hyde’s concept of updated theories of art and principles of design for our modern age and multi-cultural world. I embrace and engage her admonition to create arts education that matters, and is meaningful to the students.
My general educational theories are strongly informed by Vygotsky’s concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, meaning I strive to keep my curriculum consistently challenging, while conscientiously providing comprehensive scaffolding and support when needed. I also build off Piaget’s developmental stages, in my knowledge and awareness of my students’ cognitive development, as well as Bronfenbrenner’s concept of contexts of development, and recognizing what my students are facing from the microsystems all the way to the chronosystem they inhabit. I am also cognizant of Elkind’s concept of the personal fable, as well as Erikson’s concept of personal crisis, and the role it plays in identity formation. This means that the curriculum I develop always addresses the student as an individual, giving ample opportunities for choice and personal expression, with more consideration for effort that outcomes in grading. Keeping these theories in mind helps me shape the direction my curriculum will take, always beginning and ending with the unique group of individuals who inhabit my classroom at any given time.
I’m very excited about the possibilities of restorative justice, and I would very much want to incorporate restorative practice in my classroom management strategies. I am committed to conscientiously providing multicultural content in my classes, and making sure to be aware and accommodating of all backgrounds, abilities levels, and language capabilities among my students. I think in art class there are so many opportunities to address the struggles of the restrictive environment of school, while still very much working within the system. I hope to allow my students opportunities to help direct the trajectory of the class, in determining what materials they want to work with, and offering multiple means of approaching content, while providing rigorous assignments based on the content standards I am becoming increasingly familiar with.
I hope to create a home space in my classroom, and build a secure environment where challenging growth in the Arts is possible. To quote Rosie King in her recent TedTalk on autism in the educational setting, I hope to “Cheer any time someone unleashes their imagination!”
My general educational theories are strongly informed by Vygotsky’s concept of the Zone of Proximal Development, meaning I strive to keep my curriculum consistently challenging, while conscientiously providing comprehensive scaffolding and support when needed. I also build off Piaget’s developmental stages, in my knowledge and awareness of my students’ cognitive development, as well as Bronfenbrenner’s concept of contexts of development, and recognizing what my students are facing from the microsystems all the way to the chronosystem they inhabit. I am also cognizant of Elkind’s concept of the personal fable, as well as Erikson’s concept of personal crisis, and the role it plays in identity formation. This means that the curriculum I develop always addresses the student as an individual, giving ample opportunities for choice and personal expression, with more consideration for effort that outcomes in grading. Keeping these theories in mind helps me shape the direction my curriculum will take, always beginning and ending with the unique group of individuals who inhabit my classroom at any given time.
I’m very excited about the possibilities of restorative justice, and I would very much want to incorporate restorative practice in my classroom management strategies. I am committed to conscientiously providing multicultural content in my classes, and making sure to be aware and accommodating of all backgrounds, abilities levels, and language capabilities among my students. I think in art class there are so many opportunities to address the struggles of the restrictive environment of school, while still very much working within the system. I hope to allow my students opportunities to help direct the trajectory of the class, in determining what materials they want to work with, and offering multiple means of approaching content, while providing rigorous assignments based on the content standards I am becoming increasingly familiar with.
I hope to create a home space in my classroom, and build a secure environment where challenging growth in the Arts is possible. To quote Rosie King in her recent TedTalk on autism in the educational setting, I hope to “Cheer any time someone unleashes their imagination!”