Entry #1: Response to Walker and Gude readings

As art education moves in to the 21st century, the structure and formality in which art is presented in textbooks and through description is less important. Rather than emphasizing the memorization and understanding of the elements and principles of design, art educators are now teaching overall themes, concepts, and cultural connections. According to Gude, discussions on the meaning of art are "more likely to center on the context within which the art was made and seen and the cultural codes the artists chooses to reference and manipulate." As a teacher, it is important to understand that if our students can only formally describe art through vocabulary, they are missing most of its purpose. Without understanding concepts and big ideas (like Walker describes in her text), they are not truly analyzing art in the way the artist intended. By finding personal connections to the works of different artists, students can apply that inspiration into their own creative processes and throughout their own art making.

Teaching Philosophy (draft 1):

I believe that the visual arts overlap and connect all aspects in one's learning, interactions with culture and society, and one's self discovery. The visual arts are ways to document history, describe culture, express emotion, inspire technology, critique society, and examine individual ideas. Appreciating, creating, talking knowledgeably about art are valuable tools for every individual. By studying art, students can look at the world they live in critically through different points of views. Our world is made up of art, and because we are surrounded by it, we should explore it. I believe teaching art should be a combination of studying the aesthetics and meaning behind other artists' work, and the students' interpretations of art through their own creativity. An art class should be a place where students feel fearless in their work, knowing that mistakes are simply tools for their success. Teaching art gives students the rare opportunity to break boundaries and truly analyze and form their own definitions of the world they live in.

To be an effective art teacher, I need to understand my students. I must take the time to show them that every individual student matters, and that their work is valuable. By developing a personal relationship with my students, I will be able to help guide them throughout their creative process. Also, to be an effective teacher, I need to be an artist as well. I must acquire the proper knowledge and the skills in order to teach them. I must continue making art so that I maintain my passion for it. Modeling the techniques to my students is a key component to their learning.

To demonstrate my ability to teach, I will need my personal art work, my ideas, and my experience as evidence. My teaching ability will improve from continuously interacting with real students. I will need to have many ideas and lessons plans already prepared before I gain teaching credibility. Finally, the work I have created over the years as a developing artist will be the proof of my capability of executing techniques and conceptual ideas.