Teaching Portfolio

I assembled my teaching portfolio on a separate blog. It contains evidence as well as a full synthesis of what I have learned throughout the Overview to Art Education course. 

Click here to view.

Unit Plan

Journal: Reflection on Classroom Management

For my field experience, I am in an elementary school, and I get to spend class periods with 1st and 3rd graders. Classroom management in an elementary school is crucial in order for an art class to run smoothly. I think my field teacher has great classroom management, and it all revolves around organization. Students sit at tables all with a different assigned color. Supply containers and folders for students' work are also color coated and correspond to the different tables. The students at each table are also given a number one through five. Each number is responsible for different tasks when gathering materials and cleaning up. Having this system of categorizing students is very helpful for the teacher because every student knows their role and their responsibility. She sends the students to get materials by color so that everyone doesn't crowd around at once, and she does the same when she dismisses them to line up. This is a tool I would love to use in my own classroom. Also, to monitor behavior, the teacher is good at demanding the students respect and attention in a nice way. I think it is so important for elementary level teachers to come across as warm and welcoming. There must be balance, and teachers must be careful not to be intimidating and scary, while still maintaining authority. The students in my field classrooms all work together to receive a maximum of six points if they display good behavior. The class points are compared to the other classes and are used as a way of friendly competition. The students seem to respond well to this method, and they all are motivated by the idea of earning points. Throughout the class, it is important to sometimes stop the students, get their attention, and evaluate their current behavior. The students are then aware of what they need to do to correct themselves as they continue working. The main things that I will take away from my teacher and apply to my own classroom are to establish an authority position, to maintain a positive and cheerful attitude, to practice patience, and to master a system of organization. If I have good classroom management in my art room, I then have the ability to create meaningful and rich unit plans. If I earn my students respect and trust, they will feel more comfortable expressing themselves and challenging themselves to be more creative.

Blog entry #4: Assessment

Why is it important to employ several assessment strategies when teaching art?

Assessing art in a classroom is perhaps more complicated than assessing students in other content areas. Within a class, students are at many different artistic skill levels, so it is difficult to grade all students on the same scale. Students will have different strengths, and some will pick up techniques easier than others. For some, art might be a passion of some students and they will feel intrinsically motivated to create good, meaningful work. Other students may not only struggle in executing skills due to their lack of exposure, but they might also simply dislike art. As an art teacher, I wouldn't set higher or lower standards for these students, but rather I'd set different standards. Instead of comparing a student's work with to their classmates', I think is is important to look at their personal growth. From seeing how a student progresses and improves throughout lessons, a teacher can determine what they have learned. It is also beneficial for the students themselves to see how they have grown throughout their art work. I also think that it is important for art educators to communicate with students that mistakes shouldn't be viewed as "bad." In other subjects, students are used to thinking that a mistake means something is incorrect, and therefore a failure. However in art, mistakes are simply learning tools for success. Without first making errors, an artist doesn't grow. When assessing students in my classroom, I think it's important they have a part in the process. For every unit, I think students should view their classmates' work and exchange suggestions and feedback. I want my students to be able to talk openly about their work. Furthermore, I think it is vital for students to self-critique through reflection. By answering questions about their own art pieces, they can recognize what they have learned and realize what they can improve on.

Artist Statement

Big Idea: Beauty

Beauty is one of the most coveted qualities humans strive to achieve, especially in today's society. There is an overwhelming pressure to look a certain way in order to be accepted and desired. The idealized image of beauty has strict criteria about what facial features and body type is ideal. These images are overwhelmingly repeated in the media, and viewers perception of "normal" is tainted as a result. My purpose for this book is to question the idea of beauty. Beauty is often associated with perfection, however, perfection can never be reached. The process of altering ourselves in order to be beautiful coincidentally, make us artificial.

Book pages 7 & 8

Pastel and India ink

Artist Statement:

On pages 7 and 8 of my book, I'm again dealing with the idea of perfection. I feel like people in today's generation strive to be and look perfect, but that it is all subjective. Women especially constantly feel criticized; we constantly criticize others and ourselves. Page 7 shows different facial features: eyes, noses, and mouths, as well as different body types. Certain features are circled, crossed out, or paired with others to symbolize how individuals constantly feel the need to edit and change their appearance. This idealized version of beauty is sometimes impossible to achieve. On page 8, the text in red reads: "If nobody is perfect...and beauty cannot be perfection...then why isn't imperfection beautiful."

Blog Post #3

Why teach art?

After watching the Crayola videos, it furthered my opinion on the importance of art education. When students learn about and create art, they are learning so many valuable skills. One of the most important things students learn, in my opinion, is how to be creative. Creativity is a vital 21st century skill, and is beneficial in all subject areas, not just art. Art also teaches students to think critically and allows them to interpret the world they live in. In life, there isn't always a right and wrong answer. Art helps students realize that there are shades of gray, and that there are different ways of viewing and responding to something. When students get to be creative and produce their own artwork, it allows them to have a voice. Art promotes confidence, self esteem, and self worth in students. 

My philosophy for teaching is to make sure students can be fearless in my class room. Every student's artwork is important. I want my class to allow students to express themselves visually. Finding big idea in art and creating real meaning is something I will focus strongly on. Art teachers have the power and the responsibility to facilitate a rich learning environment, full of creativity and free of judgement.