Entry No.9 5/9/21 #continuation

For my teaching and learning philosophy, the 10 things I want to implement in the future are:

1. Kindness

2. Big Idea Focused Projects

3. Stations/Choice Based Learning

4. Viewer Focused Critiques

5. Good Time Management

6. Flexibility

7. Social Justice Focused Projects

8. Integrating Technology

9. Understanding/compassion/empathy

10. In depth questions/follow up questions to probe deeper

Because I missed the first couple weeks of class, I did not write an initial list of my teaching philosophies. However, I do know that something I would have carried over from my year of teaching with students is kindness, empathy, flexibility, and good time management. These are all things that I learned or grew in in my year teaching, and ones that I see myself always having. My students responded to my kindness and my willingness to listen to their problems and empathize with them. For this reason, I was able to form successful relationships with my students in which we listened to each other and they responded to the projects I created because of this. I also learned that things to do not always go the way as planned, but to keep a level head and try something new. This flexibility is something that came up during peer teaching, too. Things did not go the way we planned, so we had to switch things up in order to make our project successful.

Most of the elements on my list did change, however. I think part of this is because this is the first education class I have ever taken, and so all of these concepts are new to me. From the very beginning of the class, we have talked about big idea focused projects. This seems maybe natural or intuitive, but it makes sense to have projects that are targeted toward bigger ideas, like identity or climate change. These ideas allow students to think more dimensionally and critically about these ideas.

I also really like the idea of choice based learning and stations. Some students respond better to different techniques and mediums than others. Also, students should have the room and flexibility to explore as they please.

I think viewer focused critiques are also important because it teaches students to think about the work in front of them rather than what the artist thinks about the work. We all come from different backgrounds and have had different experiences, and these shape our ideas about the artwork that we look at. Viewer focused critiques allow for more organic ideas rather than ones that have been influenced by other's thoughts.

Social justice focused projects are important, too, to inform students about social issues in the world, like race, gender, sexual orientation, homelessness, and more. These projects introduce other ways to approach these ideas, and also how different students view these topics.

Integrating technology is both fun and challenging to do, but also vital. The world is moving quickly and becoming more and more digitized. Teaching students about technology gets them thinking creatively about using technology to make art.

One of the qualities that has made the biggest impression on me is that of asking in depth and follow up questions to students. This is not something I have ever really heard before, but it makes a lot of sense. Asking questions encourages students to think deeper on the subjects being discussed, and asking follow up questions gets them to think about other elements or approaches to the same subjects. This helps students to develop critical thinking skills.

A lot of these elements on my list came to be because of peer teaching. It was a hard and difficult experience, but also worthwhile. It is nerve wracking to stand up in front of your peers and teach, but it also focused on a big idea, social justice, integrating technology, and asking lots of follow up questions. I got to see first hand how effective these strategies are. The students all learned something new about their chosen ecosystems, climate change, and through their learning, I learned a lot more, too. This experience was a challenge, but one that I appreciate because it helped me grow as an educator.

For my last art journal, I added ghost images of the small plants at the bottom. These ghost images are bigger, with a lot more herbs on them. This is because I wanted to show the future of what these plants could potentially grow into someday with the right care. To me, the plants represent students, and the ghost images represent the adults they could grow into someday. Art education is vital to students, because it teaches them critical thinking, communication, empathy, and helps them become part of a community. In art classes, teachers are the gardeners, and are responsible for cultivating their students and encouraging their growth. I hope to be a teacher that sees the potential in my students, and shows them the potential within themselves, as well. Some of the techniques on my list are ones I have always held in high regard, just as my morals. But some of the others are concepts I have learned in the class that encourage students to be independent and critical thinkers, and these are practices I want to implement in my classroom in the future to encourage them to grow into their full potential.