Teaching Statement

My teaching is tied to the belief in the democratization of art. And, as such, the belief in the transformative power of art and its value in society. This more democratic approach to art, as envisioned by Dewey, where Art is an experience for all and art can transform knowledge and the pupils experience of the sensory processing of the world.

I endeavor to share intellectual control with the pupils – the encourage an environment where the learning event is a shared experience. An environment where opportunities are provided for independent decision-making and choice. I see choice as an empowering factor in the growth of the pupil as an artist. Within the element of choice is a range of ways of experiencing success. Assessment for learning is tied to the criteria for success, which is ideally peer reviewed and involves regular self-assessment as part of the reflective process of making art.

I found the Project for Enhancing Effective Learning (PEEL, Baird & Mitchell, 1986) very informative and inspiring for my teaching practice. The study began by looking at what composes teaching and learning in its most Ineffective state and worked from there to devise a rich pedagogy which is resonant in the new Junior Cycle in Ireland.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4020-8788-2_1

https://www.jct.ie/visual_art/departmental_planning

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSjqFFIHFbKCk0fHFW984FMjkgk7_SW4ZEOI2onEvaJumr0SQhbA6THz4OfmgVSnZKGexaV-Dn0SudP/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.p9

To help pupils form connections in their learning, I encourage discussion and the promotion of learning from each other’s questions. This helps pupils to connect to their own experience and to the big picture, as it were, - to the world of art and culture and how universal ideas can be explored through art. This, I would hope, encourages pupils to explore art making processes in a more informed manner, which places their work in context with a larger cultural environment. Perhaps it is the idea of art as experience, as theorized by Dewey, that will help the pupils to generate connections with themselves as artists.