My focus in the classroom includes art criticism, art history, and creative self-expression. Art criticism involves more than just labeling art as “good” or “bad”, but equips the individual with the ability to interpret the thought and emotion that occur when an one experiences an artwork. Art history provides a critical framework that supports our direct experience with that artwork whether that is personal, political, narrative or historical. Finally, creative self-expression encourages students to think outside the box, push the boundaries of any concept, and explore their imaginations and original ideas. Most importantly, art in the classroom provides a rich education about the context of an artwork and promotes teamwork, critical thinking skills and tolerance for opposing views among peers.

 

Creativity involves inspiration and an open mind. To promote creativity in the classroom, the students need to be eager to learn yet relaxed. Before every project, I will show exemplar artworks and artists to spark ideas and get my students excited. I will visually show the materials and possibilities they have to work with. My solution to relaxing students is to be able to relate to them and listen to their life experiences. Using humor, enthusiasm and providing individualized attention to every student is important in getting students to open up and share their personal opinions and ideas. Recognizing that each student learns differently is crucial as well. This may require changing the projects a little bit for every student so that they can focus and be proud of their work. My classroom is organized with several labeled shelves and desks to eliminate clutter and confusion. Disorganization subtracts from successful brainstorming and fresh ideas. At the beginning and end of each class, students will be expected to find their own materials, and then leave the classroom as they found it.

 

Critiques bring different vantages into art interpretation. We can understand more about ourselves and others who share their ideas. This is especially important inside of a classroom where students have different values, preferences and perspectives. Besides discussing art as a class, I encourage students to keep visual journals as a means of formative assessment. These are sketchbooks that students can take with them anywhere so that they can write and draw everything that may catch their eye and inspire them. At the end of every project, I will collect the journals so that I can read the journals and understand the processes of each student and interest level during the project.

 

Art education is important in schools because art is a way that people express their individuality. People are constantly responding to their surroundings using art to communicate, to explain, to advertise, purely for aesthetics, and to express an emotion. Young adults need exposure to art and all of its possibilities because the earlier a student learns to understand art, the more opportunities they have to explore it. Making and studying art in the classroom fosters critical thinking that is related to art history, production and aesthetics that the student can enjoy throughout life.