During my first year of professional experience I began teaching a kindergarten class at a private daycare in Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Although I was trained as an art teacher, I am teaching science, social studies, math, literacy, and art. Almost every aspect of my classroom includes an art component. I incorporate Visual Thinking Strategy and Reggio Emilia experiential learning approach into every subject. Also, the class is broken down into groups of three. Peer-to-peer learning is encouraged and critical thinking is the word of the day. This blog documents some of our projects.

Teaching philiosophy

The goal of art education is not to turn every student into an artist but to inspire every student to think like an artist. That process entails student engagement in creative activities that examine and state ideas or feelings about themselves and the worlds in which they live, speculate about the future, and examine the accepted notions of morality. Also, by interpreting the meanings of works by others in terms of themes, subjects, and ideas students will understand the significance of their own works in the larger context. My hope is that through the intellectually enriching reflective activities and critiques students will be able to change their purpose, and thus change the course of their lives.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Mondrian

The class spent two days looking at the works of Piet Mondrian and discussing their qualities. We talked about the quality and the types of lines in Mondrian's paintings, his use of primary colors, and composition. We also looked at Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie" and discussed how music plays an important role in interpreting and creating works of art. Students were given pre-cut black lines made of construction paper. During the first session, students glued black lines onto white paper as they saw fit. The only teacher guidance consisted of helping them figure out how to use glue. During the final session, students were given construction paper of various sizes and colors, as well as scissors. They proceeded to cut out various shapes and glue them onto their works. No guidelines were given outside of technical instruction (review of the proper way to hold scissors and usage of glue). At the end of the day we held a class critique of the finished pieces.
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