I strive to engage my students so that they learn to experiment, to express and to challenge, so that they can be proud of their engagement in the creative process, and so that they begin to understand that there is no question they cannot ask through the arts.

I believe that students learn best when they are engaged in meaningful and developmentally appropriate work. If they can make a personal connection they will learn more not only about what is valuable to them, but also about a more important lesson: that to learn is inherently valuable and helps us understand and engage with our world. One of the things I enjoy most in teaching is discovering what motivates and concerns individual students and challenging them to improve their skills and to expand their thinking.

Learning in the visual arts promotes the development of a range of universal creative and critical thinking skills that students will need to develop to become productive 21st century citizens. My goal is to be a facilitator, guide and coach in the student’s learning process and cultivation of excellent habits of mind:

• Students will become fluent in the language of the visual arts and learn to master the skills, tools and knowledge specific to the craft.

• Students will explore and experiment with a wide range of ideas and materials over extended periods of time requiring them to engage and focus.

• Students will learn to communicate their ideas and feelings because they learn to solve problems and master challenges that arise during the critical thinking and creative processes.

• Students will stretch their imaginations as they collaborate with peers and come to respect different viewpoints and perspectives.

In my teaching I recognize that students have different learning styles and progress in their development at different rates. I provide a variety of opportunities to access the curriculum and achieve learning objectives in a variety of ways.

I embrace technology in my art room as a teaching tool as well as in lesson content. It allows me to connect students to the outside world of art and to teach them art in digital media.

Students learn more effectively when learning objectives are clearly defined and I provide them with detailed feedback on their progress through group discussions and individual assessments based on specific learning outcomes. Self-evaluations invite students’ reflections and allow me to re-evaluate my teaching strategies as I review how my students engage with materials and concepts.

Students can better focus their attention when behavioral expectations are spelled out clearly and frequently. I create a safe, positive and encouraging environment in which each student is approached with respect, their opinions are valued and they in turn learn to show respect to their teachers and peers. I believe that a classroom climate of mutual respect encourages students to exchange ideas freely and helps them learn that others may see the world in different ways.