My goal as and educator is for the students I teach to gain a broader vocabulary (verbal and visual), a deeper knowledge of the specific subject, a stronger familiarity with their environment, and a desire for continued personal development. Teaching is my most productive humanitarian effort, and my area of expertise is in the visual arts. By teaching art and pursuing my goal as an educator, I hope to enrich the lives of students and reinforce the institution of higher education. In this way, I help with the harmonious advancement of humanity.
My teaching philosophy evolves from my experiences as a student, a teacher, and an artist. In my personal artistic research, I apply the topics that I teach. This continual practice elicits new teaching strategies. My studio work and teaching efforts reinforce each other and foster growth. I am a better teacher by concurrently remaining a student of the arts. I am motivated to learn more, because I want to advance the tradition that brings me awe and inspiration - meaningful artwork. My enthusiasm for learning spreads to the students, helping inspire their artistic development. Along with my major field of study in drawing and painting, I study related fields of sculpture, photography, printmaking, letterpress, papermaking, graphic design, and architecture. My hobbies and interests are in sports, literature, music, cooking, gardening, landscaping, computer languages and the energy industry. From these studies and interests, I cross-reference ideas and processes that apply to the specific subject matter I teach. I might relate a brush stroke to the growth of grass in the spring or a sentence by Henry Miller. One student started calling me 'Coach' toward the end of the semester, because of the sporting analogies I shared with her.
From my experiences as a student, I have learned teaching strategies that resonate with me. Beginning at Arizona State University, I learned the importance of physical work in the development of artwork. I repeat, to my students, the phrase that I learned as a student in Associate Professor Jerry Schutte's class, "Now do twenty of them." I believe that during the physical process of creating artwork, students internalize the teaching points. During the 'do' phase of the 'hear, see, do' learning process, the students learn to create art. I learned from Professor Joe Norman at the University of Georgia how to pace a semester-long course and gauge the class's collective energy. He taught me how to judge when students lagged behind and how to help them catch up with the performance of the rest of the class. By continually reinforcing principles and easy to understand strategies he created an environment for all his students to succeed. I understand the importance of having the entire class succeed, not just particular students who demonstrate an aptitude. Creative passion doesn't follow prescribed timetables. I want all the students to carry the lessons learned with them, for the times that they are needed.
For effective communication, the language of visual arts must be established and often reinforced. By using terminologies of the elements and principles of design, effective communication helps the student experience the creation of art. In general, I lecture to begin classes, orienting the class to events, goals, vocabulary and information germane to that day. The majority of scheduled class time is devoted to working on projects. I provide individual teaching instruction to help communicate specifically to the student. I believe that the teacher learns from the students by patiently listening and observing behavior. Students learn differently and I must evaluate each individually to effectively communicate. Another teaching mode, I employ, of particular importance in studio classes is demonstrations. Demonstrations allow the students to see a practical application of the content. Demonstrations are one of the many beneficial aspects of a visiting artist/scholar program. Also, I share multiple forms of media (video, sound, slideshows, books, etc.) with the entire class, and I relate the examples to the topic. In a slideshow during an figure drawing course I taught, a work by Goya from his 'Follies' series, illustrated the the gastrocnemius in action, dovetailing nicely with Dr. Paul Richer's written explanation of origin and insertion points for that muscle. These two different sources and modes of information helped the students develop an understanding for the form. Technologies facilitate prescriptive learning, and I invest the time in understanding and utilizing the current data delivery practices of the institution. Adaptive technologies assist with providing accessible information for all students, including those with special needs or disabilities.
I am capable of teaching courses that fulfill core requirements- design fundamentals, drawing, color, and composition. I am also capable of teaching advanced courses that parallel my personal research and practice - painting, drawing, figure drawing, anatomy, watercolor, materials and techniques. I look forward to working with colleagues to develop interdisciplinary courses, leveraging my studies in printmaking, letterpress, papermaking, sculpture, and photography. As an instructor of studio art classes, I believe in the importance of workplace safety. From my teaching experiences, I have learned how to prepare a safe workspace for students, and instruct them about personal safety concerns. Pigments can be toxic, mediums flammable, and tools dangerous, so I teach students best practices with tools, and how to properly handle hazardous material. I teach students about the history, components, and alternate uses of art materials. I believe in fostering a personal senses of responsibilities in the students by making them aware of safety resources, such as the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and by assigning rotating studio duties.
Course evaluations have proved beneficial for my evolution as a teacher. After a recommendation from a seminar by the University of Georgia's Center for Teaching and Learning, I have used mid-term and end-term class evaluations. These evaluations help me guide the course and engage the student's sense of ownership. At the beginning of the semester, I make a verbal contract with each student. For my part, I take on the responsibility of teaching the subject of the class, helping students grow artistically, and giving them a grade in exchange for their attendance, effort, and evaluation of my performance. All evaluations are anonymous. I have found honest feedback that I have used, and the students realize that the class is a group effort. In my classes, I foster an open forum for students to voice questions and ideas during discussions by letting them know my expectations of their participation, and I include practices of etiquette to reduce frustrations. I believe that the student and teacher relationship continues after the class has finished. I offer guidance, encouragement, and references for students as teachers have done for me. I make students aware of possibilities such as study abroad programs and residencies, and I encourage and assist the interested students to pursue these programs. Professor Dan Britton at Arizona State University, lectured to the class I enrolled in, that one out of every ten art students continues making art after undergraduate school. Of those that still make art, only one in ten make art after their graduate experience. He said that attrition rate continues in time, and now that I am nearing twenty years since I heard that for the first time, my experience supports that statement. I have been what he termed "one of the lucky ones". I realize that very few of the students I teach make a career of art. But I believe that whatever career they find themselves in, the knowledge, experience, and passion learned from an fine art program will help with unique problem-solving abilities and dedication to the task. I find value in teaching the arts, and providing a service to the students and institution of higher learning.