Personal Teaching Statement

Rational for Elementary Art Education

I think elementary art education should be about introducing art and fostering a lifelong
love for art. Not all students are going to continue art class after going into secondary school so
this may be the only time they experience art through a formal education. This means what a
large part of our society knows and feels about art can be completely dependent on their
elementary art class. This is why if we want members of our society to make, look at, study or
buy art we need to help them find what it is about art that they love.
This is why I want to teach broadly so that I can reach every student that I can. Not every
student will love drawing realistically which is why elementary art should teach through a
variety of mediums and styles to help students find their place in art making. However, I do
realize that not every student will enjoy making art. Not everyone is a maker, which is why it is
important to teach the history and appreciation of art. Some people enjoy looking at art more
making it which completely fine. In fact that is how we get some of our greatest art historians
and museum curators.
A Vision for the Elementary Art Classroom
I believe the elementary art classroom environment is integral for helping students to
learn to love art. This means the classroom should be a welcoming, enjoyable and safe
environment for all students. These factors to me are the most important in creating an optimal
learning environment for the elementary art classroom.
Unfamiliar spaces can be incredibly intimidating to children which is why creating a
welcoming space is important. To feel comfortable in the art room is integral to enjoying class.

This can mean making a space feel warmer by doing things such as painting walls colors other
than white, putting stuffed animals on shelves or having bean bag chairs for reading. Making the
classroom about the students can also help them feel more connected to the environment they are
in. This can be done by hanging up posters from popular kid movies, having a space for
displaying students artwork, amongst many other things. While incredibly difficult in an art
class room, having a well-organized and clean room is also important for young learners to feel
comfortable. A dirty or cluttered space can be stressful or unappealing which may make students
feel uncomfortable in the art classroom.
Once the students feels comfortable in the art room it is important that they enjoy being
there. If the space is stagnant and unenjoyable students will not like being in the classroom
which hinders their learning. Playing music and allowing students to talk with each other while
making art are examples of making the classroom more enjoyable without hindering learning.
Most importantly students need to feel safe. If students dont feel safe then they will not
learn. Feeling safe in the art room involves stopping bulling, teaching proper handling of tools,
giving students the freedom to fail, allowing for a variety of expression, and being a kind
teacher. Bullying should be stopped immediately and addressed with seriousness because it
makes the learning environment unsafe. Teaching the proper handling of tools prevents accidents
and makes students feel more comfortable handing them. Allowing for mistakes to happen in art,
such as cutting a paper snowflake wrong, is important because students shouldnt fear failure.
Failure is a natural part of the learning process, and shouldnt be treated like a felony offense.
Accepting a wide variety of expression allows for students to make art that is important to them
which is integral to learning to love making art. Most importantly the teacher should be kind and
empathetic to all students. That doesnt mean that the teacher should be a pushover, being stern

is very different than being mean. If a student fears the teacher then chances are they wont feel
safe in the classroom which will hinder their learning.
A Teaching Philosophy
I believe art instruction and learning should be more about the individual student. I
believe instruction should be available through various forms to optimize every students
learning outcome. This is because students differences profoundly impact how students learn
and the nature of scaffolding they will need at various points in the learning process (Tomlinson
& Imbeau, 2010, pg. 14). Since each student learns differently offering verbal, visual and
kinesthetic instruction is important for every lesson. I believe in adjusting my instruction for
students with any type of learning difficulty because every student deserve an equal chance to
learn. I also believe I need to teach students to teach themselves. By directing students to the
right learning aids like books or web sites they can learn to teach themselves. Fostering
independent learning in art is important at the elementary level because I might be their last art
teacher. This can help them to continue learning about art on their own. Not only that, it changes
how students feel overall about their learning abilities as Bode points out when her students
define themselves as researchers had a profound impact on how students viewed themselves
and their own capabilities as learners (1999, pg. 124-125).
What students learn in art should mostly be about what they individually need and want
to learn. I believe this is what will optimize learning for every student. I believe this can be
achieved through more open-ended projects in art making and for students to direct their own
learning about art history. This is because lessons are most meaningful when they connect to a
students world (Marshall, 2002, pg. 280) Open ended projects in art allow for students to focus
on what they need or want to learn about. This might mean allowing students to work in different

styles or mediums for a project. Art history can be fascinating or unbearably dull depending on
what the individual is interested in which is why letting students find and concentrate on what
they enjoy about art history is important.

References
Bode, P. (1999). A letter from Kaeli. In S. Nieto (Ed.), The light in their eyes: Creating
multicultural learning communities (pp. 123-129). New York: Teachers College Press.
Marshall, J. (2002). Exploring culture and identity through artifacts: Three art lessons derived
from contemporary art practice. In Y. Gaudelius & P. Speirs (Eds.).Contemporary issues
in art education (pp. 277-290). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Tomlinson, C. A., & Imbeau, M. B. (2010). Learning and Managing A Differentiated
Classroom.