Adelynn Torchia

Art Education 4300

Observation Assignment 4

3/27/2018

One example of how Mrs. Nunn is “student centered,” is the ‘Map of Your Heart’ project

she does with her kindergarteners. In this project, students paint large watercolor hearts, and then

using oil pastels, they write and illustrate the things that they love. This project is intended for

students to put their interests into their art, and share who, and what they love. Another example

of a “student centered” project, is her Basquiat inspired paintings that she does with her 3rd

graders. In this project, after learning about Basquiat and his work, Mrs. Nunn asks her students

to paint a symbol that means something to them, or their environment. This is a very open ended

project, where students have a lot of freedom to explore personal subjects, and identity. On the

other hand, two examples of “content driven” projects that Mrs. Nunn does are a weaving

project, and pinch pots. For both of these projects, Mrs. Nunn is more concerned that students

learn and master a specific skill, rather than students expressing themselves.

After reading Mrs. Nunn’s personal teaching philosophy, it is evident that she believes

the exploration of art history, and contemporary works is “essential content,” as well as the

collaboration with different subject areas. Mrs. Nunn introduces her students to prehistoric cave

paintings, as well as the work of Sandy Skoglund. Mrs. Nunn says that by having students

engage with images and artifacts from our history, they can gain a rich understanding of the
development of different ideas and values. Mrs. Nunn also explains that the collaboration of

different subjects can offer students ways to take ownership of their learning. Mrs. Nunn has

found that students who aren’t particularly interested in art, will become excited about a project

that has integrated another area, of which they enjoy, such as math or science. This is something

in my own personal teaching philosophy that I will strive for.

I believe that because Mrs. Nunn is constantly giving her students opportunities to

express themselves in their projects, I would identify Mrs. Nunn as an Existentialist teacher. I

feel as though Nunn really considers her students’ interests in her classroom, and wants to give

them the opportunity to make their own artistic decisions. I feel as though my teaching

philosophy is very similar to Mrs. Nunn’s in that we both will strive to make art class enjoyable

for all students, even those who don’t have a particular interest in the arts.