Leonardo da Vinci once said, “Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses- especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” This statement is important to my own personal teaching philosophy as I feel it is important to develop critical and creative thinking skills. My students are urged to be curious and innovative as they study the interrelatedness to art and the world around them. In my classroom, I take a holistic approach to education in which the student not only studies and creates art, but they also begin to discover how it serves a purpose in our lives.
The interconnectedness of art can be acknowledged as we understand how various subjects can be woven into the art curriculum. Art can be integrated into subjects such as Math, Science, and History by studying lessons that incorporate architectural/ interior design, still lives, Egyptian hieroglyphics, etc. By providing activities that are interdisciplinary, students begin to make meaningful connections as it responds to their diverse interests. The student then begins to synthesize and understand how centralized themes can be analyzed from different perspectives.
Many of my unit lesson plans revolve around studies of “big ideas”. My activities often involve enduring ideas which serve as themes, topics, or issues that reflect essential questions about the human experience. As a teacher, I want my students to develop thoughtful ideas based on inquiry. We must teach them not to solely depend upon straight and narrow “factual” information. Instead, we should demonstrate the importance of becoming more like Socrates, Plato and other philosophers that were persistent in the search/examination of truth. By providing my students with opportunities to explore and investigate, I instill within in them a quest for knowledge.
By employing different contemporary methods of teaching, I am able to help my students achieve inside and outside of the classroom. It is rewarding to see them not only create artworks, but expand their thinking in which they begin to interpret and reflect. It’s refreshing to hear a student ask the questions “why” and “how” as they develop independent inquiries. The communication skills that students are building as they share information and develop different lenses of understanding are invaluable. Through working with students, I have found that success lies in the encouragement of creativity, higher order thinking, and teamwork.
The interconnectedness of art can be acknowledged as we understand how various subjects can be woven into the art curriculum. Art can be integrated into subjects such as Math, Science, and History by studying lessons that incorporate architectural/ interior design, still lives, Egyptian hieroglyphics, etc. By providing activities that are interdisciplinary, students begin to make meaningful connections as it responds to their diverse interests. The student then begins to synthesize and understand how centralized themes can be analyzed from different perspectives.
Many of my unit lesson plans revolve around studies of “big ideas”. My activities often involve enduring ideas which serve as themes, topics, or issues that reflect essential questions about the human experience. As a teacher, I want my students to develop thoughtful ideas based on inquiry. We must teach them not to solely depend upon straight and narrow “factual” information. Instead, we should demonstrate the importance of becoming more like Socrates, Plato and other philosophers that were persistent in the search/examination of truth. By providing my students with opportunities to explore and investigate, I instill within in them a quest for knowledge.
By employing different contemporary methods of teaching, I am able to help my students achieve inside and outside of the classroom. It is rewarding to see them not only create artworks, but expand their thinking in which they begin to interpret and reflect. It’s refreshing to hear a student ask the questions “why” and “how” as they develop independent inquiries. The communication skills that students are building as they share information and develop different lenses of understanding are invaluable. Through working with students, I have found that success lies in the encouragement of creativity, higher order thinking, and teamwork.