Alexandra Smith

ARt & education

Teaching Philosophy

From the time I was in fifth grade,I knew I wanted to be a teacher. At that time, I did not know what subject I would want to teach to my future students. The pivotal moment I decided came in my sophomore year when I was required to take an elective in order to graduate. I decided to take a leap and try something new: Art. While taking this class future became very clear. I wanted to become well versed in how to make art and to share that information with others.This drive to inspire is the drive that keeps me striving for my goals of becoming an elementary art educator. This passion and love I have developed for art needs to be shared with others. I strive to inspire the same way I was inspired in my first art class.

As an art teacher, my goal is todevelop well-rounded students that have multiple attributes that not only help them in the classroom but outside of school as well. I hope to inspire students todevelop skills through the artsthat include independence, critical thinking and problem solving skills, mindful bodies, and a feeling of belonging in any environment in which they are placed. In my classroom students will be exposed to a wide range of material, methods, prominent thinkers, artists, art movements, and processes that play an important role in art making today. I also hope to help studentsfall in love with art, become artists, innovative thinkers, and model citizens.

I believe thatstudents should be in charge of their own destinies, but guided when needed, in my classroom.By this I mean students should actively monitor their own learning by participating within group discussions, asking questions, experimenting, and listening. By doing this each student will be able toreach their full potential.By creating meaningful lessons I will actively engage students in their own learning.

My pedagogy ties directly to constructivism, meaning I teach bybuilding off of my student’s prior knowledgeby helping themdevelop new understandings.The constructivist model utilizes“big Ideas” that are universal concepts that all people can relate to. Basing my units of study on big ideas helps my students becomebetter thinkers, and better artistsbecause they feel connected to their own learning.

My teaching style is similar to that of coaching.  As a coach teaches skills and supports their players,I will make certain my students have all the necessary skills and understandings they need to be successful in art. I will guide them, cheer them on, and be there for them when they need me.