MY TEACHING STYLE

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MY TEACHING STYLE ⦁

My preferred teaching style is
cyclic portfolio work.

Students first practice a couple of new mediums and theories. These practice works are graded as pass/fail. Then they are given an assignment with some or full freedom in the medium - this piece is numerically graded and possibly displayed in an exhibition. Throughout the process students write about their thoughts in their portfolio - this written part covers a large part of the final grade.


My strongest areas to teach are:

Photo-/videography & editing

Digital art

Ceramics

Creative writing

Art history

Animated images

Mixed media

Safe and collaborative lectures

pORTFOLIO
work

  • I think portfolio work is a fantastic way to encourage students to think about art on a deeper level than just making it.

    When they have to explain the choices they made and what they want to say with their art (if anything), their process becomes more deliberate. It’s also a good tool to hear from the students individually in a way that’s often hard in busy classrooms and it’s also a place where they get to say and explain things they otherwise might not have.

    It’s good to keep in mind though that not everyone needs to or wants to think too deeply and say something with their art - maybe they just wanted to make something beautiful. And that is okay too.

my expertise and
strenghts

  • I’m definitely leaning more towards digital art, mixed media and other more non-traditional mediums compared to drawing and painting.

    My biggest strengths with mediums lie in photography, videography, editing, ceramics, creative writing and animated images.

    When teaching I believe I am able to create and hold engaging and collaborative lectures - I’ve gotten good feedback about getting even the normally quiet students to engage.

    With my teaching methods I aim to stay on top of the current world and trends - for example I started to utilize short videos to keep the current generation of young students interested and learning. My skills and good understanding with technology and online spaces give me the ability to learn new programs and practices fast - remote teaching included.

collaborative
lectures

  • My topic/theory lectures utilize a lot of animated images and minimal text to help keep students engaged and I craft them to look visually pleasing so they are fun to follow and interact with.

    Lectures start with the assignment and goals that the lecture is supporting, so students have a point of view from which to process new information.

    While giving a lecture, I encourage students to take notes in any way that is best for them - maybe they want to draw mind maps or just take photos of the slides. I also provide the lecture text on paper or digitally.

    Lectures are crafted to interact with the students and not just by raising a hand and talking - slides provide a link to a collaborative webpage students can also write comments on.

    Shorter lectures that aim to give enough of an understanding to move onto a smaller project are designed to be easily comprehended and fast to review - something you could condense in a few short videos in case you need a refresh.

accommodating
all learners

  • I believe that different learners retain information in different ways, which is why I aim to provide multiple avenues in my teaching.

    My bigger lectures include me verbally giving information for those who prefer to listen - but those who prefer to read are given the full lecture text to study. Notes can be taken either by writing, taking photos or drawing mind maps for example.

    If someone has trouble with written directions, I try to also offer short videos that explain it through images and sound. If someone has a hard time talking in a group setting, I offer a link to a common webpage they can instead write their comment on.

    Obviously in a busy education world sometimes not everything is feasible, but even small changes like sharing the lecture notes beforehand can make a difference for some learners.

kill them with
kindness

  • I aim to create authority as a teacher and educator through kindness and gentleness.

    I believe that by being sincere and approaching things from the place of what’s good for the group and the individuals in it creates a space where authority is respected as a figure who makes good things happen.

    Kind and gentle guidance is not without limits though - sometimes the kind thing to do is not something a learning student agrees with. But even those situations should be approached with care and gentleness and by explaining rather than ordering.

    Gentle teaching also requires the group to respond to it and boundaries need to be adjusted based on how the group is doing. If the kind act of letting people listen to music to drown out classroom noises in order to focus better gets abused one way or another, then that right from that specific student gets taken away until they agree to follow the rules again.

    I do not believe in collective punishment based on one’s actions as that can create a bad mindset leading into a continuous loop of breaking more rules and create unnecessary stress for those who do respond to gentle teaching and follow the rules of the group.

Freedom with
the medium

  • I generally think that any assignment that carries a numerical grade attached to it or a big part in final evaluation should be almost or fully medium-free.

    Rarely do we see an artist who is equally skilled in drawing and ceramics or videography. I believe that while students do need to be shown and they need to experiment with new mediums, we should also encourage them to find their medium. Their “thing”.

    And by letting them make their big assignments with their chosen medium, we are letting them hone their skills in their chosen area.

    The freedom to decide can also create a lot of motivation and learning opportunities for a student that they might not have had if they were limited into a certain box in their creation.

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Education principles