An Art Educator's Reflection
- Guinevere Pura
- Nov 25, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 9, 2024
Portfolio Task G
Teaching art today is far different from when I was a child. Rote learning, speaking only when asked, and regurgitating information is a style of teaching that is still very recent. As an educator of the 21st century, teachers like myself are transitioning from teacher centered learning to student-centered pedagogies. We are now taught to
Work of Mary Cassat at the AGO. Though a White female, she wants the
freedom work like the rest of us. Women were not considered artists of
good quality.
provide students with choice based art education, inclusivity, project-based learning, STEAM and constructivist teaching. And truly, it's a win-win situation all around. Classes are more fun with arts integration and are finally exercising both sides of the brain simultaneously with the implementation of the arts in many lessons.
The following questions and answers is my final "reflection" of my art portfolio for my course called Teaching Visual Arts in the Intermediate a-Senior Division. Please enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Based on the learning, when you think about teaching Visual Arts in the Junior or Intermediate grades- what will you stop doing? What will you start doing? What will you continue doing?
As a child in a predominantly white community, I often experienced misrecognition, facing stereotypes and discrimination throughout school and university. From being told I'm "a person of my kind" by a vice principal to being assumed to know how to make spring rolls or carry the Corona Virus, these instances highlight the prevalence of racial biases. Even in university, I was advised to take ESL courses despite being fluent in English, and encountered dismissive attitudes towards Indigenous Filipino art in the classroom. Levelled Leisure, 2010. By Hayv Krahraman These experiences underscore the underrepresentation of people of color in the curriculum and misconceptions about our abilities in the arts.
Straying Continents, 2010 By El Anatsui
What is one question you still have about Arts education?
How do I convince my students that the arts is integrated in every area of the curriculum? How can we prove to parents that art encourages lateral thinking which is important in the sciences and maths and that it is the key to innovation?
Where, or from whom, can you keep learning about arts education? Be specific- you can add links!
What will you disrupt in Arts education? Be specific.
I will disrupt the common Eurocentric way of thinking by asking students questions of their arts and let the reflect on their responses. I will introduce new contemporary artists of colour that are not necessarily found in large museums or galleries.
How will you ensure that students feel they matter & belong?
To be inclusive is to research and get to know their community. I must feel as though I belong so that I can make other feel the same.
Comments