Classroom Management Philosophy
Theories and Belief Statement:
It is dangerous to assume that an artistic culture is one without language. Certainly, an artistic voice may very well be the highest mode of communication. Art is not merely for the sake of aesthetic. Art is also functional. It serves great purpose and provides deep meaning in how we connect to the world around us. Historical teaching practices have impressed a rigidity and repetitiveness and have impeded cultural responsiveness across the curriculum in Western education.
Throughout my experience as a pre-service educator, I have found a relentless draw to the educational philosophy of June King McFee. McFee’s Perception-Delineation Theory, which was concerned with why students draw the way they do and how they develop and learn cognitively. Chiefly, how students perceive an environment based on personal cultural perceptions and make sense of it through art. “How art relates to cultural maintenance and the enculturation of student; how art transmits cultural values, attitudes and beliefs; and how art functions as a major communication system in society,” (1984, p. 188) were essential to McFee’s investigation of educational deficits and the development of her theory. These themes need to be constantly reconsidered by educators as they strive for meaningful design in their curricula and classroom cultures.
Whether a teacher wants to or not, a culture will be developed in their classroom. What kind of culture is developed is up to the teacher. I believe if a classroom is a place where shared values and attitudes need to exist to begin with, the teacher need only to do two things to develop a subculture within that framework. The first is to have an enthusiastic and appreciative attitude toward art. The second is to have a tolerance toward new and interesting things and ways of performing and recognizing them as having high value regardless of one’s own culture or preferences (McFee, 1961), In other words, we must embrace with understanding that students are influenced by their cultural experiences and a child’s response in art is influenced by those experiences.
During this process it is paramount as educators that we neither disregard the learner’s preferences nor discourage them from questioning or evaluating their own decisions. Recognizing the enculturation of students, that is their concepts of reality and the recognition of their roles within their own culture, creating a vibrant subculture within the art classroom is imperative. If we choose not to do this, we are choking the unique and even exceptional voices of our students. On the other hand, if we are tolerant and non-judgmental in our assessments, students with various cultural perceptions will be able to find success in art (McFee, 1961, p. 95). Tangibly, that success is a creative voice or language. It is at this realization that I have come to believe, along with McFee, that the ultimate application of knowledge across the curriculum is for the purpose of communication. A student who is exposed to visual art making will be better prepared to succeed in every other aspect of their educational experience. Once we understand that art is an integral part of our communication system, we can then see how practice within the arts will assist students in their awareness of visual forms.
When considering my classroom management plan, my ambition is to design a culture where students are able to discern what is acceptable and unacceptable to them and to be more than just a submissive consumer. I want art history to become more real to students in that they might develop a stronger empathetic lens as they consider both context and content. As I strive to create an artistic community, the goal for my students is to experience how art can be a means for reflection and statement, thus helping them to organize their own feelings. Ultimately, the shaping and expressing of these feelings should assist students with self-identification as well as multiple opportunities for success. In every instance, students should be developing their ability to communicate their perspectives, beliefs, and ideologies. As far as it depends on me, the culture of my classroom will be one where students can trust that the art room is a place where they can freely draw from their perceptions without judgment, and ultimately find meaningful connections to the work they are creating while developing the capacity to transfer understandings within the visual arts across their educational experience. Above all else, this cannot fail.
Classroom Map and Rationale:
My purpose in creating a classroom culture of shared values and attitudes transcend just behavioral outcomes. I also want my students to understand that being part of a shared studio space means being part of a community, where it is not just our attitudes and values that are shared, but the physical space as well. With the exception of fixed structures, I want the physical space for the studio to be as adaptable as possible, that is the students’ desks, teacher cart, and multipurpose table all being movable and subject to rearrangement. My goal with this is that as we grow and change as a community in the classroom, discovering the functions of the studio as it relates to various artistic approaches and processes, the physical space should offer the same flexibility. I anticipate students expressing their creative voice not only through the execution of their artwork, but in the design of their studio space as well.
Routines:
All routines in the art room should be purposeful and with the intention of furthering the development of understanding artistic concepts as they relate to creating, reflecting, connecting, and presenting. At the beginning of each class period, students will be given a variety of choices to begin engaging their minds and bodies toward art-making. Big Ideas, Essential Questions, and Enduring Understandings will always be posted for each learning segment/unit and will be catalysts for bell work activities.
With the National Visual Arts (anchor) Standards in mind, there are two main staples of bell work I will filter these standards through. The first staple activity will be for students to work in their sketchbooks. This could be either free-drawing or from a bell work prompt. The second staple will be an Art History activity. This could be a critique prompt, matching, etc. I believe bell work activities should not insist on more than 3-5 minutes of the students’ time. I believe the goal of bell work is less about keeping the students busy and more about preparing them for the learning that is about to take place. Cleaning should never be bell work. Cleaning should be built into the culture of respecting the shared community space.
Each day there will be a five-minute bell to let students know that it is time to begin cleaning up. Because this is their studio space, the expectation for them to maintain its care is put on them. These skills are important for young students to develop concepts of working together in groups and holding one another accountable to high standards of care for themselves and others. In addition to maintenance of individual materials, each table will be designated a specific area of the studio to manage. For example, one table will be responsible for making sure all work surfaces are free of debris, water, and paint. Another will be in charge of making sure art materials are put back in their proper place, and so on.
Finally, students will be required to be in their seats and waiting patiently to be dismissed. On the last day of each unit, they will write a reflection in their sketchbooks about their ”low, high, surprise” for the week. That is, their least favorite things that happened in class, their favorite thing, and one thing that surprised them. This is another way that I as the teacher can gain insights to the specific interests and needs of my students to help create a more meaningful artistic culture in the classroom.
Expectations:
As a culturally responsive teacher, it is essential to check all classroom expectations against my own biases and values as well as to reflect on how they might influence my expectations for behavior, my interactions with students, and what I believe learning should look like. Setting expectations should be less about compliance and more about opportunities to establish a community of equity and accountability in learning. There are still, however, necessary standards that all students should be expected to maintain. To accomplish this, I expect students to consider the art room community and use the following values as a means for understanding their role in the community.
INSPIRING ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
We are creative decision-makers. Every artistic decision creates a new problem solving opportunity.
- I will do the best work I can to achieve my highest potential
BUILDING COMMUNITY
Our primary purpose is supporting each other as growing artists in creating a thriving arts community based on cooperative decision-making and mutual respect.
- I will value the thoughts and ideas of others as I would my own.
- I will come to class prepared to contribute relevant ideas and reflections.
PROMOTING SELF-RESPECT
We accept others for who they are to develop a better understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We grow to understand that we are as unique as our works of art and learn to value each other’s differences.
- I will respect my fellow artists and their unique differences
- I will respect and care for the property and materials of this studio community
DEVELOPING INDEPENDENCE
We encourage one another and ourselves to develop our own sense of independence. Through our artwork and as part of the art room community, we can gain a sense of inner freedom, enabling us to take risks and trust our own judgment.
- I will do my own art work and be confident in my abilities
Consequences:
As a culturally responsive facilitator of artistic and communal growth in the classroom, it is important to maintain a culture of expectations and consequences that are consistent and expectant. These consequences should also hold a high standard of accountability to one’s self as well as to the community. This two-fold approach, I believe is paramount in the socio-emotional development of students and will provide enriching experiences as they continue to validate and potentially re-define their own culture through their relationships with others.
INSPIRING ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
When I do not complete my work, not only are my grades affected, but I have also missed an opportunity to inspire others.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
When I am unprepared or unfocused, I not only miss an opportunity to prove my commitment to learning but also in enhancing the knowledge of the community.
PROMOTING SELF-RESPECT
When I am careless with the property and materials of the studio, I not only lose those privileges, but other artists have lost the opportunity to enjoy them as well.
DEVELOPING INDEPENDENCE
When I copy the artwork and ideas of others and call it my own, I not only miss a chance to prove my own creative voice, but have also potentially lost the trust of the community.
Family Building:
When it comes to communicating the intents and purposes of my class with parents and families, my first objective is to help them understand that this class provides an opportunity that they will not likely receive in any other area of study. It is only through the visual arts that students will understand how to express the otherwise inexpressible. That is, when we don’t know how to say it, we can create it. I want parents to know that this learning experience is not only just for their student, but for them as well. Their child will likely be engaging in modes of thinking and creating that may be unfamiliar to them. I want parents to know that I am helping their child learn how to “say something.” I will encourage them to ask questions, and to not be intimidated by the learning that will be taking place. To help the families that may have a hard time connecting with the arts, I will provide a welcome letter at the beginning of the year that will explain the purposes of the class as well as guide with various questions and conversation prompts to assist them in talking about art with their child. This will hopefully provide parents with a more meaningful perspective and understanding into their child’s creative voice. In addition, I will organize annual family art nights where families and students can join together for an evening of making art together. Portions of these art nights will include integrated lessons to demonstrate how the arts can allow students to excel across the curricula in creative and successful ways.
Community Building:
The concept of building community through artistic practices is at the heart of my purpose as an art educator. Again, as I strive to create an artistic community in the classroom, the goal for my students is to experience how art can be a means for reflection and statement, thus helping them to organize their own feelings in creative ways. In every instance, students should be developing their ability to communicate their perspectives, beliefs, and ideologies. Ultimately, the shaping and expressing of these feelings should assist students with self-identification as well as multiple opportunities for success, not just within the classroom, but in their families, and ultimately, within their communities. To accomplish this, I intend to design lessons that provide opportunities for students to express their cultural perceptions through art making in tangible ways. I will also work with them in developing, curating and submitting their work for exhibitions, allowing their creative voices to be seen and heard throughout their school and communities. In doing so students and their families will find increasing validation and worth in themselves and their communities as it is shared on a more global scale.