Teaching Philosophy

“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”

― Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

As an Artist Educator, my teaching philosophy is student-centred and non-hierarchical in its approach. I believe firmly in the methodology of the teacher acting as a facilitator of the educational outcomes of the course. I aim to instil confidence in my students through this anti-colonial approach to instruction. In this way, they can explore and create in their research and image making, while I act as a guide, rather than a vessel, of the “correct” knowledge.

Further to this, I see the studio and the students in it as a community whose strength is integral to student success. At the start of each course, I begin this process by handing out a survey that asks students critical questions of inquiry such as;as “What are your personal learning goals for this course?” and “Describe what a beneficial learning environment is for you?” This allows me to receive a profile of their expectations and cater their course instruction in a student centred model. To build relationships in the studio community, I begin by putting them into group learning pods to discuss the answers to their questionnaires. Throughout each class, I continue to create facilitated opportunities for the students to meet with one another. While in their groups they discuss their artwork and key conceptual ideas through anchored mini-critiques.

Regarding curriculum, I work to provide the integral technical skills at the beginning of the course. For the second half of the course, the students work on projects of their own design. I do this so they can apply the painting skills they learn in a self-directed way. As a facilitator, I support their art production and research by giving them feedback and resources to guide them toward optimal success. Process before the product is a very important aspect of my teaching philosophy. I aim to have my students learn through the action that happens in the process of creating work. They do this through problem-solving, experimentation and individual exploration.

Lastly, I believe that the artist studio cannot exist in a vacuum. Artists should, therefore, be led through the action of continually observing, sharing, and writing about a pluralistic view on contemporary art that can inspire them and inform their image-making. I work towards this end by giving lectures each class on artists that are diverse and inclusive in their identities and professional practice.  In this area of my curriculum planning, representation is a key goal of my examples and lectures. Showing examples of artists that reflect the stories and narratives of all our students are of utmost importance. One of the ways I have consolidated this is through an online ‘digital textbook’ that I give my students for inspiration and research outside of class.

Overall, I see my primary goal as an Artist Educator to instil in students the importance of reasoning and understanding, and the rationale behind their role as image-makers in the socially-conscious, contemporary world.