Teaching Philosophy

Sonia Lloyd

During my experience in the field of art education, experiences in special education

classrooms, and one-on-one student art tutoring, my teaching philosophy has continued to

change and evolve. At the beginning of my freshman semester at Penn State, I knew little about

art education let alone a teaching philosophy. I simply formulated a philosophy draft based on a

handout of different purposes of art education, not knowing which aspects were most important

to me as a future teacher.

When I began to research art educators and gain knowledge about psychology and

various pedagogies, my excitement to become a teacher grew immensely. For example, after

researching and reading about Tion Bukue, an urban art educator who taught his students about

graffiti and the art of words and fonts, it opened my eyes to the possibility of using art to break

down stereotypes, redefine art styles, and grow as a person. (Christenson, 2017). Unlike a

traditional art class where the teacher simply teaches how to use different artistic techniques to

create a final product, Bukue used his lessons to educate the community on the negative and

false narratives surrounding graffiti. He taught his students that graffiti is simply an expressive

art form, contrary to society associating all graffiti art with urban vandalization. Readings such

as these expanded my understanding and appreciation for what an art educator could teach

students and the impact they could make on society and their communities.

Similarly, artist Ai Weiwei used art as a form of visual discontent to protest the Chinese

government and explore identity within a society that places little importance on the individual.

His work has inspired many art educators to follow his lead and create lessons that not only help
students grow as artists but also encourage students to really dive into their own identities and

embrace what makes them stand out and unique. With this, I was able to form my teaching

philosophy around how art should be utilized as a form of self-expression and play to not

only artistically represent one’s individuality, but also to draw attention to social, political,

economic, and environmental issues in modern society. Alongside the teaching of art being a

wonderful way for individuals to be introspective and grow creatively, also I believe that art is a

very strong way to advocate for different causes and issues in society and to encourage reform,

change, and equality.

Within the classroom, I believe that an art teacher should be there to push students to

grow as artists. I have had a variety of art teachers in the past. Some teachers gave very strict

instruction and placed heavy importance on grades and proper techniques which caused many

students to become discouraged and lose confidence if they did not create works that the teacher

deemed as proficient or worthy of a good grade. Other teachers focused less on grades and more

on the personal progression of the students and their artwork from the start of the class to the

end. While these teachers did review proper techniques and such, they also formed more one-on-

one relationships with students and had flexibility in project and lesson plans so the students

could use the resources in the art room to be creative and personalize their projects. When I

become a teacher, I aspire to become a teacher who focuses on the personal growth of students

and provides them with the instruction and resources needed for them to pursue what interests

them, whether that be painting a small mural, creating ceramic pottery, or even incorporating

things like fabrics and yarn into their work. In terms of pedagogy, I want my classroom to be a

space where students feel free to express themselves without fear of bad grades or rubrics

holding them back. I believe the best way for a student to grow as an artist is for me, the teacher,
to have a choice-based classroom that allows students to pursue what forms and mediums of art

most interest them.