Abdallah 1

Samira Abdallah

May 1, 2020

Prof. Sullivan

Behavior Observation

Philosophy of Learning

Learning is one of the most vital building blocks when it comes to the growth of a person

and how they will function throughout their life. Without learning, a person cannot live life

peacefully and will struggle along the way because they did not gain the knowledge necessary

for them to survive. When it comes to my classroom and my ways of teaching elementary school

children, the need for properly expressing the importance of learning at such a young age is

crucial. To me, learning is broadening an unknown horizon and opening a new world of

information and exploration to students of any age. Learning is what helps any individual

succeed in life at any age, no matter what they are doing. I am going to create a learning

environment where my students will reach their full learning potential and never fall flat in any

aspect of their journey.

As a future elementary art teacher, exposing children to new forms of art and how to

create differently is a tougher task to take on than people think. For all of my students, especially

for children who will pursue art later in their schooling careers, learning is important to help a

child grow cognitively. As students learn, they pick up essential skills that help them understand

the world around them as well as help them expand on what they already know. For example,

when I teach students a lesson on watercolor paint, I will show them that watercolor paint is

more than watery paint on paper but it can create a beautiful image after learning how to
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properly handle it and use outside tools students would not have thought of using before entering

my class, such as mixing salt with wet watercolor paint. Before my class, students most likely

would have not been introduced to such a way of making art -- I will be showing students that

anything can be made into art no matter how big, small, weird, or out-of-the-ordinary it may

seem. Also, learning helps students ease their frustrations on what they were confused on and

help them realize that things do make sense once the correct information is put together. Young

artists tend to get confused on mixing paint colors and what colors make another color when

mixing the two together; a lot of children think that mixing ​any​ color together would result in a

color. Yes, all colors will mix to create something, but students would rather end up with purples

and pinks rather than a mucky brown. Students would learn from a lesson I conduct that it takes

specific colors to mix, such as blue and yellow or blue and red, and ease their frustrations and

confusions by showing them what to do to get the correct results. Learning also introduces my

students to information they would most likely not have learned on their own voluntarily. An

elementary student only knows so much about art when walking into an art classroom for the

first time. Thus, my teachings would expose those children to creative projects they may not look

into if they never were enrolled in my class. Projects such as paper snowflakes, hand turkeys,

clay pinch pots, etcetera are projects a child most likely would have not known unless exposed to

otherwise by an artist in the family or one of their friends. It is my responsibility to help students

learn the different ways to create, different materials to create with, and how many things can be

made from one object. As stated, learning broadens a horizon and opens a student to a world of

information, and in this case creativity, that they may not have learned if given the choice.

Learning opens a student’s world to so much more than they could have ever imagined.
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With all the different ways of learning, each student needs to be catered to and have a

method that helps them learn the best. Students learn through verbal, visual, and hands-on

learning. To make sure I take care of learners of all kinds, I have created a plan for each style so

every student can reach their full potential. When it comes to verbal learning, students with this

style understand information best when taught with spoken word or written down material. I will

take care of these students by creating direction sheets with directions on how to create certain

projects, create slideshows explaining information about projects or the history of said project,

and explain things myself to the best of my ability how the project is done before doing a

demonstration. Speaking of demonstrations, visual learning is crucial to being a successful art

student. Visual learners are students who learn best when seeing examples and seeing how

something is done before doing it themselves. Art classes depend on demonstrations and

showing students how to get work done in order for students to be able to craft the project

themselves and succeed. I believe every art student is a visual learner -- seeing how work is

created is how an artist understands most. To reach my visual learning students, I will perform

thorough demonstrations showing what materials to use, how to use them, and how to work

through a project from the first stage to the final stage. Also, visual and verbal learning go

together for demonstrations since I would explain how to do the steps while physically doing

them. In art, visual and verbal learning go hand in hand. But, hands-on learning is also the bow

that ties the two together. Hands-on learning is where students take the work into their own

hands and do it themselves. Hands-on is the icing on the cake in art class because art is all about

students creating work themselves and letting their minds flow and having their hands express

said flow. Without hands-on education, my students would not succeed and do nothing but watch
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me create the project and not do it themselves. To take care of my hands-on learners, I would

send my students off to work on projects I have assigned and allow them to get a feel for the

projects, the materials, and understand that art is about pacing oneself and taking their time. Art

classes thrive off of hands-on learning because it is all about seeing and then doing. Students

learn about art, how to use the materials, and how to build a project when doing it themselves.

All together, visual, verbal, and hands-on education are all important factors to help an art class

thrive and be successful. If one was missing, an art class’ flow would be thrown off and nothing

would be as effective as it once was.

In learning situations, art has a few different ways of showing that a student has learned

what was taught. In my classroom, there are four large indications that will help me see that

students have learned. The biggest indicator that learning is occuring/has occurred is the

completion of the project with little assistance outside of the demo I perform. If a student can

complete the assigned project and show me the completed project, it shows me that they gained a

clear understanding as to what they were making. Completing projects also shows me students

have learned how to use different materials and how each material is used for different art

projects. For example, students who complete projects that both include cotton balls can show

me how they would use the cotton balls for different situations. If we were to do a project on

clouds, students would pull the cotton balls apart to make wispy, thin clouds. If we were making

a snowman, students would keep the cotton balls as is and bunch them up in one area to create a

white ball emulating snow. Knowing how to use materials for different types of projects is

important in art and students who fail to show that knowledge may not have learned as they

could. Another learning situation that helps me know learning is going on is when students have
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a basic understanding of different art terms and what they mean. Basic art terminology that my

students will need to learn will include students having to define/know what cool and warm

colors are; cool colors are colors such as blue, green, and purple where warm colors are red,

orange, and yellow. This is important to know because it becomes a handy tool for projects later

on that have to deal with color theory. It is crucial for students to learn different levels of art

terms as they go through their schooling careers. Students who cannot define simple terms would

be a sign that some students have not been learning. Finally, in learning situations, students will

know the basics of art history that correlates with the project we are completing that day/week.

Art history is important to know because it helps young artists know where art styles have come

from, what art styles there are, what art has done for the world, and so on. Even students as

young as first grade will be expected to know basic art history facts because it can not only help

them in my class, but their other classes as well such as social studies. If my students fail to

perform a project with little to no assistance, gain a clear understanding to using different

materials/mediums of art, cannot define basic art terms, and/or do not know simple facts about

art history, it tells me that no learning has occurred and students will have a hard time enjoying

let alone passing my class.

As an educator, I have certain expectations that my students need to reach in order to get

to their full potential. For one, students need to know the basics of art and know how to express

themselves and their thoughts into something creative and harmless. Art is more than throwing

colors together to make a pretty picture -- it is about expressing what one loves, who one loves,

what one enjoys, what one feels, and so on. Students should know the bigger value art holds

when creating. Next, with art history, students need to know the development of art over time
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and how it has formed art to be what it is in our world today. For elementary school kids, I will

break down art history content into smaller chunks of information so it is at a level where they

can understand what I am presenting to them. Nonetheless, students should know famous artist

names such as Van Gogh and Picasso as well as simple art styles and techniques such as abstract

art, how to create texture, etc. I will also expect my students to understand the different ways to

create and the different mediums students can create with. Again, with elementary school

children I will teach them basic art materials such as paint, watercolor, color pencils, crayons,

markers, etc but show them beyond what they know and how to make ordinary materials to

create extraordinary work. Learning how to create beyond the normal limits a medium can do

can only take a student so far and I expect my students to be able to go beyond that ‘normal

limit’ and push themselves to the best of their ability to create something more. Elementary

school is the base of education of all kinds for students everywhere and teaching them to break

these limits now will encourage them to continue to break their limits as they continue through

school and life.

Checking student learning is an essential skill for teachers of all grades and subject areas

to do in order to make sure their students are learning and understanding the information they are

taking in. To check on my student learning, I plan to walk around my classroom while students

are building their projects. I would walk around not only to make sure they are on task and using

materials correctly, but to give them any assistance if necessary. Keeping an eye on each student

is important for any teacher to do because once a teacher turns their back on their students, there

are always a handful of students who goof off once they realize the teacher is not paying

attention. Keeping an eye on my students and roaming the room would help me see that they will
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stay on task through the entire class. Of course, I would not stare at my students for prolonged

amounts of time or else that would make students feel uncomfortable and as if they were being

watched too intently. Students do not like when teachers stare over their shoulder when they

work; it creates an uneasy feeling within the student. I would avoid creating such a feeling at all

costs. The other way to check student learning is extremely important: the creation and

completion of the project. Art projects are the biggest part of art class; it is physical proof of

what a student has learned and what they learned to use. If a student fails to hand in a completed

project or there is obviously little to no effort put into the project, it would cause the student to

get a bad grade on the project. Of course, elementary school students are graded with more

leniency, so I would not be too harsh on the students and their grading. If I were to teach middle

school or above, then the grading would become less lenient and the expectations would be

higher. Art is about fun and creativity, but nonetheless, I expect my students to take away a

learning experience and I will keep an eye out to make sure their learning is in progress.

Even though I am the educator who is setting goals for the class, I have goals I have set

for myself to make sure I am leading my students to a future of success rather than leading them

to a dead end. For one, I want to make students feel as if all of their efforts and what they create

is valid no matter what and to never compare their work to anyone. Art is subjective and comes

from one’s inner self. Students will be taught to never compare their work to anyone else’s

because everyone creates and expresses differently. Also, just because one student seems to have

more skill than the other does not automatically deem the ‘less skilled’ student as to having

worse skills. I have always struggled with comparing my art to others and seeing flaws in my

work when looking at the perfection of others. With elementary students, I will help them
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understand early on how comparing their work to each other does no good. One should be

content with what they make and should be proud of what their own hands and mind can come

up with. I would remind students everyday when creating work as well as hang posters

expressing the idea of how art is about the artist, not how advanced someone’s skills are. Also, I

set a goal of mine to be a teacher where students can laugh along and have fun but also have a

safe place in case something is wrong. Elementary students love to laugh and goof around and

art is a colorful subject that can be silly from time to time. Art is a class where students can let

their minds go for 30-45 minutes and not have to think about equations or scientific terminology.

My classroom will be a free zone to let loose and have fun, but not to the point where students

are not learning or completing projects. Also, students want teachers who they can trust and can

talk to about anything. There is always the rare occasion where elementary students are going

through something but are not sure how to express what they are going through or who to talk to.

I want to break down the unspoken barrier of teachers and students not being able to talk about

real, scary situations in a student’s life and be able to see I am more than the fun art teacher. I am

also a safe spot to express the troubles a student is going through. Of course, students will only

talk to me about personal subjects if they want to; I will never force a student to talk about things

they are not comfortable talking about.

Of course, students will influence my approach to teaching as much as my own

characteristics will. With teaching elementary school students, I have a feeling the biggest

influence students will have on me is making my teachings as animated, goofy, and entertaining

as possible. As stated before, children love to laugh and goof around. I will take each of my

presentations and make them fun and silly in their own ways where the children will be
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entertained but also learn in a way where they will remember the lesson. For one, an art educator

I follow online, Cassie Stephens who teaches at an elementary school in Tennessee, does just

that. Miss Stephens uses lessons where she has students repeat what she does so they know the

lesson, uses props such as large scissors to teach students what are the right and wrong ways to

use items, uses face hole cardboard cutouts of famous artists to teach the students about said

artist as if she were the famous artist, etc. Students want learning to be fun and an experience that

will help them remember information better. The way Miss Stephens teaches her elementary

students is how I plan to teach my students.

Learning is all about broadening an unknown horizon and opening a new world of

information and exploration to students of any age, any school level, etc. Students need learning

in order to succeed in life and be able to go through life with little to no struggle. Being an art

teacher in the making, I know what students struggle with in the art classroom, where students

have the most fun, how students have the most fun, and how art can be an enjoyable subject no

matter how new or ‘professional’ the artist really is. Even outside of art, learning is all about the

journey where a student is taken. Teachers are the designated drivers who help students get to

their final destination of their learning journey. Eventually, my students will have reached their

broadened horizon and will no longer need my assistance to guide them; the information taught

to them is what will carry them on through the rest of their schooling careers and lives once they

exit my classroom one last time.