Maura Colby

Philosophy of Teaching

To start with, I want my students to be good artists. The best way to do this is by teaching them
the foundations of art. Every student needs to understand positive and negative space, the use of lines, and
elements and principles of art. These are crucial components of any art form. The way I will encourage
my students to learn the foundation of art is by having them practice because it’s like any skill, you must
practice it. One of the ways I’ll have my students do this is by keeping a sketchbook which I will check.

I plan to encourage my students to experiment with ideas and materials. I think the more you
experiment and try new things, the more confident you get in your own abilities and you learn more about
the materials you work with. The way I will encourage this in my classroom is by having lessons that
challenge my students to look at the materials around them and to make art with them, such as having
them do an assembly sculpture.

A facet of art that I really want my students to learn is to express themselves and their ideas
through art. In my opinion this is crucial for making good art. You can look at a painting that is
technically flawless, but if it doesn’t have something meaningful from the artist in it, to me, it is cold and
lifeless. When an artist puts their thoughts and ideas into their artwork it makes the artwork come alive.
One of the ways I plan to have my students accomplish this is by having them do art pieces that are about
them, such as a self-portrait or a collage that is about their community. This will challenge my students to
think of their art regarding themselves and their ideas.

It is important to have students practice the basics of art, experiment with ideas and materials, and
use their art to express themselves and their ideas. I want my students to never be afraid to put themselves
out there, to try new things and potentially fail miserably. Not because I want my students to fail, but
because I want my students to realize that it is just another lesson. The best thing they can do is to take
that knowledge they got from their failure and try again.