TEACHING ARTS IN THE

ELEMENTARY GRADES

1 OGDIMALANTA
 Chapter 4
Competencies of an Arts Teacher

Who is an Arts Teacher?

An arts teacher typically works in the school system teaching students how to
paint, draw, create sculptures and ceramics, and learn photography. However, arts
teachers may also work privately or at art centers. Arts teachers educate their students
about the creation of arts, art history, as well as art theory.

Who is an Effective Arts Teacher?

Effective teachers  strive to motivate and engage all their students

in learning rather than simply accepting that some students cannot be engaged and are
destined to do poorly. They believe every student is capable of achieving success at
school and they do all they can to find ways of making each student successful.
(Det.wa.edu.au)

Teaching Arts and its Importance

What is Teaching?

Teaching is the process of attending to people’s needs, experiences and feelings,

and intervening so that they learn particular things, and go beyond the given.

Teaching is one of the instruments of education and is a special function is to

impart understanding and skill. The main function of teaching is to make learning
effective. The learning process would get completed as a result of teaching. So,
teaching and learning are very closely related.

1 OGDIMALANTA
What is Effective Teaching?

Effective teaching can be defined in many ways including teacher behavior

(warmth, civility, clarity), teacher knowledge (of subject matter, of students), teacher
beliefs, and so forth. Here we define effective teaching as the ability to improve student
achievement as shown by research.

Traits/Characteristics of Great Arts Teacher

1. They love kids.

First and foremost, great teachers must love what they teach. And, let’s face it, we really
don’t teach art, we teach kids, our world’s most priceless asset! Lindsay Moss, a writer
for the Art of Education, states, “Great art teachers love kids as much as their content.

2. They love art.

It’s still pretty important to love the discipline you teach them. Loving the visual arts is
also a commonality among the world’s best art teachers!

3. They are passionate about the profession.

The greatest and most successful art teachers are passionate about art education.

4. They are dedicated.

Dedication is a mark of affection. Dedicated teachers are deeply committed and believe
there is nothing more important than kids and art.

5. They are energetic.

Teaching art can be exhausting! Teachers should to be energetic and “on” all day long.

6. They are creative.

2 OGDIMALANTA
Creativity is key to being a successful art teacher. One must figure out the best way to
teach hundreds, if not thousands, of students with various backgrounds, talents, and
interests daily.

7. They are organized planners.

“A good art teacher is consistently challenging themselves to create, plan, and prepare
meaningful and relevant projects that will consistently maintain a high level of success
for ALL students.”

8. They are advocates for the arts.

“Art educator” and “advocate” are synonymous. Every art teacher must continue to
advocate for quality visual art education.

9. They are collaborators and communicators.

Collaboration is essential to take your teaching to the next level.

10. They are leaders.

Art teachers set out to be leaders, and lead students lead to begin to lead schools and
communities.

11. They are lifelong learners.

Dana Jung Munson from Atlanta, Georgia writes,” Teachers may encourage students to
make mistakes and to learn from them. Teaching the artistic processes creates
opportunities for students to pull learning from other subjects.

12. They are artists.

Whether or not art teachers professionally show their work is irrelevant. But, knowing
how to creatively utilize a variety of mediums and sharing these techniques with your
students is an important part of the equation. Some of the best art teachers I know
continually create art, exhibit art in some way, and share their talent with their students.

3 OGDIMALANTA
13. They are inspirational.

It’s no secret that great art teachers inspire their students.

14. They are reflective.

Having the ability to reflect daily is an important part of any job. However, it’s essential
for art teachers to become better and more effective.

15. They are enthusiastic.

Art teachers are enthusiastic about their jobs! Though tired and frustrated, but at the
end of the day, he/she know we have one of the most important jobs in the school.

16. They work hard to engage their students.

Great art teachers have figured out how to take the most boring topics and turn them
into engaging, fun, hands-on learning opportunities.

17. They are funny.

Most art teachers use humor in their pedagogy. Plus, they often have to find humor in
some of the situations they themselves.

18. They care about building relationships.

“Great teachers are all about building relationships with their students! Relationships
build trust which builds comfort and enables risk-taking.

19. They have grit.

“Grit is the combination of passion and perseverance, which is exactly how I view art
education.

20. They are happy.

At the end of the day, the great art teachers are quite happy! Sure, they are tired, and
they get worn down from time to time.

4 OGDIMALANTA
What Are The Roles Of A Competent Arts Teacher?

The Art Teacher is responsible for developing in each student an interest in and
the ability for creative expression in visual terms, using skills and techniques of artistic
expression consistent with school guidelines; to develop aesthetic understandings and
appreciations.

The top five qualities of a great teacher, according to students

1. The ability to develop relationships with their students

The most frequent response is that a great teacher develops relationships with
students. The research literature agrees with them: Teachers need to be able to build
trusting relationships with students in order to create a safe, positive, and productive
learning environment.

2. Patient, caring, and kind personality

Personality characteristics related to being a compassionate person and having a
sensitivity to student differences, particularly with learners, was the second most
frequently reported quality.

3. Knowledge of learners
This is a broad category that incorporates knowledge of the cognitive, social and
emotional development of learners.

4. Dedication to teaching
Dedication refers to a love of teaching or passion for the work, which includes
commitment to students’ success.

5. Engaging students in learning

Students also said that teachers should be able to engage and motivate students to
learn. Researchers talk about three types of engagement that are required for students
to learn: cognitive, emotional, and behavioral.

5 OGDIMALANTA
What makes a good teacher: 10 qualities of a good teacher?

1. Communication Skills

Effective communication is a critical asset to acquire in both professional and in intimate

environments. It is the root of successful and memorable relationships.

2. Listening Skills

Being a good teacher means having your students listen to you, but also making sure
that you listen and give your students the attention that they need by answering all of
their questions.

3. Friendly Attitude

Having a friendly attitude is one of the most important qualities of a good teacher.
Expressing a friendly attitude towards your students makes you more approachable,
and is more likely to motivate students to want to learn.

4. Patient

Patience is a virtue, and especially in the world of teaching. Being a teacher and
handling multiple children at one time is not an easy task, and requires a great deal of
patience. Different students will display different levels of aptitude when it comes to
learning.

5. Strong Work Ethic

Having a strong worth ethic is a significant quality of in our list of qualities of a good
teacher. A good teacher never quits, and especially not on his or her students. Having a
strong ethic will always reflect on your students and the delivering of their work.

6 OGDIMALANTA
6. Organizational Skills

Teachers must be good organizers. Being organized plays an essential role in being a
good teacher, and is a very important quality of a good teacher. Without organizational
skills, a teacher could really lose grasp of deadlines, expectations, and tasks.

7. Preparation

Preparation is a crucial characteristic of what makes an exceptionally good teacher.

Preparation goes hand in hand with organization.

9. Kid Friendly Teaching Environment

Having a kid friendly teaching environment in your classes is truly a must. As a teacher,
you are your students’ role mode; thus, you will want to set the best example that there
is possible.

10. Respectful Attitude

Respect is everything, in every field of work and most importantly, in life. Teachers
cannot threaten, mock, insult or tease children in any shape or form.

Hints for the Teachers

Students should be encouraged to work individually as well as in small groups,

girls and boys working together. Learners should be encouraged to enquire about the
technique, procedures and the work of master artists/artistes
Students should be encouraged and helped in handling new media and tools and
meeting the new challenges in various problem-solving situations encountered by
them. Students should be encouraged to take the initiative and to critically evaluate
their work.
Since the adolescents are prone to adult influence, adult activities and methods
working, she starts imitating and idealizing the adult approach and attitude to her work.

7 OGDIMALANTA
 The teacher, at this stage should try to make the adolescent child aware of the
originality and uniqueness of her own work and encourage her to develop her own
methods and style of working as there exists a large variety and divergence in adults’
work.
 The teacher should develop friendly and empathetic relations with the students
and should encourage them to know about the artistic activities of the local
community.
 The teacher should organize studio/art room/theatre/stage with the help of
students.
 The teacher should organize visits of museums, historical places, exhibitions,
botanical and zoological gardens, theatre and local drama activities, music and
dance concerts, film shows, etc.
 The teacher should help children in the planning and organization of display and
exhibitions, musical and other performances of master artists/artistes.
 The teacher should develop projects correlating art activities with other subjects
with the cooperation of other subject teachers.
 The teacher should encourage the use of improvised instruments and tools by
the students locally available.
 The teaching approach should be inductive and students should be encouraged
to mobilize their own resources to solve their problems. Direct instructions in the
techniques should be avoided.
 They should be encouraged to develop techniques
and styles of their own through exploration of discovery of materials, media, tools
and techniques.

Guide Questions

Answer the following to check what you learned from the discussions.

1. Who is an art teacher?

2. List down 10 characteristics of a great art teacher.
3. What are the competencies of an art teacher?

8 OGDIMALANTA
Learning Activity

Which among the methods are you comfortable with in case you will teach art among
elementary graders? Why?

Key points

1. Arts Teacher typically works in the school system teaching students how to paint,
draw, create sculptures and ceramics, and learn photography.

2. Effective Arts Teacher strive to motivate and engage all their students
in learning rather than simply accepting that some students cannot be engaged and are
destined to do poorly

3.Teaching is the process of attending to people’s needs, experiences and feelings, and
intervening so that they learn particular things, and go beyond the given.

4. The Art Teacher will be responsible for developing in each student an interest in and
the ability for creative expression in visual terms, using skills and techniques of artistic
expression consistent with school guidelines; to develop aesthetic understandings and
appreciations.
5. Traits/characteristics of Great Art Teacher (They love kids, They love art., They
are passionate about the profession, They are dedicated, They are energetic., They are
creative, They are organized planners, They are advocates for the arts, They are
collaborators and communicators, They are leaders, They are lifelong learners, They
are artists, They are inspirational, They are reflective, They are enthusiastic, They work
hard to engage their students, They are funny, They care about building relationships,
They have grit, They are happy)
6.The top five qualities of a great teacher, according to students(The ability to
develop relationships with their students, Patient, caring, and kind personality,
Knowledge of learners, Dedication to teaching, Engaging students in learning)

9 OGDIMALANTA
7.Qualities Of A Good Teacher( Communication Skills, Listening Skills, Friendly
Attitude, Patient, Strong Work Ethic, Organizational Skills, Preparation, Kid Friendly
Teaching Environment, Respectful Attitude)

References and Supplementary Materials

Books
Favila, S. et al (2011).Active MAPE. Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines. Magallanes
Publishing House.
Online Supplementary Reading Materials

Date Retrieved (August 17, 2020)

https://nasad.arts-accredit.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/11/BA-BS-
Art_Education.pdf
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/article/approach

https://www.applitrack.com/seattlearch/onlineapp/1BrowseFile.aspx?
id=23067#:~:text=The%20Art%20Teacher%20will%20be,discover%20and%20develop
%20talents%20of

https://etoninstitute.com/blog/the-7-roles-of-a-teacher-in-the-21st-century#:~:text=In
%20the%2021st%20century%20classroom%2C%20teachers%20are%20facilitators
%20of,at%20present%20or%20in%20future.

https://www.pearsoned.com/top-five-qualities-effective-teachers/
https://oetjobs.com/what-makes-a-good-teacher-10-qualities-of-a-good-teacher/
https://teach.com/what/teachers-know/teaching-methods/
https://theartofeducation.edu/2018/05/14/20-characteristics-all-great-art-teachers-share

10 OGDIMALANTA
Assessment

Name: Course, Year and Section

ESSAY: Answer the following questions briefly and concisely.

1. What are the characteristics of Great Arts Teachers? Explain how can these
characteristics help create a great Art teacher?

2. Do you think you can become a competent Arts teacher? Why?

11 OGDIMALANTA