Philosophy
Like Paulo Freire, I also believe that “learning is a process where knowledge is presented to us, then shaped through understanding, discussion and reflection.” I believe that teachers can provide knowledge in a collaborative and safe environment to facilitate and expose students to their own creativity, develop their self-awareness, and address their needs to channel them into an effective learning experience. Therefore, with a genuine enthusiasm, I am eager to share with students my training and experiences to teach theory and the fundamentals of art and design in practical and hands-on exercises that provide to them ways to reach their full potential.
Though my own academic path that had its unique turns – from Brazil to the United States, from fashion to arts and education – I have revolved and developed a set of skills that I consider to be vital in a classroom, especially in the diverse community that California offers. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I was amazed and overwhelmed with the variety of cultures and different boundaries that I encountered. As years have passed by, in order to adapt and overcome these boundaries, I found myself becoming flexible and versatile when engaging with different people. My life experience helps me sympathize with distinguished cultures, and quickly learn different languages. Such experiences strengthen my career aspirations and have solidified the idea that everyone can learn, and leaning is a different process for every student. Therefore, as educators, we must be sensitive to each student’s individuality so we can engage and help them to embrace their own learning path, despite their unique process and background.
Yet, for this process to be an effective learning experience, I also believe that it is equally important for collaborative work to occur in the class room where not only the teacher and student collaborate on each other’s work, but also students work as a group to collaborate on each other’s experiences.
For my methodology, I value multiple approaches. To facilitate the learning process and get students to be engaged with the material, fundamentals of art can be introduced in many forms – we can talk about art and its history by visiting a site, we can touch the surfaces of a sculpture to feel its sculptor’s techniques, see documentaries about installations to visualize its multiple angles, and other variations that can reach to each student’s inclinations and interests. Once students are exposed to concepts and theories, this variation continue to be explored with mediums where students experience different materials to create paintings, videos, photographs, ceramics, and other artistic resources. Once students manipulate these materials, it becomes easier for them to access, explore, and expose their own creativity.
By diving into this progressive methodology, I intend to offer exercises that provide students opportunities to share their artistic interests and creation processes with their peers. In a safe environment for open discussion, I believe it to be possible for students to share with one another their own artistic perspectives that will not only develop their articulation and argumentation skills, but also learn about each other’s works and interests and, most importantly, in contrast to one another, start shaping their own uniqueness and individual style.
Therefore, my philosophy as an art educator strives to present theoretic and practical exercises for students to develop their own self-awareness and expressions. While navigating to these processes that aim to maximize the students’ potential, I strive to present assignments that listen to students’ voices, responses, and ideas which can potentially be adapted to further experiences shaped to student’s needs. With my work, I intend to use art to educate and encourage students to find their own ways and styles so that their experiences have a positive impact in their lives beyond the classroom, regardless of what path they choose to follow.
Though my own academic path that had its unique turns – from Brazil to the United States, from fashion to arts and education – I have revolved and developed a set of skills that I consider to be vital in a classroom, especially in the diverse community that California offers. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I was amazed and overwhelmed with the variety of cultures and different boundaries that I encountered. As years have passed by, in order to adapt and overcome these boundaries, I found myself becoming flexible and versatile when engaging with different people. My life experience helps me sympathize with distinguished cultures, and quickly learn different languages. Such experiences strengthen my career aspirations and have solidified the idea that everyone can learn, and leaning is a different process for every student. Therefore, as educators, we must be sensitive to each student’s individuality so we can engage and help them to embrace their own learning path, despite their unique process and background.
Yet, for this process to be an effective learning experience, I also believe that it is equally important for collaborative work to occur in the class room where not only the teacher and student collaborate on each other’s work, but also students work as a group to collaborate on each other’s experiences.
For my methodology, I value multiple approaches. To facilitate the learning process and get students to be engaged with the material, fundamentals of art can be introduced in many forms – we can talk about art and its history by visiting a site, we can touch the surfaces of a sculpture to feel its sculptor’s techniques, see documentaries about installations to visualize its multiple angles, and other variations that can reach to each student’s inclinations and interests. Once students are exposed to concepts and theories, this variation continue to be explored with mediums where students experience different materials to create paintings, videos, photographs, ceramics, and other artistic resources. Once students manipulate these materials, it becomes easier for them to access, explore, and expose their own creativity.
By diving into this progressive methodology, I intend to offer exercises that provide students opportunities to share their artistic interests and creation processes with their peers. In a safe environment for open discussion, I believe it to be possible for students to share with one another their own artistic perspectives that will not only develop their articulation and argumentation skills, but also learn about each other’s works and interests and, most importantly, in contrast to one another, start shaping their own uniqueness and individual style.
Therefore, my philosophy as an art educator strives to present theoretic and practical exercises for students to develop their own self-awareness and expressions. While navigating to these processes that aim to maximize the students’ potential, I strive to present assignments that listen to students’ voices, responses, and ideas which can potentially be adapted to further experiences shaped to student’s needs. With my work, I intend to use art to educate and encourage students to find their own ways and styles so that their experiences have a positive impact in their lives beyond the classroom, regardless of what path they choose to follow.