Pedagogy represents how learning occurs. There are numerous names for the different approaches, methods or programs. Those of us who have been in the classroom can name off the various styles we have been introduced to and required to adjust to on an average of every 3-5 years. All of them have great aspects within their message and are presented by concerned researchers. With that said, it is my experience that most of us we teach as were taught or in reaction to how we were taught. It takes great concentration and conviction to re-think life long habits concerning process, justification for rewards or retributions, and our personal definition of creativity.
During this semester we will be reading a series of books that hopefully will allow us time to reflect on what learning can be, not as a mandate but as motivation for us as the educator and as the student. We will look at overall approaches that allow for a wide range of acceptance and applications. We will look at artists that are often overlooked in order to try and understand their work and their learning methods. We will watch a DVD that represents one example of how learning can happen outside of the classroom and involve an entire community.
As we begin, I ask that each of you to(1) introduce yourselves to one another. Where you work, or live, where you received your undergrad degree (and what was your major), then finally what do you hope to gain from this degree. (2)Then honestly share how you work. Think in terms of your art. What is the main source of inspiration? Are you quick to make decision or to you ponder a while? What tools /rules do you use to judge your own work? (3) Finally, describe your favorite class. How was it taught? What do you remember the most? What do you carry with you still?
Hello class,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Joshua B. Clark, I am diversified in my background, I've worked as a general contractor, teacher, and currently own a small apartment building here in Lubbock, only a few blocks from TTU campus. This building has been taking a great deal of my time and money.
My current major is M.A.E. but I also have over 40 graduate hours toward a M.A. in media arts computer science, my undergraduate degree is in humanities specializing in Art/Engl/Hist/Philo but I chose that B.A. because I had changed degrees over 4 times and had way to many hours. I hope to get this degree with a teaching certificate to teach both abroad and here in the U.S.
I was creating art through watercolor, painting, digital art, and photography but lost my connection to my art when bills became more important than what I wanted or needed to have an outlet from my energys. I currently and regaining a connection to what my art means to me and where it is going.
My main source of inspiration is to just create my art and not be concerned with anything else, I tend to over thing things instead of just enjoying the moment of the artistic creation.
If I feel that release of energy whether its negative energy or positive then the judgment of my art is complete. If feel alive again then I produced something that has captured that energy and moment in time, I was successful. The piece can be cast aside and looked at again in a day or 20 years but it is complete.
I will always remember philosophy classes as they bring forth my brain in motion to connections that some do not see or hear.
Thanks for reading.
Can you expand on why the philosophy was so exciting? What made it the best in your memory?
DeleteNice to meet you Joshua, you have a lot of graduate hours. Where would you like to teach abroad?
DeleteCorina Carmona
Hi All!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Andrea Johnson. I am the mother of a 5 yr old little boy named Carson. He is my world! I also have a wonderful boyfriend/best friend - love of my life Nick and we have an Old English Bulldogge named Harley Bear, she will be 2 this Sept. I am a very passionate person and love life! I currently teach Art at Harmony Science Academy North Austin campus (which is in Pflugerville, TX), but live in Austin right on the border of Pflugerville! (pronounced Flugerville).
I attended University of North Texas in Denton, where I received my BFA in Art Education. I am hoping to keep continuing my education and setting a pathway for my son to follow. I believe I will always be a life long learner, I have a love to always want to know more and improve myself, my art and my teaching. I have learned more about myself through this program then I ever expected and in such a short amount of time. I have been so excited about this class starting! I am glad it is finally here!
My artwork is more of collage style. I love to paint and draw multiple things all over canvas with mixed media to create an interesting composition. Right now I am attempting to start a series about my past, working through the pain and into the future that I hope will be the start of what I will exhibit for my defense. I tend to either start something and go at it head on until it's finished or like the piece now I started this summer and is now just sitting and I am pondering where it may take me and if I am ready to jump off that cliff and dive in head first. I judge my art I think in a couple different ways. I sit back and look at it and see if it needs more, sometimes I ask others to look at it and see what they think and if I should change or add anything. I think I am my own worst critic and judge myself pretty harsh at first and then when I feel that it is as complete as I can make it and ready to move on I feel pretty satisfied with myself and what I just created.
My favorite class was always Art. My high school art teacher, pretty much took me under her wing and molded me as an artist. She really pushed me as far as she could almost to my breaking point, which I hated at the time but love her for it now. I try to do this to my students as well when I know they have so much more they can do and are able. I also really loved my Chemistry class. My teacher was SUPER strict as far as her expectations and what she wanted from us, I guess I just love the structure she had and tend to put a lot of that in my classroom as well. When I have tried to be more lax the students just don't do what is needed. But with my Advanced art kiddos I give them a lot more freedom then my Art I kids. Which I like because they get so much more creative!
Thanks for taking the time to read about me! I look forward to the rest of the semester and finding out more about the rest of you!
Which art class was the best? Did it every relate to your chemistry class?
DeleteI think my Senior year Art IV class was the best. I was really able to explore more medias and experiment more with different things. I think she pushed me more then and helped me get out of my box! I don't think that it related to each other, they were so completely differently ran and the environment was so completely different.
DeleteHello Andrea!
DeleteI have seen some of your art and you are so creative and innovative. I was really blown away from your artwork, especially the book that you made with the leather cover. You really know how to reinvent your ideas. It certainly must have come from your high school art teacher pushing you to your limit. It is challenging to instill that kind of drive in students because they give up so easily when something doesn't materialize the way they envisioned.
Corina Carmona
Hello Andrea,
DeleteI too share your ideal of being a life-long learner. Your artistic background coupled with your Chemistry class have given you opportunities to stretch and grow in creative and dynamic ways. I can tell by your writing that you are passionate about teaching art. Your classroom kids as well as your son will greatly benefit from this passion. I look forward to interacting with you this semester.
Do you have a link for any examples of your work?
Rick Kincheloe
I am sorry for responding so late and I will post later on another blog. I have a facebook page Andrea's Artistic Palette feel free to check it out, alot of my work is on there, not all but a good bit of it. I add a lot while working on projects or commissions. Thanks so much for the great feedback, I am really looking fwd to this class!!!
DeleteHello everyone! My name is Jayson Luce and I am a full time MAE student, and the Graduate Research Assistant for the MAE program and school of art, here at Texas Tech University. I currently live in Lubbock, however I am originally from Lake Jackson Texas. It is a small town of 27,000, just an hour south of Houston, and ten minutes from the Gulf of Mexico. I received my undergraduate degree from Texas Tech this last May, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Studies. I am certified in Pre-k – 12th grade Art, and make art on my own time.
ReplyDeleteAfter I receive my degree through the MAE, I hope to go straight into my own art classroom. I love art, I love kids, and I love teaching. To be able to share my passion of art with my students and invite who they are into the classroom is something I look forward to in the future! With the help of this degree I hope that I will gain more information and creative ways to invite my students personality, soul, and dreams to make up the foundation of my art class.
Before I came to Texas Tech, I went to a Junior college for two years. Aside from art, my true passion is animals, wildlife, and the environment. I have always wanted to be a zookeeper. To say I am obsessed with animals is really an understatement! However I took an art class at my Junior college, and I was instantly drawn back to a part of me that I had put on a shelf. I had taken art classes my whole life, loved art, and made art on my own. However I never acted on it in college until I took this class. Right then I knew I was meant to be an artist and my art would be focused on my love and passion for animals, and zoos.
When it comes to being inspired for my art, I always look to environmental magazines, nature books, and the outdoors themselves. I also have accumulated quite a number of books that help me get new ideas, but the long walks with my dog bring all the inspiration to one place in my head. When it comes to how I work on my art, I usually see something that gets my attention, and then I make a note of it in my phone or instantly start sketching the idea until I am satisfied with what I came up with. Usually when judging my own art, the first question is do I like it? Then what do I like about it, and what do I not like? What can I improve on? Then finally, is this what I want representing who I am as an artist?
My favorite class that I ever had was my Aquatic Science class, my senior year of high school. The class was split into groups of our choosing and each group received an empty aquarium. Each group set their tank up with a class set of filters, pumps, and equipment. We would then go to the beach grab trashcans full of real beach sand, and water from the gulf. When the sand, and water was established in the tanks; rocks, fake seaweed and other materials to be set up, as an environment was ready. We then went and caught live fish, crabs, shrimp, oysters, anemones, and other sea life and made our own ecosystems in theses aquariums. We were in charge of cleaning, feeding, and caring for our tank. Everything we borrowed from the environment was then re-released back in the natural environment at the end of the year. We also studied oceanography, marine biology, and much more. We also participated in beach clean ups! The teacher was amazing herself! She was a surfer, who lived at the beach, and studied school in Michigan. She was one of the smartest people I have ever met, but was so down to earth, laid back, and just plain cool. Her class was fun, never boring. That is exactly what I hope to bring to my students in my classroom, and also get them active and out of the classroom to show them art is everywhere!
Jayson! Hi! So glad to see you in the class. :) Your personality shines through your writing and I get caught up in the excitement coming through your words about the Aquatic Science class. What I notice from your description about your favorite class/teacher is that the subject wasn't just any old subject for your teacher--she lived and breathed her passion for the water. How authentic! Hopefully my students can see that passion for art coming through my personality as I instruct them day to day.
DeleteThank you Emily! I am so glad to see you are in my class as well! You are absolutely right. Her passion and love for the water was evident throughout her class! I feel being passionate about what you are teaching can make a huge impact on your students learning!
DeleteHave you ever thought of combining your art and your love of zoos into an educational position as a Museum (zoo) Educator?
DeleteI have! That has always been a dream of mine. I would love to work as an art educator in zoos. Ideally I would like to practice art education through animal enrichment. Animal enrichment is the idea where you provide animals with stimulating and challenging surroundings,activities with goals, and object interaction. One way zoo's do this is through art. Elephants, apes, porcupines, and array of animals have enrichment through art. This is definitely what I would like to end up practicing when I finish school.
DeleteHello Jason,
DeleteYou would make a great teacher, and I know for sure there would never be a dull moment in your classroom. I wish I could be a student taking your class, I imagine how animated it would be.
Corina
Hello Jayson,
DeleteIt's a pleasure to be in this Pedagogy class with you this semester. I can certainly appreciate your passion to teach (I too believe you will be a great teacher), your love of animals, and how you plan to incorporate the two passions into your teaching lifestyle.
Setting up your aquarium in your Aquatic Science class was quite a venture. What fun that must have been. What better way to learn about sea life when creating your own living environment! Because your teacher made learning "fun", that teaching style will live through you as you teach in your own ways.
Rick Kincheloe
Good evening! My name is Emily Brown and I currently live/teach in Allen, TX. My undergraduate degree is in Visual Art studies through the University of North Texas. I just began my MAE coursework Spring 2012 and still find my mind drifting back to my wonderful Junction experience this past summer. I knew about the TTU MAE online program when I graduated from UNT, but the idea floated in the back of my mind until last year when I decided I was not finished with my own education. I love the challenge of new coursework and the interactions with my classmates from all different walks/experiences. This is my 6th year teaching K-6 art education. Between my finishing undergrad and beginning graduate work I continued working on my personal artwork, primarily through welded steel forms and cast metals (bronze, aluminum, iron). I have always tried to maintain a balance between teaching art, viewing art, and making art--although many times that is very difficult to maintain!!
ReplyDeleteToday marked the beginning of the school year in my district; I'll admit, after the three weeks of PDAS/new teacher training leading up to this day, I've never been so glad to see full classes of bouncy, smiling children! With new leadership roles and new art teachers to help into their groove, I'm finding myself staying later at work than I am used to/like to. I suppose it's all a part of reassessing and finding that balance again. Coming off of a great summer of my own art making, my flow of creativity has taken a bump with the start of my Fall work schedule. I have set goals for myself so that I can continue my own creative outlet at home. This summer I got back into clay after being away for about 5-6 years; I loved having my hands on clay and learning under Prof Watkins. I discovered a new direction for myself and if I can wheel and deal just right, hopefully I can get a wheel at home to keep this momentum.
I find my inspiration for my personal work through my own processing of life, my narrative. I've had some major bumps through the last 10 years that have found healing through my ability to "speak" in my art. I'm sure as our class progresses there will be opportunity to share more specifically about the dialog between my life and my art. I have noticed, though, that I didn't have success with speaking honestly through my art until much later in my education (maybe my 4th year of undergrad). My art education through middle school and high school, although packed with art classes, didn't equip me to place meaning in my imagery; these classes were DBAE heavy, where the emphasis rested on elements/principles of art and studio technique. I was technically advanced, but my work was flat and void of meaning. Later in my learning, through key periods of studying under specific professors, I finally learned how to blend technicality and meaning. In my own teaching now, I push hard to not place too much emphasis on the elements/principles and teach my students to talk and feel out their making.
I'm so excited to read all of your intros and I'm very much looking forward to studying/conversing with y'all throughout this semester!
Hello Emily,
DeleteI remember you from Junction this last Summer. It was my first semester in the program, and I had such a blast. I completely understand about the juggling act of work, art, and staying involved in the art scene. I look forward to working with you in class. Nice to see familiar faces here.
Corina Carmona
Hello Emily,
DeleteI remember you from Junction Summer 2013. I look forward to interacting with you and my classmates this semester in this Pedagogy class. I too also love the educational environment where sharing/learning from others is dynamic.
I'm sure you're extremely busy teaching children in Allen ISD and making art in your free time. I suppose making art is cathartic in relation to your teaching expectations/requirements.
I also enjoyed Junction and I relished any opportunities to learn from the glass artists, ceramic artists and printmakers. I have great respect for your search for identity and meaning in your work. Art and architecture are similar in that they are both a practice that requires years of dedication and discovery.
Rick Kincheloe
That is what I love about our time in Junction! We can have that experience of talking face-to-face to help our online conversations. And hopefully, we will see each other again.
DeleteI can't wait to hear what you each got out of our readings. I know my own perspective--of course--but relish seeing someone else's point of view in a conversation. It helps to make more connections to another walk, another view point.
Totally forgot to add a link to my art images, in case you are interested. I have some of my Junction clay pieces here: http://cargocollective.com/EBrown
ReplyDeleteGreat images of your work. I love how you move very easily between processes and forms. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteHello Class,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Rick Kincheloe and I live in the Carpenter-Wells apartment community on the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock Texas. I received my undergraduate degree in Architecture (Design Specialization) from Texas Tech University.
I have practiced architecture for 14+ years and am presently pursuing a Master's degree in Art Education. As a previous architectural designer (I cannot and will not call myself an architect as I am not licensed), I am a problem solver by nature. I am very analytical in processing information and the conclusions derived therefrom. Architecture is a meld of art and structure. Although I have held several titles and comprised and revised numerous building types, the bulk of my experience has been in generating construction documents on computer automated drawings (CAD). Because of the nature of the firms I have worked with and the scope of their work, I have had relatively few opportunities for design in the schematic design phase. There simply hadn't been opportunities for me to develop in lieu of the progression of projects. This ideal has caused me to evaluate art and design in perhaps a different context.
I am a creative, imaginative individual who is passionate to pursue hidden talents in drawing/painting art realms. Generally, I am not quick to make decisions as I am exhaustive to analyze information carefully and critically. That is largely due to my architectural background. However, regarding experienced applications of art in mixed media, I resolve issues quickly and with a relatively high level of detail.
My favorite class without question was Arch. 3342 Freehand 4 Presentation with Virginia Thompson. In her class I was able to thoroughly investigate color theory presented on a variety of materials utilizing mixed media. Mrs. Thompson encouraged creativity and imagination at every turn. Perhaps because her approach was less architectural related and more drawing and painting related, I was able to excel. Some of my best work was produced in that class.
I look forward to this new journey of Art Education and where my talents and abilities will lead me.
As someone who taught Architectural Drawing (freehand) for 4 years, I totally agree it is the most "at ease" of all the classes offered. Which lesson was your favorite?
DeleteHello Rick,
DeleteI share a drafting background with you. Drafting was my first major in college, and I love architecture, mostly residential. Hope you had a good remainder of a summer.
Corina Carmona
Future,
DeleteMy favorite class with Virginia Thompson was watercolor rendering and gouache. We spent 2-3 days using the mediums and I quickly learned how to work quickly with watercolor and the happy accidents that were discovered. Gouache allowed me to make mistakes with my work and make corrections from initial mistakes. I learned a great deal about these 2 mediums.
Rick Kincheloe
Corina,
DeleteIt's a pleasure to be in this Pedagogy class with you this semester. I learned a great deal from you in the Fresco painting class.
Rick Kincheloe
Rick! Yes, I met you this summer at Junction. I'm glad to have talked with you while we were there and it's great to see that you'll be in Pedagogy this semester. You have great experiences in the world of design that I only know about in the book sense (architecture/CAD rendering); I'm very interested to hear your viewpoint as we move through the material.
DeleteHello All! My name is David Bondt, I was born in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Seven years ago I moved to Lubbock, Texas from Kilkenny, Ireland. At present, I am a teacher assistant in the art department at Texas Tech University and enrolled in the MAE (Master of Art Education) program.
ReplyDeleteI took some college courses from Red Deer College, in Alberta, Canada and completed my undergrad in Education from Wayland University. In the past two years I was blessed with the opportunity to teach art to 600 plus elementary students here in Lubbock at Cooper South ISD.
My introduction to art came from an abstract artist from New York who was my neighbor growing up. This artist gave me a love for art and since then, painting has always been an integral part of my life.
When I immerse myself in creating art, it becomes a meditative process. I use it as a way to achieve balance and I enjoy using color along with designs that arise spontaneously. My main inspiration comes mostly from God’s creation, this stems from growing up on a farm and living by the sea.
I also find inspiration from music, poetry, traveling, and other artistic/love relationships that spring forth life into my creative process. Those life artists who have influenced me the most are those whose lives dictate beauty and love. These individuals include my family, friends, and especially my beautiful wife, Lisa. I believe we are all connected and these relationships contribute to who I am and what my art becomes.
I am also a father to a very intuitive two year old named Liam who has artistic gifts of his own. This core relationship continues to open up a whole new perspective in my creative energy which is filled with excitement and gratitude.
The main medium that I work with is painting, but recently I have been exploring printmaking and some mix media. I desire to try as many different forms of art as I can, because I love to discover and explore new ways of creating.
A biology class I took in college was definitely my favorite. I remember the professor had a passion for his discipline. What stands out most, was our instructions were sometimes held outdoors where we would do experiments or observations of our environment. The professor also had us write to our political leaders about an environmental concern that was important to us.
I am looking forward to getting to know you all this semester.
Nice to meet you David.
DeleteCorina Carmona
David, hearing all the places in your writings--Canada, Ireland, the sea, (Lubbock)--i'm interested to look at your work and see how these places have influenced your making. And, as an elementary teacher, I'm a huge fan of the "little folk" and I'm interested to hear about your son's artistic endeavors. I don't have kids myself, but have poured myself into my nephews' lives, getting their little hands (4 yr old and 9 mo) into art media as much as possible. I love hearing my nephew Graham (4) verbalize about "art" and love that he has a very broad definition to what is art.
DeleteHello everyone
ReplyDeleteMy name is Kyle Garcia and I currently attend Texas Tech as a Master student of Secondary Education. I currently live in Lubbock and as of recently work a ton. I got my undergrad in History at TTU.
I wanted to be come a History teacher and that changed fast when the State of Texas changed the education (STARR) tests. So I decided to switch to Art and become an Art teacher but I'm currently being screwed on that as well. (another story for another day). I mostly draw in black & white but want to learn new and different times of media. I have a passion for art in whatever form it is in, video games, pictures, buildings, tattoos, etc. I am influenced by natural life things when I do my art. Things usually are personal and have meaning and/or a background story.
I don't think I have really had a favorite class but I have had good classes. The good classes I have had were the delineation classes I took while I was in Architecture. The classes where taught in a way that we could do our own thing and work in our own environment. The reason I say there were good but not my favorite is because they didn't really teach us any new techniques. As an artist I always want to learn new ways to draw and different ways of thinking but the classes were only good for people that knew how to draw like myself. Other students struggle that did know much about drawing or the medias didn't get the opportunity to learn ways to improve. That's what I remember the most.
I hope to learn more and improve my art and I am looking forward to what the next couple months will bring.
Nice to meet you Kyle.
DeleteIt's really cool to hear that you are interested in more learning, Kyle; I myself am a life-long learner. I know there is always something out there that can captivate my attention and take me into another branch of discovery. Sometimes the "system" of public education can be wearisome, but (as a teacher) I do what I can to influence and change the not so great parts and really cheer what the schools are doing right. It's that pendulum of education, always swinging from one extreme to another. :)
DeleteHello fellow classmates, I am Corina Carmona from Alamo, Texas, a border town in the Rio Grande Valley. I am an artist and high school art teacher in my old hometown of Donna, Texas going on my eighth year of teaching. I studied visual arts at South Texas College where I earned my Associate of Arts degree, and studio art at the University of Texas-Pan American where I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts. I began working on my Master of Art Education at TTU this past summer in Junction. Some of you I had the honor of meeting in bookmaking (Andrea) and fresco painting (Jason, Rick).
ReplyDeleteBefore I began the MAE program, I felt as if I had a spinning weather vane attached to my head regarding my art. I needed more guidance and certainly more artistic growth. I knew that when I find my voice that I could become a better teacher. I want to give my students that spark, but I knew I needed to find it in myself first. That is what I want my MAE degree to give me, my own voice and spark that I could ignite in my students.
My artwork is inspired by the border culture that I live in and that lives in me. Looking for my chican@ identity also inspires my work. The past few years of my personal life have been a healing phase for me, and I have done a lot of soul searching. I find a lot of inspiration in researching various topics through online libraries. I have been addicted to online libraries since my undergrad days, and I research anything and everything I can. I tend to ponder on topics for months at a time, and revisit my thoughts time and again.
When I do begin an art project, I research as thoroughly as I can. When it comes to judging my own work, I am hypercritical of myself. I painted from vintage photographs as an undergrad, and although I was happy with my paintings I didn’t feel they had a message. I was proud of my heritage, but I didn’t fully understand my chican@ identity, nor did I embrace it.
One of my favorite classes was my first painting class. It was a small class of about 8 students. It was structured and the instructor consulted with each student individually. He was a great mentor for me and was the one that inspired me to change my major from drafting to art. It was a great environment and everyone respected each other. I still remember him telling us to do what we love.
Corina Carmona
Greetings everyone. What a great group of students with a wide range of histories. This will be a great semester as each of your respond to our readings and each other.
DeleteHello Corina,
DeleteI'm glad to be in Future's Pedagogy class with you this semester. I respect your approach to research when beginning an art project and being very critical of your ideals. Having a mentor is paramount when inaugurating journeys of self discovery and refinement. Without them (mentors), who knows where our journeys would lead. I respect that you are searching for insight to your border identity and the enormity of ideals that derive that realm. Though I have only seen your recent work in the previous Fresco painting class, you are extremely talented and have great stories (paintings) to tell. I look forward to your insight this semester.
Rick Kincheloe
YAY!!! Hi Corina!!! I'm soo excited to see you are in this class! I love hearing your insight on topics! You bring such a different light to things that I never would even think about! This only makes this class even more exciting!!!
DeleteYAY!!! Hi Corina!!! I'm soo excited to see you are in this class! I love hearing your insight on topics! You bring such a different light to things that I never would even think about! This only makes this class even more exciting!!!
DeleteCorina, it's great to see you in this class. I'm glad we'll get the opportunity to learn together. :)
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