Julia Schlotter Fanney - Philosophy of Education

"Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire."By W.B. Yeats

While the above statement pertains to education in general, insert art before education and you have a statement that embraces my teaching philosophy. I wish to bring an excitement to learning and an enthusiasm to seeking knowledge that translates into a life-long passion.

 

I became a teacher because of the enthusiasm of my teachers (college) and the revelation of some piece of knowledge that they would reveal. The lesson's success would be further determined by the critique of a project on why it was successful or not. I found these critiques to be highly beneficial personally not only for the input of my teacher but also from the other students so as to solve the "visual problem". I also learned that all of my prior knowledge would be called upon for these challenges and the ability to research a topic. Each new problem was highly exciting and made learning actually "fun". To bring these types of experiences to the classroom is my goal.

 

My teaching process will be to bring forth a variety of ways to create visual communication through art. By teaching different mediums and unique methods of solving creative dilemmas I hope to develop within the student the means of creative solutions to their artwork. My teaching style will include modeling, mentoring, and encouraging students to become artists that create meaningful communication to the viewer. These tools  that the student develops can be further applied to other studies and also to life applications.

 

As a teacher, with a background in Graphic Design and a society immersed in visual media, I feel it is essential for students to be able to communicate visually. This is applicable to students in all career aspirations. Too many times student and adult projects are great on content put poor visuals during presentations. By learning to appreciate art and the history of art, the student will develop a deeper understanding of the visual arts. By teaching my students this deeper appreciation of art I hope to as in the quote by Yeats to " not just fill the bucket, but light a fire" for a life-long passion for the visual arts and the expression therein.