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| t e a c h i n g p h i l o s o p h y . | |
Throughout my career I have been very fortunate to have access to great teachers and through them I have developed my own approach to teaching. The best teachers had at least one thing in common; they always gave students the opportunity and support to reach out and try and accomplish a new goal or achieve something beyond their comfort level. Because of this, I learned one of the most important aspects of successful teaching: of utmost importance in the creative environment is the question. This understanding has led me to realize some of the principles that guide my teaching philosophy. These principles include teaching students to ask questions, giving my students confidence in a creative environment, and teaching a balance in technical skill and conceptual knowledge. One of the most important aspects of my classes is to foster a creative atmosphere where the student is taught the ability to ask questions foremost then given the encouragement to strive to find the answers. Through art critiques, we often spend more time investigating the question rather than talking about the answer. This encourages students to further their search and always strive to push it one step further. In order to ensure the drive of my students I use a number of different approaches, most importantly I always set high expectations on their self direction and self discovery. Consequently, I find that my high expectations are emulated by my students; the students therefore set high standards for themselves and their peers. Another principle that structures my teaching philosophy is to always inspire confidence in my students that they are truly free to express themselves through art. I do this by giving them the guarantee that in my classroom, they will always have the opportunity to express themselves and have their ideas heard and respected by everyone within the class. Most students are then grateful to be in a class where the supportive environment allows every student the opportunity to have their ideas heard equally. Leading by example is also very important as the leader of a class. As I often tell my students, “We are all here together.” This not only means that we are all using the same studio and therefore must respect the working environment of it, but also that we are all asking questions and striving for the answers, including myself as the teacher. This helps foster an atmosphere of mutual sharing and development as the students are teaching me as well. I ultimately want the students to feel they are a part of something beyond themselves. When I tell them that this is “our” studio they feel included in a greater cause and therefore respect the group environment of a collective studio. Technical skill must always be the balancing factor to conceptual knowledge. Without the technological knowledge, the student faces barriers to truly be able to execute their ideas. My teaching method is to embed the instruction of the skills they need within an evolving contextual framework. The students then learn the skills they need while at the same time pursuing the answers to the questions they have asked. I have found that this helps sustain the excitement the students have with the material while teaching them the fundamental techniques they need to know in order to successfully complete a technical foundation in ceramics. My goal is always to bring my vast professional experiences into the classroom,
not just as theory, but as the practical knowledge and skills gained through
mentorship and private practice. Having a strong base of knowledge and experiences
are a good starting point for my philosophy of teaching, however I feel that
a willingness to be flexible and let my philosophy evolve is important. I consider
my personal and professional growth to be rooted in explorations into new developments
in the field, a continual participation within the art community, and actively
exhibiting current artwork. Collaborations with other professors and students
combined with a general openness to new ideas and concepts fuels my excitement
about the medium and inspires me to give these new ideas back to my students.
With this evolving knowledge base I can therefore assure my students they are
receiving the best possible education I can offer. Brian Harper |
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contents of this page 2007