The role of social media in art education is one that is close to my heart. Internet content in general is incredibly helpful, though not without its drawbacks, when teaching Art. I came into teaching (Art) in a slightly backwards, flying fashion. A local school needed an Art teacher, I needed a job, and my background in Art History made me vastly more excited to teach Art than being an HRT warrior.
Shout out to the classroom teachers who see the same kids all year long and plan in multiple subjects with differentiation for all!
Needless to say, I was excited but didn't have a whole lot of pedagogy or practical experience to guide my new venture. So what do you teach to Kindergarten... 1st grade... 2nd grade... 3rd grade... 4th grade... 5th grade? My new teacher training gave me some structure for "Introduce yourself and the course. Invest students in their learning objectives!" Okay, but how?
Full disclosure: I entered the teaching profession as a corps member in the Teach for America program. This program has vocal fans and critics. My experience was both inspiring and devastating to me personally and professionally.
The support I received as a brand new art teacher was inconsistent at best. Make no mistake, I had a wealth of professional development opportunities that year but they varied in terms of relevance. Teaching art can be incredibly lonely because more often than not you are the only staff member at your school for your discipline. So it can be difficult, at first, to connect with experienced teachers and staff who understand the dynamic of an art room and can mentor you effectively. Therefore, I turned to the Internet.
Second disclosure: I am a diehard Pinterest fan. The site has infiltrated every part of my life from recipes to wedding planning and even how I'll dress my future child.
I have nothing but respect for the teachers who religiously update their blogs and regularly give the world wide web a glimpse into their classroom. Honestly, I've never even been good at keeping a journal. So I'm proud of brushing my teeth twice daily as one of my most regular routines. Hopefully this blog will help me change that dynamic!
After a few years of constantly combing the web for resources, here is my most sage advice:
Artfully,
Catherine
Shout out to the classroom teachers who see the same kids all year long and plan in multiple subjects with differentiation for all!
Needless to say, I was excited but didn't have a whole lot of pedagogy or practical experience to guide my new venture. So what do you teach to Kindergarten... 1st grade... 2nd grade... 3rd grade... 4th grade... 5th grade? My new teacher training gave me some structure for "Introduce yourself and the course. Invest students in their learning objectives!" Okay, but how?
Full disclosure: I entered the teaching profession as a corps member in the Teach for America program. This program has vocal fans and critics. My experience was both inspiring and devastating to me personally and professionally.
The support I received as a brand new art teacher was inconsistent at best. Make no mistake, I had a wealth of professional development opportunities that year but they varied in terms of relevance. Teaching art can be incredibly lonely because more often than not you are the only staff member at your school for your discipline. So it can be difficult, at first, to connect with experienced teachers and staff who understand the dynamic of an art room and can mentor you effectively. Therefore, I turned to the Internet.
Second disclosure: I am a diehard Pinterest fan. The site has infiltrated every part of my life from recipes to wedding planning and even how I'll dress my future child.
I have nothing but respect for the teachers who religiously update their blogs and regularly give the world wide web a glimpse into their classroom. Honestly, I've never even been good at keeping a journal. So I'm proud of brushing my teeth twice daily as one of my most regular routines. Hopefully this blog will help me change that dynamic!
After a few years of constantly combing the web for resources, here is my most sage advice:
- Open a Pinterest account and use it to search for ideas. It's free, easy to organize, and there are photos and links to pages about every imaginable topic connected to teaching Art (for one thing) and just about anything else you can imagine.
- Visit the Art of Education site and browse through their "ridiculously relevant" posts and professional development opportunities.
- Start a Bloglovin' feed and get an email every morning with a quick digest and links to all of the new posts put up on your favorite blogs.
- Who do you follow? Art of Education recently hosted their annual readers' choice award for the best art education blogs on the Internet. Here are the people they recommend... 2014 Art Ed Blog of the Year
- Many bloggers also have Pinterest accounts so make sure you link up and don't miss any of their great content. Like me! United States of Art on Pinterest.
- Be a careful curator for your sake and the sake of others. If you pin or "like" or somehow promote a photo/link make sure it is as good as it sounds! It's happened more than a few times when a link I've followed from an amazing picture turns out to be a pricey ad or simply a picture on Flickr. This platform is also useful (ie inspiring) but often lacks explicit instructions for how to make that beautiful artwork with little people.
Artfully,
Catherine
