Teacher Workshops 2000



What facet of participating in the CCC Workshops was most useful and applicable to your teaching?

A new found (re-found) sense of creating a new space for teaching art. Teaching doesn’t have to be boring and repetitive. Teaching is a process and an exploration and most importantly, I feel more like an artist who teaches rather than a teacher who chooses to teach art.

I think the selective groups were most effective because of the closeness. The conversations were more personalized, criticisms were accurate, and examples were very helpful to my curriculum and me here and at Englewood.

Critiquing each other’s art and developing new artistic approaches to teaching art. Understanding contemporary issues that can be used in cultural development.

Because I am currently writing curriculum for a new class and I want to strengthen curriculum for a class I already teach. I feel I now have more ideas than ever to begin developing really exciting and involved new lessons/units. I also find a greater need to explore resources and apply them to my work as an artist and teacher.



What facet of participating in the CCC Workshops was most interesting and enjoyable for you?

The collaborative process between fellow artist/educators. It was incredible help to make and talk about art that can be implemented in my classroom.

This workshop challenged my perceptions of art from a more historical context to a context of lived experience.

The idea of collaborating with others in my field of work. I really enjoyed meeting and getting to know other art teachers.

Originally, I enjoyed the sense of exploration, but as the project evolved it was the critical nature of our work that kept me interested. There was also a sense of play to the workshops -- that also kept me interested. It felt real!



Do the CCC goals and objectives address issues and art practices that are important in your school and community?

Yes. I would like to be part of an on-going community of teachers to explore contemporary issues. I want to continue to investigate contemporary issues with students. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to help students and myself.

They’re important to me and most of our art faculty. However, I struggle with the more representational artwork that is valued and chosen at our local Scholastic competition. Also, many art schools require "traditional" artwork for portfolios. AP portfolio also seems to lean in this direction.

Being in an inner city school, apathy among students seems to be keynote. Therefore, to engage the student to take ownership is a major task. Once engaged, they begin to engage themselves in the process.

My community is trying to survive. There is not a lot of thought about the arts, which makes the CCC project even more valuable because it links community issues with study (school).

I feel the curriculum [in the school I recently joined] is a hit or miss process and many of the lessons being taught do not relate to students or help them define their world.

Our schools and community are pretty divided. It encompasses a very large area and economic conditions. Art can be used to help unite the community.



Do you anticipate that the CCC Initiative will effect your teaching in the future?

The program has enhanced my drive, determination, and knowledge. It has taught me to read more about other artists who have art works like the one I’m trying to create.
It also taught me to research back in the past and compare work from then and work from now.

I have examined how I have been teaching the last few years and realized that I must change my approach in much of what I do and expand some of my projects to evoke more introspection as well as discussion in my classes.

The means of doing so is to review curricula so that the emphasis is not so much on product but on engagement and ideas and aesthetics in general.

I will not teach as many principle and element exercises -- but rather, teach a more contemporary curriculum and the principles and elements within the broader idea.

It has started me on questioning and dialoguing. I look at everything differently and ask different questions than I have in the past. It has started a new search for understanding.

I hope to incorporate the projects that other teachers developed into my curriculum.

This initiative has already affected my teaching. When developing lessons, I take a closer look at why I’m teaching the lesson and what affect the lesson will have on the students.

I want to challenge my students in the art room with meaningful activities. These activities should help students understand their world. The same concepts of CCC can also be applied to all lessons taught in the school.

I will continue pursuing the idea of incorporating projects that are community and contemporary based. I plan to try all of the artist projects we did in class next year, but with more depth in my presentation and more preparation in regard to materials.

I look forward to the web site. Also, seeing the kinds of projects that have been developed I have been inspired to develop and do more "fun" projects with my students. I see once again that they can really have fun and learn a lot more at the same time.

Yes, I will abandon some projects I have used in the past. I will replace them with projects from CCC. Hurrah.

I learned a vocabulary and a concept that helps define my teaching.
I feel it is a matter of credibility and confidence when I can articulate my philosophy of education and understand my motives. I was also edified as an artist, which is an important, but overlooked, part of my being.