I am a super fun, experienced P-6 Visual Art & Media Art specialist teacher. I founded and now co-manage the Australian affiliate for TAB (Teaching for Artistic Behaviour) called, “Aussie TAB Teachers”. We have members from all over Australia who share resources and provide collegial advice to other teachers on their TAB journey. I teach a combination of choice-based and teacher guided instruction
. Every child is acknowledged as an artist and is encouraged to explore, plan, develop and reflect upon their creative ideas using the following Studio Habits of Mind:
• Develop Craft
• Engage & Persist
• Express
• Envision
• Observe
• Reflect
• Stretch & Explore
• Understand Art World
Students work towards their own personal goals and complete reflective self-assessments and artist statements. Students are more likely to be self-motivated in a choice-based studio and therefore more confident in their ability as they dig deeper into their choice of inquiry. In my art studio students feel comfortable making mistakes. My students are encouraged to build resilience by taking risks with their art choices and to problem solve when things don’t go as they planned. We welcome these “beautiful oops” as building blocks towards new directions, perfecting new skills or new experiences. I believe that it is important to ensure that every student believes and knows that they can be successful and confident learners. I am therefore committed to supporting students to discover and develop, to the fullest, their innate potential using growth mind-set approaches. Assessment is a means to track the many kinds of learning that happen in my classes so that the needs of all students can be met. When students work independently, I can observe what students know and can do on their own. This informs me of how I can scaffold instruction for those who need additional support or challenge. The Studio Habits of Mind provide the framework to target instruction for improved understanding. Students monitor and self-assess their progress through various practices, such as entry/exit tickets, journals, rubrics, artist statements and online portfolios. In doing so, they take greater ownership of their progress. Semester results are based on how each student has responded to the Studio Habits of Mind (SHoM)
