Bio

Dedicated, caring, and highly organized art teacher. I intend to develop the required artmaking techniques, critical analysis, and portfolio development skills to complete the course’s three components to the best of your ability. I have taught VCE (Victoria Certificate of Education- Melbourne, Australia) and IB Visual Arts SL and HL for several years, and I am an IB Examiner. I am also an EE Supervisor. I am strong in many art-making forms such as painting, drawing, digital art, printmaking, and sculpture. I am continually upskilling to expand my knowledge bank of innovative skills and techniques.

Teaching Experience

2017-Current: Victoria International School of Sharjah (VISS), UAE
IB Visual Arts SL and HL
IB Extended Essay Supervisor for Visual Arts
2009-2017: Pakenham Secondary College, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
VCE SENIOR ART, teaching senior visual arts course to senior students

What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe strongly in the late Sir. Ken Robinson’s quote that:
“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, then you won’t come up with anything original.”

As an Arts Educator, I strive to encourage students to take risks with their creativity and hope that by providing a supportive and fun learning environment, I might spark some life-long love of the arts. I believe that collaboration is vital; with the teacher as the instigator and classroom manager and students as judicious collaborators is the foundation of my ideal classroom environment. Students will develop the skills necessary with guidance to work independently Cultivating caring, kindness, and empathy in my students and leading this by example is an important aspect of my teaching philosophy.

What might you do in a typical first session with a student?

Critical and Analysis Skills: I will expose the students to the subject-specific language and skills needed to analyze an artwork at a deep level critically. Students will discuss the formal qualities, function, purpose, and cultural context of artwork and make links to their own art-making.
Reflection and Development of art-making processes: I will guide students by creating an artwork, the initial stages of brainstorming, sketching ideas, developing ideas from inspirational artists, and the refinement of ideas throughout their art-making. Students will learn the skills needed to create a process portfolio using their visual journal and digitally.
Skills and Techniques: Students will have opportunities to experiment and develop skills in several art media such as painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculptural techniques. I can suggest artists study as an inspiration and can teach and guide students through specific techniques and materials needed to create their artworks, depending on their intentions.

How can you help a student become an independent learner?

I will help them to become an independent learner by helping them build confidence in their art-making abilities so that they have the ability to take risks with their art. Students will also build the language needed to analyze their own and others’ work critically.

How would you help a student stay motivated?

I have a warm and positive attitude, and I strive to work with students individually and ascertain where they are to help them move forward. I make a point of pointing out what has been done well, in addition to suggestions for changes or improvements. In a 1-1 lesson, my students are focused because there are clear objectives. Students will be scaffolded thoroughly through the course with many examples of students’ work, checklists, and feedback.

If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?

I try to determine what they aren’t understanding and will work hard to find other ways of teaching the skill or concept, whether verbally or visually. Every student is different, and I have enough experience to approach students’ needs in multiple ways.

How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?

As a trained English teacher who has worked in an international context where students have English as a second language, I have the skills necessary to assist students with the comprehension of texts.

What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?

I like to be very prepared. I like to build a strong rapport, listen to the student, and respond positively to them to build up their confidence. I also think it’s important to have clear expectations, deadlines, and learning objectives for every lesson, so the student and teacher know what a successful lesson looks like and whether they have achieved what was required of them. If I have to read and comment on an artwork or a writing component, I may charge a fee to prepare for the lesson, but I will always clear that with the student first. When I have a regular student, I ask them to share their syllabus and/or assessment calendar to keep abreast of what the student will need to know going forward.

How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling with?

I keep a personable and friendly tone; I am aware that many of the students seek help because they lack confidence in the subject or realize they need a little help to improve their scores. I also ask many guiding questions to arrive at an answer, rather than giving it to them.

What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?

Repetition is the key to a student understanding the requirements of the course. I will provide multiple methods to understand the content, such as templates, checklists, examples of high-quality works. I will also annotate the student’s work and allow students to see the criteria’ links to see where improvements can be made.

How do you build a student’s confidence in a subject?

There is always something that the student has done well, and I make sure to let them know what they did well before I discuss suggestions for how to improve. I will build on the student’s individual strengths and abilities and assist them in making connections to artists who work with similar techniques and materials to make the connection on a wider scale.

How do you evaluate a student’s needs?

I evaluate a student’s needs by asking guiding questions and determining where the gaps may be, whether with the course’s practical or theoretical components. Looking at their work and aligning it with the criteria is another way of doing this.

How do you adapt your tutoring to the student’s needs?

Each student is an individual, and each student has different knowledge and skill set based on their prior experience and exposure to the subject. It’s my role to determine where they sit and develop their skills according to how they best learn. Some students need more structure and guidance than others. Like any good teacher, this differentiation comes down to many years of teaching and experience.

What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?

For one-to-one tutoring, I like working with Onenote or Google Docs or software that gives us live editing capabilities. Screen-sharing is key because tutoring is really a continuous exchange between my students and myself. I also use a document camera so students can see me working live with materials if needed.

Teaching Skills