My Ethos
By teaching our young people to think and act creatively we are preparing them, both practically and emotionally, for the changing world they are to face as adults. It is for this reason that I care so deeply about the value of the arts in education. Technological advances have completely redefined the way we live and communicate, and as such, success no longer hinges on how much we know, but on our ability to think creatively. In addition, anxiety and depression are increasing at a disturbing rate amongst our youth today, many of whom report academic pressure to be a significant contributing factor to this. Amongst so much prescribed, knowledge-based learning, an Art lesson provides a young person with the opportunity to let go and express themselves. Art provides a time and space where there is no right answer and mistakes are celebrated.
Art teaches awareness and critical thinking. It teaches History, Philosophy and Politics. I aim to teach my students to not only look, but to see. I want them to see the world in all of its beauty and ugliness, to absorb it, reflect on it and use it to shape their own opinions. I want them to have confidence in both the way they think, and in the way they respond to this through visual language.
Visual diaries and critique:
At the beginning of my GCSE and A Level courses I present my students with a visual diary. A little book for big ideas - one to become attached to. There is no expected way to fill this out, so long as it is. Students use their visual diaries as a means of recording thoughts, ideas, experiments, drawings and research. Wherever possible, I encourage my students to use a wall space at home for displaying their work in progress. Their walls should be full, and constantly changing in order to demonstrate their developing ideas. Displaying work in progress which can be seen by friends and family takes courage, but it reaps its rewards. By learning to do this, the students learn to critique, analyse and share their ideas. Regular critique either in small group classes or individually with me allows the opportunity to both ask and answer questions, explain their ideas and develop presentation skills.
Observational drawing
Observational drawing lies at the core of my teaching at all times. Through learning to draw from direct observation, students learn to look, and in doing so they learn to see and notice the world around them. This improves not only their technical skill across other media, but also their creative thinking skills and ability to translate concept and opinion into visual language.
Many young people are frightened by this requirement to draw, but this is almost always because of the misconception around what drawing is - something I spend considerable time teaching my students. A drawing does not have to be photorealistic, nor does it have to be done on paper with a pen or pencil. Drawing can come in many forms and can be experimental and abstract. Can you draw movement? Can you draw happiness and anger? Can you draw with wire?
“Sometimes magic things happen; it’s just something within the process. I don’t like it when the drawings get too neat. It looks like a machine’s done them, so it’s no good, it’s got to be real, you know?”