Lori Sokolowski
Being a teaching artist is hard work. There are the sticky, dirty germs and the immune system that can’t keep up at every new school site. Then there’s those Friday afternoons with a hyper class of third graders. Sometimes, there’s the not so great classroom teacher who sits disengaged in the back of the room grading papers, eating, or even worse, napping. Yes, I said napping. But it’s not always like that. The teacher napping incident was a one-time thing. Most of the time being a teaching artist in a school setting is an inspiring and invigorating experience. I learn from my students and their classroom teachers as much as I hope they learn from me.
At San Diego’s Museum of Photographic Arts I split my responsibilities as a teaching artist for CARE (Collaborative Arts Resources for Education) with other administrative responsibilities. The pedagogy of teaching artistry has made me a better administrator and I would like to share these four tips with you.
1. Build a Community
When starting at a new school site it is imperative that teaching artists practice community building activities with their students. Throughout the school year classroom teachers strive for this in order to create a safe and supportive environment that allows students to focus on learning.
Making art can be a vulnerable experience for a lot of students which makes it even more important that they feel safe enough to express themselves creatively. On the first day of a new residency I make sure to try my best to learn the name of every single student. When the students are working independently I introduce myself to each student, ask for her or his name, give her or him a sticker, and repeat her or his name and one observation about her or him to help me connect.
As an arts administrator you can nurture your relationships with staff, community partners, or donors to increase communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Some ways you can build your community in the professional field is to practice team building on a continued basis. There are many parallels between building a community in the classroom and building a community in the workplace such as celebrating success, gaining trust, respecting individuality and embracing differences. Get to know each other!
2. Set Clear Expectations
When designing lesson plans and activities teaching artists lay out learning objectives, just like classroom teachers would. When I start a lesson I also tell my students the goals for the day so they know what to expect and what is expected of them. Some teachers have students complete rubrics in order to assess their own learning.
As an arts administrator, you can try designing programs with clear objectives and goals in mind. This helps with student assessment and can also guide the design of your program assessment tools.
Another way you can use clear expectations is to be organized and direct with colleagues when collaborating on projects together. I’m not saying you should treat your colleagues like students. Instead think of it as a way to respect their time and efforts by being prepared. An example that may seem obvious to most (unfortunately not all) is to prepare a clear and organized agenda for meetings and send it out beforehand. This will ensure that everyone in attendance knows what to expect and to follow up if they’ve missed something. I’m sure you’ve been to one of those meetings lacking an agenda. We could easily talk in circles for 2 hours, but someone needs to step into that “teacher” role and move the meeting along. Be the teacher!
3. Give Clear Instructions
Giving clear instructions ties in with setting clear expectations. As a teaching artist, I’ve needed to learn all sorts of classroom management tips and tricks. One simple tip is to ask students to help with art supplies. I often use this as a reward for good behavior or to occupy a student who is acting out. I also ask students to help solely because I need help with the piles of glue, scissors, paper, and cameras. I hand the supply to each student and state “You will do this, you will do this.” etc. I do not say, “I need help, you guys figure out who will help me.”
As an arts administrator, when delegating tasks to staff or designing program responsibilities, be clear and straightforward. This makes who will do what clear and holds people accountable. Yes, we are professional adults, but efficiency takes the cake in most situations. Be efficient!
4. Engage Your Audience
Everyone learns differently. As a teaching artist we differentiate instruction, enabling students to access the information from different points. In a photography class I don’t just have my students look at photographs taken from different vantage points, I also have them practice being photography ninjas, moving around the room with a pretend camera before moving on to real cameras. It’s difficult to differentiate instruction if you don’t know your students which is why community building is so important (remember #1?).
The 5E instructional model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate) is used a lot in science education, but applies to most teaching and learning settings. As an art administrator you can use some other teaching strategies to help reach your diverse audience of visitors, program participants, or colleagues in new and interesting ways.
At MOPA we consider this concept when designing program curriculum but also when designing exhibitions, interpretation in the galleries, or docent tours. We used to offer 15 minute art talks every Friday at noon which was an exciting way to witness the growth in engagement strategies as staff inspired one another to try new techniques. One time, my coworker brought in a record player and a stack of vinyl and played records that reminded her of the photograph we were looking at together. Why not try new engagement strategies when presenting in a meeting or at a conference? I feel pretty confident stating that most people don’t enjoy being talked at for an hour, whatever the setting. Do you agree? Go forth and engage!
