Experience in Art Education

 

I have been working as an Artist in Residence for the past several years after 15 years as an educator with the Calgary Board of Education.  During my teaching career I had the opportunity to develop my understanding of the role the arts can play in student progress.  I believe that everyone, children included, should see themselves as creators of culture, not just consumers or replicators of culture.  I also believe the arts develop a variety of literacies that help us see and understand the world in many ways.  I value the role of the inquiry process, a generative curriculum, cross-curricular work and assessment in the student/teacher/artist/community relationship.

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As well as my current role as an Artist in Residence, my extensive experience with children and the arts includes

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• Teaching at a CAPES school.  The Calgary Arts Partnership in Education Society funded artists from all disciplines to come into all classes and investigate the Alberta Program of Studies through the arts.  During each school year I planned, supported, extended and provided feedback to the many artists that worked with my students

• Writing  Artsmarts, Calgary Foundation and AFA funding grants as the principle and/or supporting author

• Leading the planning and scheduling of Artist in Residence programs in the schools I was teaching at

• Working on projects that range in scope and scale, from individual and discrete to whole school and global

• Facilitating and teaching visual art lessons in K-9 environments to support student understanding by providing opportunities for visual art to be used to represent and express information in my role as a Leading Leader

• Moving with students outside the classroom and into the community

• Providing professional development to teachers in arts integration, visual art technique, and exploration of art materials

• Working with multi-generational groups on community projects supported by community associations and The City of Calgary public art program

• Working with children pre-school age (with a caregiver) to early teens as an instructor at The City of Calgary Art Centers

• Pursuing my own professional development involving art education.  PD has included membership in the Reggio network, The Alberta Teachers’ Fine Arts Council and The Canadian and International Society for Education Through Art