Teaching Philosophy

As an art therapist, I start with a directive by looking at a blank canvas. One kinesthetic method, comparable to finger painting, includes crinkling up a piece of crisp paper and attaching it onto the blank canvas using gesso, a thick liquid preparation material applied to a canvas before painting. My hands spread the gesso, moving it into place, creating ridges and different textures with the saturated paper. As I pour the paint on top of the textured canvas, I imagine how the colors will interact. The ebbing and flowing of the pigments spark a creative flow through me. As paint seeps into the deep cracks, ridges form on the paper. An image begins to emerge. For me, this process is also a metaphor for teaching. 

Just as I begin my art process with a blank canvas, philosopher John Locke, believed that human beings are born with a "tabula rasa," a blank slate (Landau et al., 2017). Locke believed that a good education, one that encourages critical thinking and led by encouragement, is transformative. "As the mind is a blank canvas, or tabula rasa, at birth, Locke believed that anybody can be transformed by a good education, one that encourages rational thought and individual talents" (p. 133). Locke believed our experiences give us new ideas. Our senses, the way we take in our environment, conveys these experiences (Landau et al., 2017). Our senses then develop into our learning styles, namely visual, auditory, kinesthetic. This unique learning style can elicit many emotions and dictate how we engage with others. With this unique knowledge and background, one can also begin to take on and understand others' perspectives and learning methods, allowing us to become better teachers and better leaders in social justice and humanity. I am passionate about new neurological studies that are discovering new ways of expanding our understanding of learning styles in order to better apply that understanding to our pedagogy. 

I see all of my students as neurodiverse. I believe each brain is beautiful and uniquely diverse. There is not one that is the same. It is imperative that I, as an educator, understand how my student's brains learn and help them find their learning "niche," the education environment that they need to thrive (Armstong, 2011). I believe it is essential to apply skills that support each student's neurodiversity. Plasticity, creating new brain synapses, making connections, and applying them to the world outside the classroom are imperative for lifelong learning and critical thinking to help aid in creating their “niche.” 

Therefore, I view my students' learning styles as a tabula rasa. These various styles brought into the classroom by the students develop into many layers on top of a blank canvas. I make it my goal to aid students in developing their learning style to its full potential through storytelling and metaphors to allow them to thrive inside and out of my classroom. Thus I structure my classroom to be a collaborative atmosphere that makes each class memorable so my students walk out of the classroom differently than they walked in. Using the knowledge I have gained through my lived experiences in teaching, counseling, art therapy, volunteering, and advocacy, I can apply these experiences to the students' learning objectives to help them develop and apply new skills. 

To prepare students to become future leaders and social justice advocates, it is essential to combine all the learning styles to reach each student rather than tailor a lesson to one specific learning style. It is critical for everyone in the classroom to have a solid grasp of the subject they are learning. By teaching all learning styles and through multicultural lenses: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, students will be able to grasp and retain the information being taught and develop critical thinking skills for application in their future fields of art therapy and counseling, as well as leading roles in their communities. 

With my experience teaching international students, I know the importance of teaching with a multicultural lens. I know that students from outside of a Western culture have different world views and learning styles. To foster social diversity and be a culturally competent teacher, I address what might be missing in my teaching format and ask students questions that allow me to gain further insight to ensure the best learning experience. 

A professor needs to utilize materials for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners. Integrating the learning styles into a teaching plan introduces the students to innovative and creative learning. "We need imagination to illuminate those spaces not covered by data, facts, and proven information" (hooks, 2010). When a professor incorporates imagination and creativity into course materials, students of all learning styles will benefit greatly and understand that they can incorporate imagination and creativity into their learning. This teaching style builds self-efficacy in all students and fosters their growth as students and future counselors and art therapists. 

As an educator, I also have ethical and professional obligations to train future counselors and art therapists. The first ethical obligation is to meet the students where they are and foster their growth in learning. Each student comes into a classroom looking through their lens, their intersectionality. Their intersectionality stems from what community they grew up in, what race and pronouns they identify with, where they went to college to get their undergraduate degrees, what they were taught at that university, and privilege. It is also essential for professors to understand that they are teaching from their own lens and need to understand their own intersectionality, privilege, and communication style.

Another factor is the amount of work needed in their previous schooling. A master's level program has extensive coursework. A professor needs to understand these factors and help guide and encourage all the students to do the best they can. It is up to the professor to keep all these factors in mind, teach these students critical thinking, and be empathic listeners to build integrity and self-esteem in their students. 

Further, a professor needs to teach the student how to apply the course work to clinical counseling and art therapy practices to be ready to thrive at their practicum sites in their learning communities. Rote learning in clinical counseling and art therapy programs does not prepare the students with the tools they need to be successful in the field of counseling and art therapy. The students need to be able apply and use what they are learning to understand and appreciate the contents of the course. 

I believe there are several characteristics of an effective teacher that are essential to the proper education and training of future professionals in counseling and art therapy. These characteristics consist of: empathetic listening, patience, organization, creativity, firmness, and flexibility. 

As empathetic listeners, it is essential to open up and listen to what is being said by our students. "We do not see [and hear] things as they are; we see [and hear] things as we are" —The Talmud (Jackson, 2003). We teach through our lens, perspective, histories, beliefs, and values. They not only learn from us, but they can teach us if we listen. Adler believed we all strive to belong. In order to belong, we must be heard. To be heard, someone must do the listening. It is up to professors to be open to engaging in empathetic listening. 

Patience is not a virtue for no reason. Patience allows for inner growth which “ is a process of learning where the individual cultivates a quietness of mind that allows heartfelt emotional awareness to become apparent. It is a way to bring out inner experience to the fore" (hooks, 2010, p.149). Students are learning. With the patience we have learned from our awareness through teaching, we can nurture students by giving them a sense of belonging and contributing to the community as a whole. bell hooks in her book, Teaching critical thinking: Practical wisdom, quotes Parker Palmer; "Education is about healing and wholeness. It is about empowerment, liberation, transcendence, about renewing the vitality of life. It is about finding and claiming ourselves and our place in the world" (2010). In Palmer's book, The Courage to Teach (1998), Palmer teaches the valuable tool of soft eyes. This tool is beneficial when teaching students new material and teaching them the patience to take in the material with soft eyes. "If you introduce a sudden stimulus to an unprepared person, the eyes narrow and the fight or flight syndrome kicks in. But if you train a person to practice soft eyes, then introduce that same stimulus, the reflex is often transcended. This person will turn toward the stimulus, take it in, and then make a more authentic response—such as think a new thought" (p. 113). 

A professor is a role model to their students. If a professor comes into the teaching space unorganized and not having read or prepared the material, this sets a precedent for the students. It is a professor's role to read, plan, and execute a lesson professionally and on time with the most recent and multicultural literature in the field. A professor must give students feedback on an assignment within a reasonable timeframe so that the student can learn from any mistaken concepts or ideas they explored in their project. Having organization is the foundation of lessons running smoothly while simultaneously knowing that there may be some pebbles that trip us up along the way. It is our experience in teaching that helps us regain our footing. It is our responsibility to teach students that stumbling is a part of life and a part of learning to prepare them for the fact that nobody walks perfectly through the professional journey, which is perfectly acceptable. 

Being a creative professor engages students and teaches them to use their imagination in learning. In an online research study, Creativity in Education: Teaching for Creativity Development (2019), Danielle E. Kaplan addresses the value of creativity in critical thinking in education, "...almost no schools teach for creativity or train teachers to teach for creativity" (p. 140). The study explored creativity in the design of the lessons, teacher training, critical thinking, and creativity in education concluding that creative development is essential to teaching (p. 146). The creative applications that I employ in my classroom coincide with the findings of this article such as, building on the students’ lived experiences, and applying assigned class readings to in-class group scenarios (p. 145). Teaching creatively is also a way to reach all different learning styles and showcase each student's strengths. Lastly, when working with groups of students, it is essential to remember the concepts of group dynamics. Many different personalities are brought together in a group. Recognizing this and staying on task to teach lessons do not always go hand in hand. It is essential to be firm but flexible with all personalities of each student. If you approach students as firm and flexible, it will bring out their strengths and teach them to set their own boundaries, increase their self-efficacy and self-esteem. The students want to belong. Creating belongingness is a way for every personality in the group to find their professional voice. 

I have a passion for learning and teaching. I have attended workshops and observed and learned from my professors and experts in counseling, art therapy, neuroscience, and education. Being a critical thinker and sharpening critical thinking skills will be a lifelong journey as my love for pedagogy and being a multicultural educator continues. 

I use my lived experiences to teach, creating a safe place for my students to learn. I apply empathetic listening, patience, organization, and creativity with a firm yet gentle, loving-kindness approach to provide a feeling of belongingness in my classroom. I hope to instill a creative flow in my students that encourages exploration of how they can be multicultural, social justice advocates in their communities. As a professor, I reflect on how the students will interact with their communities after completing this program and keep this in mind throughout the course. As the students begin their professional journey, the experiences that they had in my classroom will aid in their ability to seep into the deep cracks and ridges of life, ebbing and flowing into where they are needed in their community as the socially-minded counselor, and art therapist they have the potential to be begins to emerge.