Philosophy of Teaching:
In the past I worked as an artist in residence for different schools and my philosophy of teaching stems from that kind of engagement I think. I approach the classroom from my background as a practicing artist. Teaching is an artistic engagement. However as an artist in schools I was never bound by the responsibility that a qualified teacher must assume and so the last two years for me have been a rigorous practice and demonstration of what is required to ensure students are challenged and facilitated in a free but safe environment.
I was able to bring the scope of my work as an practicing artist (and an artist who facilitates workshops) and make it satisfy the criteria set out by the school curricula. The challenge was not how to bring the work up a level but how to keep it at a level and simultaneously have it satisfy the learning requirements of students who have to complete a leaving certificate and students who may simultaneously be preparing portfolios for submission.
I've learned so much about how to facilitate different learning styles, consolidate learning that has already occurred, provoke engagements by creating a vacuum in the tempo of the lessons. I've learned how to manage a space so that every learner is given a voice and students can be encouraged to teach each other. I have also learned to read the humour of a class and meet that where it is and encourage it to a point that benefits everyone but most of all I have learned that a teacher's work in learning how to teach is never done. The ground is constantly shifting thanks to a society that is constantly growing and those who refuse to grow with that expansion will fall behind. Teachers have to be constantly changing and capable of expanding their repertoire at any moment.