Yoshi Makino

Educational Philosophy
Art is culture. Understanding art is a way to understand past and
present societies and their people. To learn to appreciate and create art,
students must know how to see and speak its visual language and
understand its historical and current context. Art is an important part of
education because it promotes problem-solving, creativity, and selfexpression. The problem-solving skills required to make art, and the
cognitive skills to analyze art, are cross-disciplinary processes. Future
generations will need creative thinking and imagination to come up with
ways to navigate the complexities of our world. Albert Einstein once said,
I'm enough of an artist to draw freely on my imagination, which I think is
more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles
the world.
In teaching art, a constructivist approach is most effective.
Constructivism in education is about thinking, analyzing, understanding, and
applying. The emphasis is on experiential learninglearning by doingwhich
is most appropriate for making art. A teacher can explain multiple ways of
drawing, but its only through hands-on practice that students can truly
acquire this skill. Other constructivist techniques in teaching art can include
having students assemble artists portfolios and exhibit their artwork in a
show. These are essential aspects of the real-life experience of making art.

A student may only take one art class in high school and it might be
the last art class of his or her life. As an art teacher, my job will be to equip
students with the knowledge to understand art and its different functions in
societies, and to inspire a lasting relationship with art in all its forms.
Interaction with art broadens peoples experiences. It connects people to
each other, and to past, present and future societies. Art challenges,
questions and offers beauty and discovery. Making and appreciating art is
one of the most moving of human endeavors.
A constructivist approach to teaching art would naturally include
interactive critiques of students artwork. Thus, it is important that the
classroom environment is safe and supportive. Creating art is very personal
and students need to feel that they are a part of the class community.
Students need to be comfortable enough to take risks in expressing their
ideas and feelings. To ensure a supportive community of artists, mutual
respect needs to be the foundation of all classroom interactions.
As a teacher, I am obligated to treat my students fairly and not prejudge them based my own biases. Students learn differently and I need to
understand their individual learning needs and assist them along their
educational journeys. I need to design assignments that can easily be
adjusted to students different abilities, yet still remain challenging and
engaging.

The main qualities that make me a good teacher are my adaptability

and my creative ideas. My Swiss-Japanese background and my experience
attending schools in both my parents countries of origin have prepared me
for teaching in a culturally diverse setting. Art classes are particularly suited
to promoting diversity, as one can introduce students to art from other
cultures, exemplifying the concept of multiple perspectives. Because each
artist embodies different aesthetics, ideas and approaches, art is a
celebration of difference.
Im always interested in learning new media and techniques and I
regularly take art classes or workshops to expand my perspective and skills.
Its important for me to be engaged in creating art, to produce work that is
innovative and fresh. The directions in art are always evolving and art
teachers need to stay current with trends and ideas in art and design. In
addition, art teachers should always be searching for new ideas about
teaching. It is especially important for art teachers to have a community of
colleagues with whom they can share experiences and trade assignment
ideas.
My philosophy of teaching art is summed up by the early education
thinker, John Dewey (1859-1952), who believed that everyone can be an
artist. Art is a reflection of an individuals experience, and making art is
ultimately a matter of learning the skills to express ones ideas and feelings.