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Erika Martinez Nutter
Teaching Methods
A successful art room can only be achieved when a combination of learning methods are used in conjunction with one another.
Explicit Instruction
Students acquire new knowledge through a structured direct approach. The teacher guides students through the learning process by giving clear purposeful explanations and rationales for their learning and demonstrations of the learning targets. Students then engage in guided practice, supported by the teacher, who gives constructive feedback until independent mastery of the learning target has been achieved.
Student Directed Learning
Students are given greater control of their learning and accountability of that learning in the classroom. Students gain knowledge in the arts through choice-based projects and via interaction among the community of learners. The teacher acts as a mentor and facilitator of learning.
Constructivist Approach
Students generate knowledge in the arts through experiences in the classroom. Students are actively engaged in their own learning process and the teacher acts as a facilitator of this process of learning. Students are engaged in long-term projects that often involve self-guided exploration of materials, methods, and artistic theory. In addition, students take a major role in their own assessment and the assessment of their peers through classroom critiques.
STEAM Integration
Science, technology, and mathematics are interwoven in the arts curriculum creating a positive climate of student inquiry. Students gain knowledge of the arts by engaging in experimental learning, problem-solving, and classroom collaboration. The teacher guides student learning through the integration of technology in the art room, as well as, in science and math integrated lessons.
Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)/ Responsibility-Centered Discipline
A positive climate is created in the classroom through focus on preferred student behaviors, rather than through punishment of those behaviors deemed inappropriate. Students are given three tangible behavioral expectations are then able to take charge of these behaviors through peer observation, extrinsic motivation, and, eventually, intrinsic motivation.
I am an artist. I am a teacher. I am a student.
The meaning of art lies in the process of creation. It is a way of looking at the world, a belief, an idea, and a way of understanding without spoken words. It is my goal as both an artist and an art educator to help students, as well as parents, teachers, and members of the community, see the importance of the arts in our past, our present, and our future. I hope to open my students' minds to the wonders that art can bring, and in the process create a few artists along the way.
