The Decision

I enjoy using dramatic titles for my blogs.  Makes it seem like something super serious, but in today's blog, it's pretty low-key!

Essentially, I had a question that needed answering - "How does my cooperating teacher decide upon the curriculum for the art class?"

I was indeed curious about this because this is an area we've discussed in my ARTED208 class.  How does a teacher choose the curriculum?  My cooperating teacher has been at Osseo for 6 years.  When he first arrived, he based his projects off what the previous teacher had done.  He went through all the lesson plans and if there was something that didn't interest him, he chose not to continue that project.  From my understanding, he indicated that a teacher's interest in the project is just as important as the students' interest in the project.  If you, as a teacher, are bored with what you are teaching or showing, how will you properly and to the best of your ability teach the students?

I discussed with him briefly about this, and stated my opinion that I would perhaps also teach to my strengths.  If I'm not very good at ceramics, I may not teach that area very often.  He understood my point, but believes that variety in the art room is good, and to keep in mind that these students are a lot younger than myself.  Even if I'm not a master at the pottery wheel, I can still teach the basics and (hopefully) demo and create a project in a weak subject area that is better than what they can do.

In the end, I think when teaching a subject matter that I'm weak in, I just need to make sure I'm better than the students, haha.