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"In art class, we get to start with the creative bits first."
CV at a glance Teaching philosophy Contact |
CV at a glance
Education
Endicott College, International Curriculum Development and Leadership, Master of Education
Savanah College of Art and Design, Arts Administration, Master of Arts
Capital University, Art Education, Bachelor of Arts
Capital University, Art History, Bachelor of Fine Arts
Experience
International School of Beijing 2018 - Present
Galloway School 2015 - 2018
Atlanta International School 2012 - 2014
Beijing City International School 2008 - 2012
Duties include: Head of department, MYP Visual Arts teacher, DP Visual Arts Teacher, TOK Teacher, Advisor/Mentor, Accreditation Team, SEL Team
Certifications and accreditations: State of California Visual Arts K - 12, State of Georgia Visual Arts K - 12, IBO MYP, DP, TOK, Principal's Training Institute, Siop C6, HSK 4
Industry Experience
Gallery D Plus - My own visual arts business
Burnaway - Visual arts magazine, development
Midtown Alliance - Community organization, marketing
Fellini Gallery - Contemporary art gallery, associate
Schumacher Gallery - University art gallery, assistant to the director
Endicott College, International Curriculum Development and Leadership, Master of Education
Savanah College of Art and Design, Arts Administration, Master of Arts
Capital University, Art Education, Bachelor of Arts
Capital University, Art History, Bachelor of Fine Arts
Experience
International School of Beijing 2018 - Present
Galloway School 2015 - 2018
Atlanta International School 2012 - 2014
Beijing City International School 2008 - 2012
Duties include: Head of department, MYP Visual Arts teacher, DP Visual Arts Teacher, TOK Teacher, Advisor/Mentor, Accreditation Team, SEL Team
Certifications and accreditations: State of California Visual Arts K - 12, State of Georgia Visual Arts K - 12, IBO MYP, DP, TOK, Principal's Training Institute, Siop C6, HSK 4
Industry Experience
Gallery D Plus - My own visual arts business
Burnaway - Visual arts magazine, development
Midtown Alliance - Community organization, marketing
Fellini Gallery - Contemporary art gallery, associate
Schumacher Gallery - University art gallery, assistant to the director
Teaching PhilosophyMy teaching philosophy has been formed by more than fifteen years in the classroom. In this time, I have developed curriculum, taught a wide range of subjects from kindergarten to high school and even a little university, and most recently by my graduate studies in curriculum development. I believe that learning at its best comes from three main ideas. That the teacher teaches thinking skills, that the community in and out of the classroom plays an important role, and the environment the teacher creates plays a big role in the students’ education.
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Thinking skills means we teach the students to use what they have, look for what they don’t, and evaluate what they find. Being primarily a visual arts teacher, I have focused on creative thinking although my approach has also found its way into Theory of Knowledge and design classes. Over the past two years I have develop discreet skills which I present to students in the form of questions; things like ascertaining the technical requirements of completing a task and activating working memory. The idea for this is very much influenced by the MYP, the Renzulli system, and Understanding by Design, along with personal research. Students come to class with many ideas and by helping them direct their minds and giving them opportunity to practice in a deliberate they can apply these skills in every facet of life. It is also my opinion that since students can access large amounts of information, it is quite important to teach them how to process the information both in the form of media and their environment. In this approach I include social and emotional learning.
Place-based learning is an existing concept that of course can be conducted in the city/state where one lives and can be expanded to include the school community as well. I am always on the lookout for opportunities where my students can accomplish curricular goals by interacting with the community. Field trips and research; speaking with professionals and interacting with students and teachers in the school community itself. When students see how the work they are doing is related to what happens in other parts of the world it creates a kind of constructivism between the learner and the environment and its people.
Finally, deliberately creating a classroom environment which is conducive to learning. By this I mean that it is neat and tidy with easy to find tools and materials, comfortable but not to the point of distraction, and the teacher’s interactions with students is friendly, honest, and leading. Students should walk into the space having ownership of it in communal way. They should have the ability to choose what they need and use it and preserve materials for all classmates. They should be comfortable to try new things and fail. This last part relies a great deal on the teacher’s attitude. I always make a point to give very specific feedback about strong and weak aspects of the student performance both verbally and in spoken feedback. I make the difference between formative and summative assessment clear and use my knowledge to suggest different options for students. I make a point to speak to each student every day and since I generally teach teenagers, I have been known to have healthy snacks in the space which are free for all.
It's with these three approaches (which could be expanded upon indefinitely) that I create a learning environment. It is ever evolving from practice and study and it has found me much success.
Place-based learning is an existing concept that of course can be conducted in the city/state where one lives and can be expanded to include the school community as well. I am always on the lookout for opportunities where my students can accomplish curricular goals by interacting with the community. Field trips and research; speaking with professionals and interacting with students and teachers in the school community itself. When students see how the work they are doing is related to what happens in other parts of the world it creates a kind of constructivism between the learner and the environment and its people.
Finally, deliberately creating a classroom environment which is conducive to learning. By this I mean that it is neat and tidy with easy to find tools and materials, comfortable but not to the point of distraction, and the teacher’s interactions with students is friendly, honest, and leading. Students should walk into the space having ownership of it in communal way. They should have the ability to choose what they need and use it and preserve materials for all classmates. They should be comfortable to try new things and fail. This last part relies a great deal on the teacher’s attitude. I always make a point to give very specific feedback about strong and weak aspects of the student performance both verbally and in spoken feedback. I make the difference between formative and summative assessment clear and use my knowledge to suggest different options for students. I make a point to speak to each student every day and since I generally teach teenagers, I have been known to have healthy snacks in the space which are free for all.
It's with these three approaches (which could be expanded upon indefinitely) that I create a learning environment. It is ever evolving from practice and study and it has found me much success.
Contact
Work Email: dallen@isb.bj.edu.cn
Personal Email: China.devin@gmail.com
You Tube Art Teaching Playlist (all me teaching!)
Social media below is all teaching related
Personal Email: China.devin@gmail.com
You Tube Art Teaching Playlist (all me teaching!)
Social media below is all teaching related