Philosophy of Assessment Art teachers are challenged with balancing the need to meet arts learning objectives while also supporting open-ended, creative production of artwork. There is a need for assessment models that are not overly rigid or limiting to teacher and student creativity which can still yield ample data for demonstrating what art students know and are able to do. Teaching is an interactive process with learning a by-product of that interaction. Using a constructivist approach, I seek to demonstrate that students do more than consume the knowledge conveyed to them. Instead, students create their own understanding and meaning based on life experiences. In my classroom, I practice choice-based art education which is described as teaching students to learn about art in the manner a working artist does through authentic learning opportunities and responsive teaching. Rather than assign projects to the whole class students are briefly introduced to a skill or technique then they get to choose whether or not they will use this new knowledge or continue in some other pursuit available at various media stations or centers. Using these ideas the art room should be a place where students engage in work that has personal relevance and most importantly, is not teacher-directed. Compared to other more teacher-directed art education experiences, there is more analyzing of student learning episodes and of the process an artist goes through in the act of creating. I view assessment as a joint venture through which both student and teacher understanding is enhanced. My curriculum is planned to provide opportunities for students to assess their own knowledge and skills and to demonstrate a pragmatic understanding of the visual arts standards. Students maintain journals that reflect on-going creative work and thought. Journals also create a communication channel between teachers and students. As a teacher, I add removable notes to their journals to entertain with art, provoke new ideas, encourage the paving of their own process, and share my own perspectives on their efforts.
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