Hello! In my last post, I briefly mentioned the importance of having resources as a teacher. Today I want to go more in depth about resources for art educators.
In the first class I ever took in the Department of Education, one of our assignments was to compile a variety of resources for our specific teaching degree. This encouraged me to explore all types of informational sources. From podcasts to social media and Pinterest, there is useful inspiration everywhere. You certainly do not want to get educational information from a questionable source, but that does not mean you can’t use it for ideas.
Specifically, Pinterest can be an extremely helpful tool as an art educator, or educator in general. There are numerous links, lesson plans, classroom management strategies, and different techniques to explore. When I browse Pinterest for educational purposes, I try to additionally research whatever I find. This way I am not getting all my information from one source. Any lesson plan you do find on the internet and use for an assignment should be credited as well.
Usually I scan Pinterest for initial inspiration for a lesson and add personal techniques and touches to make it my own. It’s incredibly valuable when I’m at a loss for ideas. What’s great about Pinterest is that you can see posts from other art teachers and what they do in their classroom to be successful. This was a classroom management poster I made in class inspired by things I saw on Pinterest.
Something else I discovered from perusing Pinterest is the collage tool. Essentially, it allows you to compile pins, other images, text, and even draw to make a digital collage. You could use this to organize pins, make an instructional page, or create new ideas. If you do use other people’s pins, it’s important to remember not to violate any copyright laws. But even for personal use, this tool inspires creativity and organization, and it’s free.
There are literally thousands of lessons and resources at your disposal. From recycled and environmentally conscious projects to classroom reward systems. Honestly, it’s such a great tool for anyone seeking inspiration. Just be sure to thoroughly research anything you use in an educational setting.
Thanks for reading!
~Eleora