In 2021 I completed the Professional Master of Education in Art and Design with Digital Media (PME) at Limerick School of Art and Design. Over the course of the two-year programme, I have completed two placement blocks and have always worked to provide students with highly engaging projects that encourage problem solving and promote creative and critical thinking in the classroom.

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I believe that the development of key skills associated with creativity and critical thinking are crucial aspects to the education of young people in today’s increasingly innovative and rapidly changing society. The importance of developing these skills in students is also supported by and reflected in the current Junior Certificate framework in which creativity and critical thinking are said to be vital aspects in the students Junior Cycle learning experience.

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I consider that art education is uniquely positioned to facilitate experiential learning, whereby risk-taking and divergent thinking are instrumental aspects of fostering creativity, innovation, and enterprise.

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During my final school placement, I conducted a research project that examined how inquiry-based approaches to learning in the classroom could support critical thinking and creative expression in visual art. Another aim of this research project was to develop qualitative inquiry skills as a teacher-researcher in the field of art and design education. I found the experience of learning how to conduct such inquiry within the classroom environment highly important as a practicing teacher that wishes to improve and learn from her practice in the future and hope to continue such research in my future career as an art teacher.

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Throughout the course I have also implemented differentiation strategies into my units of learning and lesson plans to cater for all types of learners in the classroom. Additionally, I have conducted a case study in which differentiation was used to cater for a student’s specific special educational needs, which further demonstrates my keen awareness of the significance of research and reflective practice in my ongoing development as a teacher.

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I aim to inspire students to actively participate in lessons by adopting a student-centred approach to teaching that can be beneficial for students by improving their communication and collaboration skills, advance their ability to work independently, increase interest, build stronger relationships, and learn to monitor their own progress. During school placements I covered well-established areas such as art and design history and appreciation, painting, drawing, printmaking, and three-dimensional work in addition to newer digital media content at both Junior and Senior Cycle.

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I have a wide range of interdisciplinary technical know-how in art and design which has enabled me to plan for and deliver a wide range of art forms through my units of learning. Furthermore, I have excellent knowledge of the requirements for the visual art curriculum which has supported me in the design of units of learning and approaches to assessment. I believe that the integration of various formative assessment methods plays an important part in helping every student develop their full potential in art and design education which is why I find it highly important to include these in all of my units of learning.

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My previous experience as an English foreign language teacher has also taught me the importance of integrating group/pair work in the classroom as it can help to build communicative and collaborative skills and allow students to develop their ability to work as a team which are known to be highly important life skills that everyone should be encouraged to develop.  

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I strongly believe that students should be equipped with the fundamental skills to meet the challenges of life beyond the educational setting. I propose that this can be achieved by tackling subject matter which is relevant and important to young people’s lives and incorporating teaching and learning strategies that foster creativity, critical thinking, communication, and confidence in their own abilities.