Ooley's Students' Work​

Ooley's Teaching Philosophy

 

The cornerstone of my teaching, and my life, centers around authenticity. It is through the alignment of one’s words and deeds that trust with students can be founded. Once trust is established, mutual respect and open dialog will ultimately lead to a student‘s self-growth.

 

I have a strong focus in my practice on preparing students for the learning continuum. My goals in teaching are to instill students with self-sufficiency in research, creative problem-solving, and professionalism. My background in both art and business has formed my outlook in my creative work and teaching style. I consider myself an active mix of right and left brain thinking and I encourage my students to also combine their creative and analytical skills. I also encourage management techniques in my students such as multiple project and time management approaches that will lead to improved student success in the field. Although I encourage collaboration and employ group projects and peer-assisted learning in my classroom, I believe that the self-sufficient student will better contribute to their group’s progress and success.

 

I endeavor to give value to my students and am constantly aware of its relationship with motivation. My methods are varied as I employ numerous techniques to keep the class fresh and address different learning styles and backgrounds. In addition to providing extensive research resources, lectures, videos, numerous hands-on demonstrations, peer learning, and critiques, I have students give presentations about their work. Whether to a client, gallery, or collector, I feel students will need to be persuasive and articulate in conveying their ideas. Having confidence in their views will help students compete in an increasingly crowded, media-centered world.

 

Today’s college student is dependent on technology but often lacks the skills to efficiently mine the vast knowledge base available to them. By incorporating research methodologies and ideation generation processes into assignments, students gain the ability to systematically seek inspiration and possible solutions. It is through research that solid concepts can be explored and refined; a greater understanding of historical context and contemporary theory will also be gained. My assignments require both concept and craftsmanship. Art studies are not quantitative by nature and uncertain expectations create stress for the student. To alleviate this, my grading rubric is always available to students; transparency is a personal standard to which adhere.

 

In my class, I stress the relationship the creative fields have with other fields of study. Art is essentially about life; therefore, connections can be made with any topic or subject matter. It is through an interdisciplinary outlook that the relevance of the arts can be best presented. In order to express this cross-pollination, students often need the freedom to incorporate multiple mediums. Although I believe learning a specific medium is important in the development of students’ sensitivity to craftsmanship and aesthetics, I also feel employing multiple techniques leads to more experimentation. Instead of donning the labels of painters, photographers, or interior designers, I encourage students to simply view themselves as “creatives”, allowing themselves the freedom to utilize any method within their skill set to complete advanced assignments.

 

In addition to placing the arts in context, I encourage my students to see creatives as integral parts of their local and global communities. Assignments that partner with organizations outside of the college system, help give students a sense of place and help build relationships within their neighborhoods. My emphasis on renewable resources, sustainable processes, and designing for disassembly fosters an awareness of a student's impact on a wider scale.

 

My passion for learning and the need to share this with others are the driving forces behind my teaching philosophy. By encouraging the excitement of discovery and creation, I strive to foster self-motivated learning that sparks the student’s imagination for a lifetime.