TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
I aspire to build a learning environment in which knowledge is shared rather than handed down, challenged rather than accepted and experiential rather than abstracted. This environment is achieved through strong emphasis on student participation, and on the discussions which arise from students' reactions and opinions about the material I present. This emphasis serves two purposes: first, it refreshes my own curiosity about my chosen field of study and pushes me to be a better artist and teacher. Secondly and more importantly, the shared creative and scholarly experiences lead us to develop an understanding of complex issues inherent in art. Knowledge is best understood when it can be directly related to one's own life. Thus, I challenge students to engage current events and/or their own experiences through the lenses provided by the concepts, projects, and issues discussed in class. This not only makes the knowledge of art more relevant, but also facilitates the learning process outside of the classroom. Because the making of visual art is not separate from the consideration of its content, my class goals are to expand student skills in community, philosophy, collaboration, planning, production, evaluation, and distribution of art. Boundaries between media are changing. Hence, in my courses I seek to help students comprehend and transcend media boundaries. The students' projects possess material and ultimately powerful effects; shaping the way people understand and as a consequence, act in the world. The idea that small gestures can produce radically different situations offers students the possibility that the art is socially meaningful and that they play a key role in that process.
above: Ambre Gonzales
© Alisa Ochoa 2008