How to Teach Philosophy & Art
Teaching philosophy and art requires specialized education, including a degree in the subject areas or at minimum a college degree in education with a minor in the fields to be taught. Teaching experience can be gained during college and graduate school to prepare for a high school classroom. Advanced degrees at the graduate and doctoral level are almost always necessary to teach philosophy and art at the university level.
Equally important, to teach philosophy and art effectively, you'll need to convey passion for subjects that may not interest all students all of the time.
Things You'll Need
- College or university degrees in the subject areas
- Teaching certificate and license, in some states, for teaching in public schools
- Textbooks in art and philosophy
Instructions
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Develop a natural curiosity about life, which is essential to the study and teaching of philosophy, while cultivating an appreciation for creative expression, which is the essence of art.
Read widely the teachings and ideas of famous philosophers and their belief systems. Discuss what you have read with friends and acquaintances who are also interested in philosophical method and teachings.
Visit a variety of museums and make a point of touring galleries during your travels to other cities and countries. Bring a camera and take pictures, where permitted. You can use the images in your classroom to illustrate specific examples of art under discussion while mentioning that you have seen the artwork on view and took the picture yourself while traveling in that country. This will likely be more interesting to students than thumbing through a textbook of reproductions.
Evaluate art in your mind and think of ways you would describe the significance of a particular artwork to someone who is seeing it for the first time.
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Earn degrees in the fields that will qualify you to teach philosophy and art at a certain educational level, for example, high school or college.
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Choose a subject to teach and narrow the focus to an area that can be covered adequately in the time available for the course. A history of philosophy, for example, might cover four broad philosophies in a 16-week course, or an overview of key philosophers and their teachings. Similarly, courses in art can include art theory, a history of art through the ages, or a narrowly defined discipline, such as impressionism, surrealism, classical or modern art.
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Design a course and syllabus (an outline for the material to be covered during the course), including information suitable to the grade level of the students to be taught. Keep in mind the time allotted for each class session and decide how much material can be covered.
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Design an introductory course in philosophy to provide a broad overview of the essential philosophers, perhaps starting with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, then moving forward chronologically through the centuries. Courses intended for philosophy majors might be organized in sections spread across two semesters, such as An Introduction to Philosophy Part I, followed by winter break and continuing with Part II in the spring semester.
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Break up complex material into manageable chunks. An introductory course in philosophy might focus in the first week on a few chapters of Plato's Republic, for example, so the students will not be overwhelmed by too much material at once. Relating the teachings of Plato to contemporary events, such as a U.S. presidency or world issue in the news, can give perspective and context to the timeless teachings of the great philosophers and make their thoughts more relevant for modern students.
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Consider creative ways to teach concepts and ideas. A course devoted to a specific philosophy, perhaps Existentialism, could be supplemented by screening key scenes from a modern movie such as "The Matrix," which explores existential themes while satisfying college and high school-age students with eye-popping action and special effects. Think of creative ways that lessons can be taught while entertaining the pupils. The goal is to devise interesting ways to teach key course material in a manner that is accessible to students who may not have the patience for subjects that seem, at a glance, to be dry and esoteric.
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Get out of the classroom. Courses in art should be supplemented by actual exposure to art. Field trips to local and regional museums bring the subject matter to life while creating a refreshing learning environment outside the classroom.
When a trip is not possible, virtual tours of museums can be conducted with a laptop computer with an internet connection and a projection system for classroom viewing. Visit a museum's website and project images of important art objects, painting, and sculpture for examination and to provoke classroom discussion. -
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Evaluate what students have learned to gauge their progress. Assign research papers with specific questions that will force your students to think critically about what you have taught, while pushing them intellectually. The goal of the paper should be for students to demonstrate that they have absorbed the key information in the course and can express that information in their own words in a lucid and interesting manner.
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Bring your enthusiasm for the subject into the classroom. A passion for learning and sharing knowledge is a core quality of an effective teacher. If you convey your love of the study and practice of philosophy, or fascination with a key period in art history or a specific group of artists, you will provoke the curiosity of your students and instill within them the desire to learn what you have to teach.
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