A WAY OF LEARNING
Balance as a Way of Teaching
Influenced by the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin Yang theory, balance is a concept that guides my art teaching. Like Yin and Yang, complementing and transforming into one another, balancing between 1) traditional and contemporary art, 2) theory and practice, and 3) hard work and fun activities make effective teaching and learning.
Balance between Tradition and Contemporary. I teach general education courses, such as ART20 Introduction to Drawing at Penn State. I emphasize both traditional and contemporary art to develop essential skills and critical thinking. For example, I teach traditional drawing in the first half of the semester and contemporary drawings in the second half of the semester. The practice of measurement, perspectives, composition, proportion from learning western realistic drawing trains students’ sense of accuracy. The practice of movement, gesture, rhythm, and float from traditional Chinese painting enhances students’ sensitivity. Traditional drawing enhances eye-mind sensitivity for the practice of contemporary drawing. Through learning both traditional and contemporary art, students understand an art concept cannot exist without mediums, skills, and techniques because they make ideas visible. Students also learned the importance of good concepts and how to make their artwork more meaningful, impactful, and conversational. Inclusion is also a form of balance. Given the diverse student background, my course materials cover various representations of ethnic, gender, and age groups. I also provide different cultural elements, art styles, mediums, and techniques.​
 working hard |  one minute gesture drawing activity |  student attended gallery talk |
|---|---|---|
 With Myreon Jones |  Artist Xianhe Deng doing demo |  facial expression relay |
 final exhibtion |  final exhibition |  Artist Mary Sullivan doing demo |
 a great artist Mary Sullivan |  student's "rabbit chasing wolf" drawing |  museum visit |
 practicing shading |
Balance between Theory and Practice. Class theories and concepts need to be understood from the first-hand experience. I begin each class by introducing new concepts and demonstrating new techniques in the first half of the class. Students spend the second half of the class understanding concepts with practice. Students find it helpful when I provide YouTube videos as additional resources and supplementary imitation tutorials. I also give one-on-one assistance in class and outside of class for those who need additional help on assignments. I am aware of my students’ pre-existing knowledge and use their lived experiences to shape their unique concepts, art styles, and forms of expression. A theory guides practice but emerges from practice. I sometimes begin the class with reviews of course concepts instead of teaching a new one. Students feel encouraged to rethink and discuss whether the learned concept is still relevant or what needs to be modified or changed.
Balance between Hard Work and Fun Activities. I like to design a course that is challenging but exciting, repetitive but creative. Making the course challenging and repetitive is not to fail or bored students, and quite the opposite. Challenging but encouraging teaching and learning can lead students to accomplishment. Repetition makes the master, and practice makes perfect. Like the Yin Yang theory that the negative transforms to the positive, failure teaches success. Making the course exciting and creative helps students understand course concepts through playing that beyond the traditional classroom. It is also a way to award their diligence in-class practice. We do one-minute gesture drawings outside the classroom, play facial expression relay, watch Japanese animation, and visit the downtown Comic Swap bookstore, the Arboretum, and the Penn State Special Collections Library. I participated in all activities, which allowed me to better connect with my students.
To conclude, with a student’s feedback on Student Rating of Teaching Effectiveness (SRTEs), “the teacher helped me realized that I do actually have artistic abilities, and she helped me open up to new challenges, allowed me to find a new hobby that I enjoy.” I enjoy seeing students’ proud faces when they share and talk about their artwork. I also love reading students’ emails that expressing excitement and gratitude. Those moments motivate me to become a better teacher and make teaching meaningful and fulfilling.​
 final presentation |  facial expression relay |  group activity |
|---|---|---|
 Learning light and shading |  end of the class |  drawing each other |
 one mintue gesture drawing 2 |  an artist talking to a student |  invite public to see students art |
 comments from audience |
Students' Artwork
ART20 - Introduction to Drawing
I teach general education courses at Penn State as part of my graduate assistantship. I am the graduate instructor for ART20 - Introduction to Drawing and assist ART01 Introduction to Visual Arts and ART10 Introduction to Visual Studies. Below is my students' artwork from ART20.
K-12 Student Teaching
I have experience teaching K-12 students during my master's study in art education at Adelphi University, such as Garden City Middle School, Stewart Elementary School, Stratford Avenue School in Garden City, NY; Mineola High School, Mineola, NY; and Allen Stevenson School, New York City, NY. Below contains some student artwork from grades 2, 4, and 6.