Running Head: MY VISUAL ARTS JOURNAL

Philosophical Foundations Jessica Tedeschi

EDEC 260 260789959

My Visual Arts Journal

Prof. Boyd White

McGill Faculty of Education

Thursday November 16th, 2017

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Journal:
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Response:

My work is a picture and artistic journal that illustrates the interconnected aspects

between my experiences and the general ideas of curriculum of education. Everyday we

group similar things together into individualized categories so they can be conveniently

stored and retrieved. This journal promotes the interconnectedness of those categories,

and how they should be visually seen. Every page either draws or interprets the meanings

of education, and groups them all to a greater connected meaning.

The piece has a variety of text and images that persuade the reader to have a better

understanding of my personal attributions to the responsibilities of being a teacher. The

colours I used are neutral toned while expressing a general statement regarding

education. And colours such as red, green, and blue are used when expressing a

new/unique idea regarding my personal approach to education. Odd pages reflect my

practical ideas towards change in the classroom, while the even pages more so represent

the aesthetic portrayal of idealistic thoughts.

I believe my journal can be differently perceived in many ways depending on the

social context of the reader. Social context plays a huge role in the interpretation of a

visual artifact, as their experiences may influence their opinion. For example, a McGill

classmate might see this work and observe the dedication I have towards my program

specific learning, and how I can represent our objective schooling visually. My family

may not understand the specific implications of the scholarly readings, but may

appreciate the journal as a visual representation of personal growth into a working adult.

My students could observe how I have utilized the ideas I cared for at the time in my

current classroom. Finally, a cultural minority may view my journal as pretentious and
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privileged as I am very fortunate to have the chance to pursue my dreams, where they

might have not had the chance.

My works production was done for a philosophy in education class, yet has more

implications for me as a teacher. I used the journal as a record/reminder that my evolution

as a teacher should be documented to keep track of the ideas that I find are important.

The journal was made in my room, usually at the end of the day, when I have thoroughly

reflected on an aspect on education that presented some value. I tried to complete a page

a week to manifest the new and important ideas I had learned in class in relation to my

personal experiences. I used my skills of organization and calligraphy to make the journal

look coherent. I wanted to make this journal to also help improve my art skills.

The journal allowed me to think critically about what exactly I valued enough in

education to put down on paper. It made me analyse my personal implications into the

social context of education as a whole. I assumed at the start of this project, that

education and the way its transmitted is one of the simplest methods of communication.

That it was all relative to power; essentially that teachers are more educated and smarter

meaning that students must listen blindly. I am now aware, upon strong critical analysis,

that the education is actually the most complex methods of transmission. Education is

about trust and care between teacher and student. Everyone engaging in the education

system is constantly learning and growing their self-concept to reach a higher

understanding.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in other words, everyone will have a different

reaction and interpretation to a piece of visual art. In this context my creation is designed

to be appreciated by anyone who has a background in education as that will be most

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similar to my experience. I am also new to the art creation world, but wanted to try my

hand at understanding how I can reflect my thoughts into artistic pages. I did some

research regarding how journals should be constructed effectively, and the most common

responses were those that said journal making is about believing in yourself and your

view of experiences. Therefore, I did my best insure the journal had enough pictures and

written work that met the criteria, but also made sure that my own personal artistic flare

could be observed.