The BEST Advice, Ideas, and Resources for New Art Teachers
Find the BEST Advice, Ideas, Tips, and Resources for New Art Teachers and those who are in their first year as an art teacher or are looking to become an art teacher. Being an Art Teacher can sometimes present its own challenges or difficulties so read to find some advice for traversing this amazing journey of teaching art education to kids.
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The BEST Advice, Ideas, and Resources for New Art Teachers
In this blog post I am going to share my best advice for new art teachers. I know there is a lot in teaching- from organization to lesson planning, classroom management to dealing with unexpected challenging behavior, to dealing with the stress of time management and a small budget- all of which is huge on its own and is just the start of what makes being a teacher so challenging- and each is so big it needs proper time such as in a professional development course (and if you’re looking for this level of support, click here to learn more about how to get it).
I am going to share some of my top ideas of where to get started and share with you some of my art teacher resources and websites that you can access to get further support as you go down this beautiful journey of being an amazing art teacher. Because that is what you are: AMAZING. You made the decision to show up and do this, to inspire kids, and be there for them every day and that is HUGE.
Observe Other Teachers Teaching, Pick their Brains, and get a Mentor
I think this is one of the things that got me through the early years of teaching. The best thing you can do is find an experienced teacher in your school and latch on like a leech. Except without the gore. But be a parasite and absorb all that they do and know. They have already experienced and problem-solved A LOT. Take the time to get to know your coworkers and ask if you can pick the brain of some whose teaching style is similar to yours.
I would ask them if you could look at their binders and lesson plans and see if you can copy a lesson plan to use as an example to model your own off of. Ask them about how they observe student progress and assess. Ask them about their classroom management and how they foster classroom community. Ask them about their advice for you in your own unique school community (as they all are very different).
I would also ask if you could come in during one of your prep or planning periods and observe them teach. This is such a valuable use of your time. Watch how they instruct and model. Watch the pacing of their art lessons. Watch how they move around the room and support all their learners. Watch how they handle unexpected student behavior and their reactions when it happens. Watch how they distribute materials and how they help kids. Watch their body language and tone of voice. Just watch it all, observe. And take note.
Inspire Kids to Create with Choice-Based Learning.
I strongly suggest that you take the time to find out what your students are interested in. You can walk around and talk with them and find out what each of your grade groups are interested in. Write it down because then you can reference that page anytime “you need an idea for an art lesson”.
Not only are they helping you build a huge idea bank that you can choose from, but when you create lessons around these ideas you are creating art lessons around student interest and are allowing them to see themselves in your classroom. It is becoming student-centered.
Students with perhaps challenging or unexpected behaviors will respond to lessons that are of high interest, and for everyone else… who doesn’t want to explore themes or topics the like? To be honest, this will make things so much easier both for you, and students looking to make art and enjoy the process. I wouldn’t want to make art that I didn’t find interesting either. Would you?
Grab my FREE Art Teacher Focus Guide.
Grab my FREE Art Teacher Focus Guide. It is a quick and easy guide to give you 7 areas of focus to give you a sense of where to start as a first year art teacher. It is full of good advice and tips and is of no cost to you so I would grab it for sure.
Visit the Ms Artastic TPT Store
Visit the Ms Artastic TPT store if you’re looking for fully planned resources. In my store you will find resources for teaching the Elements of Art, Principles of Design, Ceramics, Artists, Art History, and the Holidays and Season. If you want to make planning easier on yourself, this is probably the #1 resource you need to checkout and save to your bookmarks bar.
My entire days are spent thinking about how to serve art teachers and meet their needs. No joke! That and making art and making art for kids. All I do is art and I share my decades of creation with others in my TPT store and on my Art Curriculum called the Artastic Collective, specifically designed for Art Teachers.
Plan Around Student’s Interests and Create Relationships.
I would take the time to get to know your students and survey them to find out their interests. Ask them what they’re interested in, sit and talk and get to know them, and record these things they say… You can use that as your brainstorm for finding ideas for art lessons! Not only are they helping you with finding ideas for lesson planning, but then you are planning your lessons around THEIR interests and making it student centered. In this way you are making your classroom a place where they can see themselves and you are fostering community.
As well, I think it is important to take the time to build relationships with your students, no matter how many there are and no matter what they come with to your room, and no matter how much unexpected behavior. They are just kids and they all deserve all the chances to make mistakes and have the opportunity to grow, same as you.
This being said, the foundations of classroom management are around how well you have fostered community and relationships with your students. This does not mean it solves the problems like some people make it out to be, but it absolutely makes a difference. You can get so much farther with students if you have earned their trust- especially the challenging students.
If you don’t take the time to earn trust or build that relationship, they’re not going to want to learn from you or sit with you to get help. It is a lot easier to support challenging students or students who don’t automatically trust teachers (or adults for their own reasons) if you have a key to the door. Sometimes you have to dig way down in the bag for the key ring and scramble through trying a hundred keys, but once you find it the door opens and the panic and stress passes.
Enroll in Art Teacher Academy
Enroll in Art Teacher Academy if you are looking for more in depth, art teacher training. Imagine having a program designed for art teachers to help you learn systems and proven strategies for lesson planning, classroom management, increased student participation, engagement, and motivation, and developing the understanding the importance of art education in your school community.
With Art Teacher Academy, you’ll learn how to improve your teaching strategies in a predictable and proven way, one that allows you to work smarter, not harder, by focusing primarily on continually improving five essential areas of your job– Lesson Planning, Productivity and Time Management, Classroom Management, Engagement Systems, Proactive Approaches, and Communication.
You will receive lifetime access to:
✔️12 week program that includes Video Lessons that provide strategies and systems that will help you plan, energize, manage, organize, and bring excitement to your classroom and art teaching career.
✔️a Workbook to help you plan and grow as you work through the program.
✔️Templates to make everything easier.
✔️10 PD Hours Certificate (check with your local district to see if they will accept PD hours from this program)
BONUS:
The Art Creation Toolkit: a special bonus that includes structured lesson plan templates that have quick pick features to help you plan engaging art lessons faster, creativity challenges, choice-based art lessons, and fully-planned art projects complete with step-by-step tutorials, lesson plans, and assessment. (a $80 value, FREE with this course).
Art Teacher Academy is for anyone who is an art teacher, new art teacher, or is becoming an art teacher and wants to achieve confidence, focus, resolve, and art teaching excellence. It’s for anyone who has been facing stress in the job and struggle in the classroom or for new teachers and those who are in training that are feeling lost and alone without guidance for where to start, how to create highly engaging and structured lesson plans, are needing classroom management strategies, systems for organization and time management due to an unforgiving schedule and lack of time for planning and prep, and ideas for energizing and motivating students to participate and create their best work.
If you would like to learn more about this course, click here to get started.
Conclusion
Well that is my best advice for new art teachers! It is always a good to have some resources that you reference when you get stuck or are needing support. I offer a few ways to get this additional TLC to help ease some of the overwhelm that comes from starting an entire career as an art teacher from scratch (no one understands this except teachers. It is so overwhelming to work, go home and prepare to work to go back to work to work again.)
Want FREE Art Lessons for your Classroom or Homeschool Program?
Find FREE art lessons to help educators and homeschool parents plan the year efficiently with art resources that teach the curriculum and engage students with interesting content and art techniques. You can find all Ms Artastic FREE art lessons in one, easy to access spot and they’re all organized by seasons/times of the school year, and by holidays. Find the resources by clicking here.
