patrick perry

Email: patrickperry0@gmail.com

www.patrickperry.com

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teaching philosophy

Education is a journey, an individually constructed voyage.  So often, in today’s society, emphasis is given to the end goal; a narrowly focused singular destination. My pedagogy attempts to redirect this focus; to move away from a singular goal in order to investigate true education – the possibilities. I prefer to have students actively engaged, reveling in the voyage. I instill the idea that the destination is locked somewhere in the process. By opening oneself fully to the possibilities that exist along the journey, the destination or point of arrival will present itself. I ask that students begin with drive, determination and most importantly an open mind. Working alongside my students I hope to instill a solid work ethic, self-control, and a passion for their discipline. My hope is that together we create a balanced, harmonized relationship, thus ensuring that their voyage is both rewarding and lifelong.

First and foremost, I facilitate learning. Rather than being a purveyor of knowledge and directing guided tours of the discipline, I expect students to actively engage with the subject matter. The ideal classroom environment which I strive to create is one where knowledge is challenged, shared and experiential. As a teacher, I aspire to this methodology. Active engagement encourages the student to see his or her discipline as a systematic whole, rather than a collection of disjointed segments. A logical, systematic presentation of material should challenge student’s critical and creative thinking skills and ignite their problem solving abilities. I want them to develop a voice, a style and an identity. It is only when the student commits, that his or her journey begins.

Paolo Friere developed the concept of “liberation pedagogy” to describe a classroom where students refuse to be passive recipients of content and instead they become actively engaged in their own learning. I want my students to learn the fundamental content of the course taught (there is always a measurable objective); however, I encourage students to experiment, expanding on the content, claiming it as their own. When course content becomes personalized, students become critically engaged in their learning, constantly revising their ideas, and pushing this content; thus, creating a context for further investigation. My sincerest hope is that at the end of a course, my students know not only technique, but also how those techniques emerge and how to manipulate and utilize them on their own journey. When my students’ questions start to challenge my own understanding of the subject, it is then that I know my students are starting to synthesize the material in their own way. This synthesis is what draws me to education and is the hope and aspiration of every teacher. When I recognize this happening, I gain energy and ambition. This energy drives my practice as an artist/teacher and pushes me to learn more, challenge existing structures, and consequently bring new knowledge back to the classroom.

I have a passion for learning, for teaching and for experiencing the journey. I believe passion is the driving force behind quality teaching. If a teacher is passionate about what he or she teaches and extends that passion to others, everyone benefits.

This manifesto (below) of sorts, written by John Cage, clearly presents the responsibilities of everyone involved in education. I find that the following 10 simple rules are aimed at creating the engagement needed in true education, and I hand this out to students on our first encounter.

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Some Rules and Hints for Students and Teachers, and Anybody Else

Rule 1: Find a place you trust and then try trusting it for a while.

Rule 2: General duties of a student

-pull everything out of your teacher.

-pull everything out of your fellow student.

Rule 3: General duties of a teacher

-pull everything out of your students.

Rule 4: Consider everything an experiment.

Rule 5: Be self-disciplined – this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to

follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.

Rule 6: Follow the leader. Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fall, there’s only

make.

Rule 7: The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It’s the people who

do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things. You can fool the fans but not the players.

Rule 8: Don’t try to create and analyze at the same time. They’re different processes.

Rule 9: Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It’s lighter than you

think.

Rule 10: We’re breaking all the rules, even our own rules. How do we do this? By

leaving plenty of room for X qualities.

Hints: Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to class. Read anything you can get your hands on. Look at movies carefully and often. Save everything. It may come in handy later.