When teaching students art, it is important to pull from all aspects of their life, including what they have experienced outside of school. Their past, including their cultural heritage, visual culture and special interests, should all be incorporated into the curriculum. It is also important to teach students about cultures other than their own, and learn to appreciate others who may differ from them. I feel that with my limited cultural background, I could benefit from visiting artists and arts partnerships that can teach students from a perspective that is closer to the source, rather than teach filtered through my own Western lens. This connection with the world outside of their own, past and present, can lead to greater confidence in student's art making and their ability to see the world through a broader view.
Part of widening this point of view is critique. Teaching students to view art and culture with a critical lens is important when teaching them more traditional fine art, but also when viewing art that is a part of our every day lives and in our popular culture. Getting them to question what they see beyond what is on the surface, like why a certain artwork was made and who was it made for, and what it is trying to say. It is important for them to take on this type of questioning when looking at other artists work, but also at their own, when they are creating it. Even at the elementary level, students can participate in this mode of questioning. Discussing how certain styles and colors can bring around certain emotions can be a simple way to get them thinking beyond the customary "I like it" or "I don't like it." They can move into the "because" part of art exploration. Pushing them to dig deeper and get the full story can not only lead to taking greater risks, and making better artwork, but also lead them to be better people and more well rounded members of society.