Teaching Philosophy

Students’ art experiences in the Cabot Art Studio are structured through a teaching approach called Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB).

TAB honors the child as an artist. Students have choices of materials, subject matter and approach to making artworks. Young artists are expected to generate ideas, select materials, plan their work, persist through challenges, complete their work, reflect on work, and maintain the art studio.

Like many TAB art studios, the Cabot Art Studio has a variety of studio centers. Studio centers include drawing, collage, painting, 3-D art, clay, and fiber arts. Students learn skills, techniques, and concepts for each materials area. They also learn how to use materials safely and take care of each studio center. Please see the Studio Centers area of this website for descriptions of centers and examples of student works.

In the TAB studio, the teacher provides instruction and challenges appropriate to students’ developmental levels. A variety of modes of instruction are used including: direct, indirect, whole group, small group, and 1-1 interactions. TAB connects to the Massachusetts Visual Arts Standards, National Core Arts Standards, 21^st Century Skills, and growth mindset.

Students and teacher reflect upon studio habits that artists use to make their best work. Studio Habits of Mind (SHOM) is based on the work of Hetland, Winner, et al. in the book, Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education (2007). The authors identify 8 artist habits that students learn through visual arts instruction. In the Cabot Art Studio, the teacher and students reflect on how students are using these habits to make their best work. Please see the graphic below for more information about Studio Habits of Mind.