Case Study: Tim Bogatz {Boundary Choice}Tell us a bit about your teaching philosophy as it relates to the level of student choice you offer.Student choice within a structured environment is a cornerstone of the Montessori philosophy, and that phrase would best describe my teaching philosophy. I have a strong, clear vision of where I want my students to go, which skills I want them to develop, and how they can develop their ideas and artistic voice. I think it is important to guide students in these developments, and I think it is important that this is done in a structured physical space.

I have a specific plan for artistic and skill development which is something I’ve come up with over the course of a decade. I work with my students over the course of 3 and sometimes even 4 years, and we have a very specific process we follow when it comes to artistic development; it could best be described as a process based on scaffolding, differentiation, and individual enrichment. This process precludes me from moving my students into full choice; I don’t think the skill development aspect is there in full choice, and I think the guidance of a teacher is paramount when helping students develop the skills needed to translate their ideas into quality finished product.

Tell us about your journey to arrive at this fit for you classroom.The biggest influence for me, honestly, was sending my own children to a Montessori preschool. I have always admired the Montessori method, and my father-in-law is an architect that designs Montessori schools, so I had a good familiarity with everything involved in Montessori education. Until I saw it in action, however, I didn’t think of it as a day-to-day style of teaching that could work in my own classroom. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how well the Montessori method lends itself to an art classroom.

As my children went to school and I saw what they were doing every day, it just amazed me the way that 20 kids could be so quiet and so focused. 4-year olds are working on a single project for 60 or 75 minutes! That obviously isn’t something that just happens--it is developed. I realized, though, that this was an environment that can be developed in my room as well. I want my kids to monotask--the opposite of multitasking--and focus on one thing for the 51 minutes I see them. Put away phones, put away screens, have actual conversations, work hard, and be creative. That’s so much different from most of the rest of their day, and it allows kids to breathe for a little bit without constant

How I Do Choice: Case Studies

overstimulation. It’s an environment in which students are both relaxed and comfortable--a great environment in which to create.

The other thing that really appealed to me was that the Montessori method utilizes what is (for me) a very natural way to interact with students. There are little things like kneeling or sitting by students so you are talking to them at their level, or always helping them while placing yourself on their dominant side. There are big things such as always pushing oneself by selecting challenging work. It all adds up to a teaching style that is both natural for the teacher and incredibly beneficial to the students.

Describe what a Montessori HS Art Room looks and feels like in relationship to student choice.

As far as the look of my classroom, I really want it to be a clean, organized environment (though you may disagree if you were to take a look at my paint counters). I want everything to be in its place, and each place has its label. Supplies are available, and students know how to use the supplies. I have specific goals that I set forth when I am teaching, but a majority of the time, these goals can be reached with a variety of media. It’s up to the student to decide what works best for them, and they know how to access the materials needed to follow through on that decision.

I am a believer in student choice; I am also a believer in structured lessons, learning objectives, scaffolding, differentiation, teacher guidance and teacher expertise. I attempt to deal with all of these issues in my teaching. Though I like to give students choices, I am also aware of a very important fact: STUDENTS MAKE REALLY BAD CHOICES. That’s where teacher guidance and teacher expertise comes into play. I don’t direct them toward anything in particular, but I’m not shy

about guiding them away from bad ideas. Yes, there is something to be said for letting kids fail and learn from the experience, but there’s also something to be said for building up students’ confidence and skill through repeated success.

On a micro level--inside of individual lessons--there is a lot of room for choice as well. We are looking at particular skills and objectives, but students are always at different levels both conceptually and technically within each focus. That is where working one-on-one can extend lessons and ideas for students who need it. Sometimes kids need a push, sometimes they need a kick in the butt, and other times they just need to be left alone. In any case, we want each work to be the best it can be, and I always encourage students to push the boundaries. If they are working toward something spectacular, and they miss the next lesson, I have no problem excusing that. It’s about students following their passion and being successful, and about teachers working closely with students, directing their focus, and slowly letting them become more autonomous. This setup is what I have found works best in my classroom.

One example of this individual lesson would be our “Reflections” project. I begin by asking students to think about which objects show reflections, then about what could be reflected (sometimes an object, sometimes just light), then how reflections can change and distort images. I find guidance to be important for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one might be the teacher’s ability to steer students away from cliche, contrived imagery. If you just give them a theme and let them go, the conceptual development can be lacking in a major way. Even with guidance, discussion, and suggestions, a variety of successful solutions still emerge. It demonstrates a good way to mix student choice with teacher direction. A few samples from our “Reflections” project are included below.

What are some student reactions to your style of teaching?I’m not sure that this could be considered an overt reaction, but I know my students relax when they are in my classroom. That naturally happens with art and elective classes in general, but with a Montessori room the environment created--as I talked about earlier--enhances this effect.

In an ideal world, I would have a quiet, clean, organized and calm room where my teaching style lets students create and focus on work. They really come to appreciate the time away from constant overstimulation and the chance to focus on their creativity.In addition, students appreciate the way in which their skills develop and improve over time. They can see the change, they can see themselves get better, and they want to keep getting better and keep taking art--that’s how you keep an art program going strong!

What is one successful tip or trick you would like to share that has really helped you reach your curricular goals?I would say that the biggest realization I have had is that organization can indirectly lead to autonomy. That is an ongoing battle with me, because I am NOT an organized person. I force myself to be organized, however, because when students know exactly where to find paper, where to find scissors, where to find oil pastels, it really allows them the space they need to make choices. Rather than asking “Can I use colored pencils with this?”, and then “Where are the colored pencils?”, they just kinda sneak over there and grab them. This may seem like a small thing, but it gradually builds independence and allows them to experiment with some different ideas that they may otherwise be scared to try.