Teaching Teachers

Elementary Art majors at TCU visited the FWCD campus in May to observe and learn from Lower School Art Teacher Pamela Lancaster. A skilled artist, Lancaster has been painting abstract pieces since her own Art Education classes in 2005 when she was studying to be a teacher. Initially focused on oils, she has diversified her palette by embracing watercolors and acrylics, seeking to infuse variety and flexibility in her own artistic creations and those of her students.

Dr. Amanda Allison, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Art Education in TCU’s College of Fine Art, met Lancaster when she was working at Tanglewood Elementary School. Over the years, the two formed a professional friendship and Lancaster regularly welcomed elementary art majors into her classroom. Dr. Allison brought with her five students who had specially requested to visit with an art teacher who worked with kindergarten students.

The students spent time in a kindergarten and first grade art class, watching as Lancaster engaged the students in activities and keeping them on task for the class period. Following the observation, Lancaster sat down with the soon-to-be-teachers and fielded their rapid-fire questions.

The students love that we study someone new each month and they get to learn fun facts and interesting stories about the creative process.

~ Pamela Lancaster

With humility and enthusiasm, she shared her belief in the perpetual process of learning through observing and always seeking ways to enhance her teaching methods. Inspired by another teacher’s incorporation of art history into the classroom, Lancaster established an “Artist of the Month” program, exposing her students to diverse creators and their stories. The classroom tables even bear the names of famous artists. “The students love that we study someone new each month and they get to learn fun facts and interesting stories about the creative process,” she said.

Reflecting on her early teaching days, Lancaster admitted to initial nervousness when she began teaching. To establish a routine and structure, she created a script for herself, which gradually became less necessary over time. Recognizing her students’ needs for structure and routine as well, she created a class pattern: reciting an artist's pledge, moving to the carpet to learn about the artist or project of the day, incorporating instructional video if necessary, engaging in project work, and concluding with cleanup.

Lancaster also emphasized the importance of infusing joy into the classroom. She encouraged creating a fun classroom environment, incorporating dress-up artist days, maintaining a collection of project examples, and fashioning portfolios for the kids. “At the end of the school year, each student goes home with the work they completed over the year,” she said. “Before the last day of school, I let the kids choose one piece that they are proud of to share with others. They are the artists for the day.”