Mission & Purpose

Our Mission
Maine College of Art & Design educates artists for life.

Our Vision
MECA&D will be distinguished by its focus on educating highly accomplished artists and designers who excel in their chosen field with integrity, professionalism, and community leadership.

Our Core Values
At MECA&D, we believe in the transformational power of an arts education to serve as the foundation for a lifelong pursuit of personal and professional goals. We combine a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum, immersive studio practice, and wealth of professional development opportunities to provide an educational experience that embodies artistic excellence, civic engagement, and creative entrepreneurship.

Artistic Excellence
Civic Engagement
Creative Entrepreneurship

We teach each student the necessary professional skills to transform aspirations and values into a creative practice that will serve as the foundation for a rewarding career.

Art Education Department Mission and Vision
The Art Education Department prepares artists to become effective art educators who use the knowledge, skills, and dispositions acquired in our program to creatively serve children and youth in PK–12 schools, museums, community-based/alternative settings, and virtual learning environments. The program, which is both individualized and collaborative, prepares artists to recognize how their personal and professional characteristics and attributes enhance and strengthen the learning environment.

Terminology
Throughout this handbook, you will encounter the term “candidate.” That means you! We use the word “candidate” to differentiate your adult learning from the PK–12 students you will serve. That being said, we have preserved the term “student teacher.” However, our use comes with a new twist. The “student” refers to the children and youth you will be teaching. By reframing the definition of “student teacher,” we hope to place an emphasis on the learning of PK-12 students, the main idea of teaching.

Conceptual Framework

Artist
Has expertise in studio art and the critical thinking structures to interpret design and create meaningful artistic expressions

Developing Teaching Expertise

Inquiry and Learning
Acquisition of knowledge, skills, and dispositions
Application of knowledge, skills, and dispositions
Building of ability to apply, adapt, and invent appropriate methods to address PK-12 student learning needs in a variety of settings

Artist / Educator

Career Readiness
Continuing Inquiry
Flexible, Creative Application of knowledge, skills, and dispositions

Utilizing a working artist’s values of professionalism and high-caliber studio practice, the Art Education program at Maine College of Art & Design is designed to provide teacher candidates with the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and direct experiences in general education and the specific content of art education to become responsive and innovative educators.

Through a combination of focused individual attention and meaningful collective inquiry we encourage candidates to take risks, think critically and creatively, and to prepare their students to become culture-making citizens.

Our interdisciplinary program blends theory and research with practical, action-based learning in hands-on settings that enrich both creativity and critical thinking. Candidates collect concrete evidence to demonstrate effectiveness and improve their practice. A collaborative circle of learning sets the stage for continuous inquiry and action. The program emphasizes an art integration approach to learning that shows how to change education through visual art and creates “a place at the table” for the art teacher in general discussions about education.

As part of Artists at Work at MECA&D, candidates gain the tools necessary to be reflective, successful, culturally aware practitioners. As artists they also learn to appropriately apply or adapt these tools and to create new tools when necessary.

Collective Inquiry

Meaningful Collective Inquiry: A Collaborative Circle of Learning
Information gathering and the sharing of ideas start a continuing circle of learning that includes field-testing, observation, collaborative inquiry, and refinement. New ideas or a change in context begins the circle anew. This collaborative circle of learning is used throughout the Art Ed courses.

Collaborative Circle of Learning

Learn
to study through the use of direct observation, insights from self and others, and readings from existing research and practice

Create
to develop engaging experiences and artistic expressions

Observe
to examine carefully without making judgments or coming to conclusions

Reflect/Critique
to use concrete observations and other forms of evidence to examine field-tests, alone or with the insights of others in an environment of collaborative inquiry

Refine
to use the insights gained from reflection and critique to improve practice

Standards & Outcomes

As you read the lists of outcomes and standards provided in the handbook, you’re probably asking yourself why we have both Program Outcomes and State Standards instead of just one set. You may also wonder why the State objectives are generic instead of art specific. First, each college or university reflects its institutional aims as well as having to be responsive to accreditation requirements. MECA&D is a studio-based college, the practices of which have much to add to the overall field of education. By maintaining our beliefs and our educational approach, we hope to add value to the research base about how students learn best. By presenting generic standards, teacher candidates learn how overarching concepts correspond to their discipline specific content. So, as you read, resist the temptation to want to see the State Standards written in art specific terms and trust that your coursework will reflect the art specific knowledge you will eventually bring to the classroom. Familiarity with the general concepts of teaching and learning and how they translate to art education will give you “a place at the table” during faculty meetings and gatherings of educators across disciplines.

MAT Program Outcomes

Outcome 1:
Candidates know and can demonstrate the fundamental principles of teaching, learning, and assessment and those principles that apply specifically to art education.
(Fundamental Principles)

Outcome 2:
Candidates apply their skills and knowledge in a variety of settings including PK–12 education, museums, community-based/alternative settings, and virtual environments.
(Variety of Settings)

Outcome 3:
Candidates understand themselves as artist-educators who develop effective dispositions for teaching and recognize how their personal characteristics and attributes enhance and strengthen the learning environment.
(Self-awareness)

Outcome 4:
Candidates use visual art to foster learning across the curriculum, including digital technologies.
(Art Integration)

Outcome 5:
Candidates use a collaborative circle of learning that sets the stage for inquiry and improvement of practice throughout their careers and contributes to the growth of their profession.
(Inquiry and Professional Growth)

Outcome 6:
Candidates foster an inclusive learning environment that is culturally responsive and invites creative and critical thinking.
(Positive Learning Environment)

Outcome 7:
Candidates envision and invent new learning strategies that adapt to an ever-changing global community.
(Envision and Invent)

Outcome 8:
Candidates adhere to a professional code of conduct that upholds the ethical and legal responsibilities of an educator.
(Professionalism)