From studying art to the classroom – Interview with alumna Miriam Vergien

With the Master of Education in Dual-Subject Art for grammar schools, comprehensive schools, and Waldorf schools, our graduates with different artistic bachelor's degrees have the opportunity to pursue a career in teaching. Miriam Vergien is now completing her teaching traineeship at “Bonns Fünfte”, one of the most innovative comprehensive schools in the state, and explains in the interview what advantages the master's program has offered her.

How were you prepared during your studies at Alanus University for practical work in schools?

In my opinion, two things prepared me especially well for working in schools. One was the artistic and craft-based practical training together with the related colloquia. Here, I was able to gain a wide range of practical experience and face personal challenges.

The other was the practical semester, which takes place in the 3rd semester in cooperation with the Bonn Center for Practical Teacher Training (ZfsL) and various schools in Bonn. It prepared me well for working in schools because it gave me the opportunity to establish initial contact with pupils, the teaching staff, school leadership, and the ZfsL. This was where the strongest link between theory and practice emerged through the lessons I planned myself as well as the numerous classroom observations.

What exactly does “Dual-Subject Art” mean, and why did you not choose a traditional teacher training program with two subjects?

Dual-Subject Art means that at school you teach only art and, accordingly, continue your training during the teaching traineeship with only one subject.

A simple reason why I did not complete a traditional program with two subjects is that my bachelor’s degree (Art-Education-Therapy) did not qualify me for it. At first, I mainly wanted to study art out of personal interest, and I also found the social component of the bachelor’s program very interesting for myself. It was only after my bachelor’s degree, through my training as an experiential educator, that I turned toward teacher education because I realized that I wanted to build on my work with children and young people.

Dialogue with Waldorf education and other reform pedagogical approaches played a special role in your studies. To what extent are you able to use these approaches in your professional daily life?

That is difficult to say. In my day-to-day professional life, it is more the case that I encounter new challenges every day that require solutions, so there is no longer any time left to reflect on perspectives or approaches from my studies. And even when they do come up in reflective discussions, I often find that some approaches are difficult to implement—simply because of the different school system.

Artistic training holds an important place in the education of art teachers. What moves you personally in art?

For me, artistic creation opens up a space in which I can forget everything around me and build a close connection with myself. For me, it is a very valuable experience to become fully absorbed in an activity and draw strength from it.

And in your opinion, what makes for good art teaching?

I do not find that question so easy to answer. At university, we had an entire seminar on the topic of what makes good teaching. Based on my experience at school so far, however, I can say that for art lessons, clarity of content in assignments is especially important. In this way, as many pupils as possible should be addressed, motivated to work, and guided toward as intensive an engagement as possible with an artistic technique or a topic. In addition to a pleasant learning atmosphere, it is also important to me that pupils know they can come to me with questions and can also exchange ideas with one another. I consider openness and appreciation for what the pupils have developed to be especially important in consultations, so that they are willing to engage with tasks and reflections.

You received a Deutschlandstipendium scholarship during your studies. Did this allow you to discover new possibilities for yourself?

On the one hand, the scholarship gave me the opportunity to concentrate fully on my studies and my master’s thesis. On the other hand, thanks to the financial relief, I was able for the first time in a long while to get involved again in voluntary work in culture and sport.

Please complete the following sentences:

For me, studying Dual-Subject Art was…a connection between theory and practice.

For me, Waldorf education is…very close as a former Waldorf pupil, but unfortunately very distant in everyday professional life.

For me, receiving a scholarship was…a welcome piece of good fortune!

For me, artistic practice means…coming back to oneself.

For me, art teaching is…embracing new challenges.
 

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Photo: © Carolin Szulszewski