Daniel Vance
B.F.A. Art, Western Illinois University
M.F.A. Sculpture, University of South Dakota
Teaching philosophy
Important skills I want to teach my students
The most import skills I can teach my students are problem solving and resiliency. Naturally, artistic skills are also high on my list of things to impart to the students. In general, I also try to stress kindness.
Teaching methods that reach these goals
I often rely on problem based learning as a teaching strategy. Problem based learning drives students to learn a subject through an open-ended problem. This strategy puts the onus of learning in the hands of the students, giving them ownership of the learning process. At times, I will also employ the Socratic method.
My favorite projects
My favorite activity is working with anything sculptural. This could be large ceramic sculptures, abstract plaster sculptures or perhaps even inflatable sculptures; either way I just love the processes of sculpture and working with form.
What I like best about teaching at Seven Hills
I very much enjoy the freedom to explore ideas that Seven Hills provides. The willingness to invest in new technologies and areas of instruction is admirable. This environment of encouragement allows the faculty to bring new content areas that they find intriguing into the classroom.