Curiosity built the Kat
“Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of a great creative people” – Leo Burnett's quote reflects me as a teacher and artist, exploring mediums, histories and the world. I think curiosity plays an essential role in arts and learning. Experimenting and discovering, coming up with new ideas, all stem from curiosity. To entice the curiosity flame with passion for art and teaching is what is the aim of my lessons.
I am Katarina Rasic from Belgrade Serbia, a Visual Art educator with 9 years of experience in International education. I currently teach MYP Visual Arts at the Dhirumbhai Ambani International School in Mumbai, India. I am a passionate IB educator with IB MYP C2 and C3 and IBDP C2, and with 7 years of experience in MYP, I believe in the power of collaboration in education. International teaching took me in different locations, so I lived in Rio de Janeiro, Bangalore, Bangkok and Mumbai, these expreinces enriched my life and learning and reflect in my teaching and creative Units.
Education is essential for growth and opening new horizons therefore I hold an MA degree in Fine Arts from the University of Fine Arts, Belgrade and a BA degree from the same University, and most recently a PGCEi from the University of Nottingham. I am part of the Association of Fine Artists of Serbia collaborating with artists internationally. Learning languages is one of the ways to connect with new cultures. Therefore, besides native Serbian and fluent English, I speak Brazilian Portuguese and can communicate in Spanish, and read and write basic Italian and French. This has helped me integrate easily into the new multicultural settings.
As a teacher I look at the students' concerns, their creative play and imaginative collections, to make art lessons student-centred. Art is one of the most important ways people tell us how they view the world. What it means to be here in this world, at this place and time, may be explored through the works of artists of all ages. Students' natural aptitude can be lost when art teachers impose only adult-centred concepts and artworks. Art education should initially focus on students' ideas because their experiences must be valued and built upon. In this way, art lessons can be not only successful but relevant. Art education encourages the ability to value oneself and others and to approach the world with a desire to learn and understand.
To provide our students with the best possible opportunities to learn we must create an environment, which is interactive, inquiry-based, creative and dynamic. In such an environment instead of waiting for the future to come students are inventing the future, they want to see. Through a community of inquiry, students learn to investigate, question, and judge art (including challenging my ideas). In my class, I want to invite risk-taking in art making and creative thinking that questions the status quo and searches for personal or social truths. Ideally, art should be connected to other academic disciplines. With interdisciplinary studies and collaboration between teachers, students can explore the concept of a cohesive community interweaving the arts with literature, history, the environment, and much more.
Besides teaching and creating art, I am a passionate diver, with PADI Divemaster certification, and I use every time possible to explore life underwater. This gives me new inspiration and ideas to create art. I love animals and I often foster for the local rescue organisations, and I have adopted a cat.