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ABOUT ME

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Self-Portrait
About: About

Nicole Russell Castaldi

Artist. Teacher. Coach

ABOUT ME

Current Position Title:  Visual Arts Teacher

Current Professional Institution or Location in which you are working: Private School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Phone: 561-715-9135

Email: nicole.russell2013@gmail.com

Web address:  https://nicoamico.weebly.com/

Twitter name: TheArtOfMrsCastaldi


DEGREES


Bachelor of Arts in Art History

Bates College, Lewiston, Maine (May 2013)


Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art

Bates College, Lewiston, Maine (May 2013)


Bachelor of Arts in Biological Psychology

Bates College, Lewiston, Maine (May 2013)


Masters of Arts in Art Education

University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (Expected 2019)

                                 

RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE


Fine Arts Studio Art Teacher          July 2017- Present

Third to Fifth Grade Studio Art Teacher

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

           -Work with children between the ages of 8- 12.

           -Courses Taught: Studio Art, Architecture & Design, and Digital Photography.

           -Host annual art shows


Head of Art Department              July 2013- July 2017

Saint Mark’s Episcopal School

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

           -Art Department Curriculum Developer

           -Work with children between the ages of 4- 14.

           -Courses Taught: K-8th Grade Studio Art, 7th-8th Grade Digital Photography, and 6th-8th Grade Art History

           -Hosted two annual art shows


Photography Teacher’s Assistant

Bates College, Lewiston, Maine

           -Worked with college students ranging from first years to upcoming graduates.

           -Darkroom assistance in development of chemicals, and assistance with equipment.


Student Teacher                           January 2013-May 2013

Lewiston High School, Lewiston, Maine

           -Entire semester devoted to student teaching.

           -Creating own lesson plans and grading templates

           -Executing lesson plans and dictating the pace of the class

           -40 + hours per week completed at the school

           -Designing and teaching own lesson plans that incorporate all students individual learning needs.


RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS:


           Third Annual Education Symposium                               April 2011

           Bates College, Lewiston, Maine

                      -Presented at the education symposium on “Integrating New Media into the Classroom”


           Four Annual Education Symposium                                 April 2012

           Bates College, Lewiston, Maine

                      -Presented on “Interdisciplinary Education through the Arts in a Low Income District”

          

           Thesis Presentation: Childhood Apraxia of Speech         December 2012

           Bates College, Lewiston, Maine

                      -Presented to the Psychology Department


           Art and Visual Culture Thesis Presentation                      December 2012

           Bates College, Lewiston, Maine

                      -“The Transformation of Michelangelo Buonarrotti”



LEADERSHIP ACCOLADES & RECOGNITION:

           Lighthouse Student Art Gallery & Contest                                         May 2014-Present

           Tequesta, Florida

                      -Educator of the Show award for Palm Beach County Educators.

                Phi Kappa Phi Honors                                                                      December 2018

                      -Top 10% of graduate-level graduating class at University of Florida.


RESEARCH INTERESTS

              I have always had a profound love for learning and interest in most genres of art. However, I particularly have found myself most recently surpassing my time with research that involves merging both my biological psychology background and profession of art—through the concept of art therapy. Recently, I have found myself researching the powerful possibilities that art has for those healing from illness, loss, and addiction.  Alike, I am a lover of the Renaissance, Impressionism, and Baroque time periods.


NARRATIVE BIOGRAPHY

I see my role as an art teacher to be that of a guide that gives students the necessary tools to not only succeed, but also prepare them to apply their learned knowledge to the surrounding world. In order to do so, I must transfer the fundamental content knowledge to the students to create a baseline to which they can then apply critical thinking and creativity to further develop their knowledge in the content area. In addition, students can draw connections about how the content in the classroom applies to the world around them. As a teacher, it is my goal to bring as much energy and excitement to the classroom so that the quest for knowledge can become contagious to all the students. I believe there is no correct formula to teach art in a classroom, but rather, it is my duty as a teacher to design my curriculum and lesson plans to meet the individual needs of my students. Educational differentiation should occur in an Individualized Educational Plan, and teachers should want to discover and meet all of our students’ zone-proximal development and media preference. I firmly believe the ability to provide students with the knowledge and the tools to think critically and apply it to the world around them is not just a job, but also a gift.

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