IAN KLOSTER
MAT, Literacy in Secondary Education, Art Education
BA, Illustration, Art & Design
Georgia Teaching Certificate, Grades PK – 12
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Mr. Kloster brings a decade of community arts experience into his high school Visual Arts classroom. His culturally responsive curriculum connects art history with students’ lived experiences, emphasizing interdisciplinary learning, collaborative creativity, and critical thinking. He believes the arts empower students to envision the world they want to create—and to take meaningful steps toward it.
This portfolio highlights his teaching philosophy, instructional design, student-centered assessment practices, and his ongoing commitment to youth empowerment through transformative art education.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE SUMMARY
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Ian Kloster’s path to the classroom is rooted in community-focused creative work. His career began in active illustration practice, producing over 100 illustrations for Volume One Magazine in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. As founder of Kloster Kreations Screen Print Shop and Yellow Sun Art Studios, Ian has led hands-on workshops that helped learners of all ages embrace their own artistic potential. He has also worked as a contract artist, designing educational resources for international non-profit organizations, creative work that continues to shape his instructional approach.
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Ian also served two service terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer. One with the Boys & Girls Club of Brockton Massachusetts designing youth programming, and another at the Kansas City Missouri Public Library, developing English Language Learning curriculums. Additionally, Ian's service in the Peace Corps as a Youth Development Volunteer in rural Peru deepened his understanding of culturally responsive teaching and the importance of connecting curriculum to students’ identities and lived experiences. These roles informed his educational approach in using creative expression to bridge cultural and linguistic barriers.
Ian earned his Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) from Middle Georgia State University in 2023, also being awarded the University’s Excellence in MAT Award. Since his graduate degree completion, he has taught high school visual arts in the Douglas County School District. As demonstrated below, his curriculum integrates entrepreneurial experience, international perspective, and artistic practice into meaningful and standards-aligned learning experiences.
INSTRUCTIONAL SAMPLES
​​Standards-Based Assessment Framework
During his MAT program, Ian analyzed the Georgia Standards of Excellence to identify six priority standards that would anchor his visual arts curriculum. Since 2023, he has refined this work into five clear learning goals that guide assessment and instruction:
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Art Vocabulary & Visual Literacy
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Artistic Techniques & Media Knowledge
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Evidence of Ideation & Use of the Creative Process
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Art History & Contemporary Art
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Cultural & Personal Awareness
Student-Centered Proficiency Scales
Each learning goal is supported by a detailed proficiency scale outlining progressive levels of mastery. These scales include specific, observable indicators that help Ian monitor growth and differentiate instruction.
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Students actively engage with this framework through checklists aligned to the indicators. These tools support self-assessment, goal-setting, and reflection, making success criteria transparent and empowering students to take ownership of their learning. This system builds academic vocabulary, clarifies learning progressions, and helps students connect effort with tangible outcomes.
Inquiry-based & Interdisciplinary Instruction
Ian’s curriculum design is rooted in inquiry-based learning and the understanding that art is a powerful lens for exploring human experience. Students investigate historical artifacts, contemporary artworks, and cultural traditions, asking questions that lead to authentic creative responses.
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Using the 5E Model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate), project-based units blend art history with hands-on studio practice. Lessons include peer critiques, written reflections, and self-evaluation, supporting students in articulating meaning, purpose, and artistic intent.
This approach fosters interdisciplinary connections with history, culture, mathematics, science, and social studies.
Related interdisciplinary projects include:
Research-based Teaching Strategies
The Collaborative Strategic Art Critique (CSAC) is an instructional model Ian developed by adapting the research-based strategy Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR). CSAC breaks art criticism into accessible steps and assigns students purposeful roles that guide observation, interpretation, and discussion.
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This structured approach supports learners at all levels in slowing down, using appropriate vocabulary, evaluating artwork with evidence, and practicing collaborative dialogue. CSAC builds visual literacy, confidence, and analytical ability.
Vision for Student Success
To further support learners beyond the classroom, Ian created the Artist Resource Terminal, a student-friendly Google Site designed as an extension of his teaching practice. This digital hub gives students access to recent lesson materials, design tools, supplemental videos, and skill-building supports they can revisit anytime. It also features curated links to college and career exploration resources—including data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics—reflecting Ian’s belief that high school visual arts is not only about artistic growth, but about preparing students for life beyond graduation. The Artist Resource Terminal (ART) equips students with the knowledge, pathways, and confidence to pursue creative, academic, and professional opportunities as they begin the next chapter of their journey.
