Abstract Character design is a complex design process that requires originality, narrative depth and visual consistency all at once. However, students often approach the idea‐generation process using intuitive and unsystematic methods. This study aims to examine the pedagogical potential of the braindrawing technique in graphic design education. The research was designed as a practice‐based qualitative case study conducted in a classroom setting. A total of 69 students participated in the study, and the open‐ended comments of 47 students were analysed using thematic analysis. Additionally, student work and observations made throughout the process were included in the dataset. The findings indicate that the braindrawing technique increases students' idea diversity, helps them overcome creative blocks and supports collaborative interaction. It was observed that the process contributed to students developing more original and narratively strong character designs. By focusing on the use of the braindrawing technique in the context of character design and illustration education, this study contributes to the literature on design education.
Abstract Drawing on an ongoing research project that has brought together teachers and artists as co‐researchers, this paper considers the implications of image‐based Generative AI for teaching and learning in the UK art and design classroom. We explore some of the challenges posed by AI to art and design education in 2026, following a period in which the subject has been marginalised in favour of STEM subjects. We are interested in what art and design brings to this discussion, particularly in relation to images produced by Generative AI, and in establishing correspondence with earlier pedagogical responses to visual culture and new media. We are interested in placing artistic and critical approaches at the centre of this discussion and adopting a hands‐on approach that is ‘unplugged’ from digital systems. John Berger's 1972 Ways of Seeing is our key influence, reminding us of the continued importance of issues concerning the reproduction of bias and forms of privilege through visual culture, and the changing relation between seeing and knowledge production. Advocating a ground‐up and materialist approach to render the operations of images visible and knowable, the paper explores current possibilities for, as well as limitations placed upon, critical and creative engagement with Generative AI in art education.
Abstract This study examines how ecological awareness is fostered through art education in Turkey from the perspective of artist‐teachers who teach in higher education and integrate their artistic and teaching practices. Designed as a qualitative study, data were collected via semi‐structured interviews with artist‐teachers working in various regions of Turkey. Participants were selected using purposive sampling based on their delivery of ecology‐focused lessons and active involvement in ecological art practices. The findings indicate that, whilst ecological art serves as a pedagogical tool supporting environmental awareness, it also contributes to the formation of a relational pedagogical space that emerges at the intersection of art production and teaching practice. In this field, ecological awareness is cultivated through experiential, process‐oriented, and critical forms of learning. The fact that artist‐teachers pursue their production and teaching processes in tandem repositions teaching as an extension of artistic practice and transforms learning environments into multilayered structures. The study conceptualises this intersection as a ‘third‐site’ pedagogical field and argues that ecological awareness emerges within relational processes in which art and pedagogy mutually constitute one another. In this respect, the research offers a conceptual contribution to rethinking artist‐teacher practice, ecological pedagogy, and art education within the framework of sustainability and proposes a new platform for discussion regarding how ecological awareness is pedagogically produced.
The aim of this paper is to outline the activities of an innovative, interdisciplinary public engagement programme delivered by a team from education, art and philosophy disciplines at a Scottish university. The programme began in 2018 and has continually evolved since then in response to its work with schools. The activities are inspired by a radio play written by Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) and combine art education and philosophical approaches in the primary classroom to support young children to engage with issues that affect their everyday lives as well as develop their understanding of both subjects. The author critically reflects on this in relation to Biesta's theory of a world-centred education and considers a new model for art education with implications for further development.
The discussion examines the emerging ecological critique of art education, which frames artistic production, especially in the plastic arts, as environmentally unsustainable due to its reliance on non-essential material consumption. I argue that this critique, while contemporary in form, echoes long-standing philosophical concerns, beginning with Plato's dismissal of art as wasteful and socially detrimental. The paper challenges the conclusion that art education is ecologically unjustifiable by drawing on the aesthetics of Kant and Dewey. Both philosophers present aesthetic experience as a mode of disinterested and perceptually rich engagement with the world. On this basis, I propose that art education cultivates non-instrumental attention and anti-consumerist dispositions, aligning it with ecological aims rather than opposing them. The paper concludes by outlining implications for environmentally attuned art education practices.
This study examines an exam-oriented art education in China, highlighting how art-training centres enforce standardised evaluation criteria and prioritise technical mastery over creative freedom. I draw from personal experience to analyse how such systems shape art examinees' artistic development and marginalise their voices, providing a missing insider perspective through autoethnography. Guided by Foucault's power theory, this research critiques the dominance of standardised assessments in art education and rethinks the rationalisation of operating exams through the lens of artistic subjectivity. At the same time, this research advocates culturally sensitive and inclusive curricula that support students transitioning from exam-oriented systems into global educational contexts.
This article examines the relevance and formative value of printmaking within contemporary higher art education. Through a historical and conceptual review, it analyses the shift of printmaking from industrial and reproductive functions toward a space of artistic exploration, material enquiry and pedagogical reflection. The study argues that printmaking serves as a propaedeutic discipline that helps students understand the relationships among idea, material, time and process in artistic creation. Drawing on contributions from William M. Ivins Jr., Walter Benjamin, John Dewey, Elliot W. Eisner, Stanley William Hayter, Mar & iacute;a del Mar Bernal and Etienne Wenger, as well as experiences at the University of the West of England, the Universitat Polit & egrave;cnica de Val & egrave;ncia and the Universidad Nacional Aut & oacute;noma de M & eacute;xico, the article highlights the print studio as a setting for exploratory and project-based learning. In the digital era, it remains a space where technical, conceptual and ethical development converge.
Against the backdrop of rapid changes in technology and the media environment, design education has increasingly emphasized creativity; however, creativity alone is no longer sufficient to meet the demands of contemporary design practice for the ability to solve complex problems. This paper distinguishes between the concepts of creativity and ingenuity: creativity focuses on generating novel and appropriate ideas, while ingenuity emphasizes the ability to construct viable solutions under constraints, with incomplete information, and in complex situations. Based on this dual perspective, this paper examines the curriculum of the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology MFA Illustration program. The curriculum comprises three interrelated domains: cultural cognition, material practice, and technological intervention. Cultural cognition lays the conceptual foundation for creative thinking through field research, the study of Chinese painting history, and cross-cultural comparisons; material practice utilizes physical materials such as mineral pigments, fibers, and wood to transform abstract concepts into tactile forms through collage, weaving, and mixed-media experiments; technological intervention utilizes AIGC systems (such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion) to expand generative possibilities through human-machine collaboration, while achieving creative transformation through manual refinement and judgment. Research indicates that creativity and ingenuity together constitute the core dimensions of design competence. With AI becoming increasingly integrated into creative production, design education should not only cultivate students' divergent thinking but also develop their ability to make contextual judgments and solve problems within cultural, material, and technological constraints.
This paper presents findings from interviews with creative arts academics examining how the COVID-19 disruption reshaped studio-based teaching practices and informed future pedagogical thinking. Participants described the disruption as a period that compelled rapid adaptation and created opportunities to experiment, review and reflect on their teaching practices. Staff are committed to learning from this time. Lecturers expressed a strong preference for in-person teaching, with the purposeful integration of online and digital pedagogies seen as key to expanding studio teaching. Our results suggest increased interest in the potential benefits of a blended approach. Results also revealed that the COVID-19 disruption triggered deeper, systemic shifts in student behaviour and in teaching mindsets, changes they understood as extending beyond short-term crisis responses and signalling more fundamental change. These findings reflect educator accounts, and we therefore interpret claims about student engagement as staff perceptions that warrant triangulation in future research.
This narrative review examines the relationship between the size of children's drawings and their expressed emotions about the depicted subjects, focusing on research conducted between 1988 and 2023. The studies are presented chronologically to demonstrate how researchers have progressively addressed methodological challenges identified in earlier work. Some of them reached statistically significant results that connected drawing size with expressed emotion, while others did not. They attributed these results mainly to the mechanism of attraction of positive emotions that lead to the enlargement of the drawn objects or repulsion of negative emotions with the opposite effect and secondarily to pictorial conventions. These conflicting results across studies are presented, and interpretations and implications for art education are proposed. The review highlights that professionals such as art educators should take the size parameter into account with particular care, taking into consideration some additional factors such as the expression of emotions by the children themselves.
This paper examines 'critical making' as a framework for exploring complex problems and topics. Critical making combines an iterative process of making with research, reflection and analysis. The authors present a modified critical making process that builds on the reflexive material engagement introduced by the originator of critical making, Matt Ratto and the more structured approach formulated by Garnet Hertz. To illustrate its application, we present a case study applying this adapted critical making model to investigate the contributions of two early female architects, Isabel Roberts and Marion Mahony Griffin. This case study employs a modified five-phase approach that consists of research, ideation, further research, prototyping and reflection. We conclude that critical making fosters critical thinking and enables engagement with complex topics that are challenging to address with traditional research methods. Beyond a theoretical concept, practical opportunities are discussed for incorporating critical making into educational settings and scholarship.
The Enneagram, which identifies nine personality types, is widely used in psychology, communication and management. Applying it to architectural education could be beneficial, as each personality type presents distinct strengths and challenges in academic settings. Architectural design studios emphasise creative problem-solving, with students approaching tasks differently based on their cultural background, academic knowledge and personality. This study investigated the relationship between Enneagram personality types and the performance of architectural students in a 14-week design studio. Using the RHETI method developed by Riso and Hudson, each student's personality type was identified and verified through interviews. The study examined students' semester performance and final design studio presentations. Results suggest that personality type can have a significant impact on overall performance in design studios. Understanding their personality type can help students manage their design projects more effectively. Additionally, instructors can use this insight to better understand student motivations and tailor their teaching strategies to support diverse learning styles. This research represents a novel exploration of how Enneagram personality types influence architectural education and suggests possible applications for enhancing both student performance and studio teaching approaches. While this study relied on expert validation to determine personality types, future applications may adapt self-report tools such as RHETI with appropriate instructor training. By highlighting personality-driven learning differences, the study offers exploratory insights into communication in the design studio. Given the small sample size and context-specific scope, the findings should be viewed as preliminary and indicative of directions for future research.
This study explores the role of guest speakers in architectural education, focusing on instructors' experiences with this emerging practice. While most research in higher education examines students' perspectives, little attention has been given to how instructors engage with and perceive guest speakers' events. To address the gap in the literature, this study investigates the experiences of design instructors who frequently invite guest speakers, using semi-structured interviews. A bottom-up approach was then applied to the analysis, allowing themes to emerge inductively from the data. This study examines how instructors navigate opportunities and challenges arising from incorporating guest speakers into their courses on their teaching and learning practices. Insights from instructors indicate that the guests affect their (1) personal growth: through motivation, inspiration, and creativity, (2) pedagogical practices: knowledge through practice, and interdisciplinary collaboration, and (3) delivery methods of knowledge: diverse presentation styles. At the same time, instructors reported recurring challenges in four areas: (1) aligning speaker expertise with studio goals, (2) supporting pedagogical delivery to novices or some industry guest speakers who lack teaching skills, (3) integrating sessions without disrupting curriculum pacing, and (4) moderating critique dynamics when guest viewpoints conflict with studio needs. Given the scarcity of research on design instructors' perspectives, this study provides valuable insights into a commonly adopted but underexplored practice in architectural education.
The purpose of this research was to analyse the presence of artists in nursery schools by means of two proposals to promote free play and self-expression for children between one and 3 years-old and their families. Researchers compiled evidence from the perspective of three atelieristas and other participating adults, through interviews and group discussions, graphic documentation and observation notes. The results shed light on the definition of the preliminary approach and the goals set by the artists in order to enable free play and self-expression; the identification and description of their changing roles; and delved further into the attitudes and skills to carry out these experiences. The main conclusions highlight their significant artistic mediation work when they encourage self-expression, experimenting and free play for children and their families, and the importance of the artists' sensitive attitude and active listening. They contribute to the ongoing training of these professionals, the teachers and even families, by providing keys for improvement.
This autoethnographic study lies at the intersection of architectural, teaching and research practice through the lens of an architect-teacher-researcher working in post-Apartheid South Africa. The research traces a shift from unconscious design practice to a more conscious, critical and careful practice through practice-based design research methods of drawing, photography and writing. Each method reveals a different tacit knowledge of design practice, including institutional influence and the role of past lived spatial experience. In doing so a feminist critical spatial practice was sought. Through doing and teaching autoethnography, the architect-teacher-researcher critically situated the self within a multicultural postcolonial educational context. Thus, the politics of whiteness was unpacked and pedagogical strategies of engaged listening, silence, collaborative, participatory and student-centred learning were explored. Autoethnography validated diverse worldviews and ways of seeing and being in the design studio thus contributing to the researcher's and students' practice becoming more conscious, critical and careful within the post-Apartheid architectural practice and education context.
The study focuses on determining negotiated curriculum topics for grades 5 (11-year-old students) and 6 (12-year-old students) for Presidential and Specialised Schools in Uzbekistan. Traditionally, the visual art curriculum has been decided and provided by authorities with no influence from students. Accordingly, this study explores how student perspectives can be systematically incorporated into an existing collaboratively developed visual arts curriculum in a Presidential school, with the aim of identifying specific content areas that may inform future curriculum refinement. Negotiating a curriculum was understudied in the educational context of Uzbekistan. This is a qualitative study with quantitative components and examines how a visual art curriculum could be shaped through negotiation with students. The questions were: (1) How many topics does the curriculum include if created in collaboration with students? (2) What topics will most students accept after negotiations to add to the curriculum? (3) How many new topics will appear compared to the regular curriculum? Results demonstrated that students successfully developed a negotiated curriculum, identifying relevant topics despite their relatively young age, and landscape painting, portrait drawing, digital artmaking and 3D modelling were the most popular topics among the students; in addition to the current curriculum, several new topics, including digital art-related themes, had appeared. The findings from this study will benefit students and instructors simultaneously by contributing to curriculum revision in the classroom.
This study explores the ongoing debate surrounding the degradation of art and design in primary education and the perceptions of trainee teachers preparing to teach the subject. It provides a starting point for further research into the role of initial teacher education (ITE) in reframing trainee teachers' conceptions of the nature and importance of the art and design curriculum. This qualitative study interviewed six trainee teachers at the beginning of their first year of teacher education to ascertain their experiences of art to date and explore themes around artistic confidence and preparedness for teaching primary art. The data indicate a surprising trend where trainee teachers have little confidence in their own artistic abilities yet consider themselves effective future art teachers. The study identifies a number of common misconceptions around the nature of primary art as a subject that is fun, low-stakes and expendable as well as highlighting key tensions about trainees' perception of artistic skill as pre-ordained rather than learned.
This text begins with the initial question of how we can narrate in a situated and meaningful way about the processes of teaching and learning, not to repeat what we imagine that we should say and already know, but to be truthful with respect to the issues that affect us and matter to us. For this purpose, by moving towards the ways of doing of the visual and performing arts, we explore the possibilities offered by video narration to signify these teaching and learning experiences, giving space and presence to our bodies, which are oriented towards different attachments, thoughts and other elements that are important to us. In the present case study based on the embodied narrations collected from 2021 to 2023 in the context of the Master's degree programme in Teacher Training in Art Education at the University of the Basque Country (EHU), we reflect on the use and contribution of video narration to relate these teaching and learning processes in a situated, relational and meaningful way.
This article evaluates the use of metaphors as a technique for prompting creative thinking in design education, specifically within the context of a university pre-entry foundation course, 'Introduction to Design' in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Both the student transition to higher education and global standardization practices in higher education present challenges when fostering creative thinking. With metaphorical thinking exercises and a mind-wandering method, students are encouraged to pursue creative connections with disparate topics, moving beyond literalism to more conceptual and imaginative ideas. The study's methodological framework is grounded in an art-based action research approach, which positions the lecturer as a reflective practitioner and encourages a participatory role from students. Our critical reflection suggests that while students generally respond positively to a metaphorical teaching technique, a portion struggle with the transition from rote or standardized learning to creative ideation. Despite these challenges, the metaphor technique along with mind wandering present distinct pedagogical value, particularly in promoting creative thinking processes that enable students to articulate creative ideas visually. As an accessible critical pedagogy, the metaphor technique supports a participatory approach not only for design education but other creative, artistic, and academic contexts. More broadly, we argue that metaphor exercises can help with a wider educational mission of moving towards an environment that privileges creativity as an intrinsic, rather than merely functional, performative capacity.
Rural environments offer abundant ecological and cultural resources that support the development of nature education, but practical challenges persist in fully utilising these local resources. Building on this context, the study examines an arts-integrated nature education curriculum implemented in Jianlou Village, Hunan Province, to explore how artistic practices can enrich rural nature-based learning. Using qualitative analysis, 49 documents—including teaching plans, student artworks, field observation notes and reflective journals—were coded and analysed using NVivo. Research indicates that art can be integrated into three key domains: site preparation, instructional approaches and curriculum materials. This integration deepens learners' engagement with the rural environment, enhances the quality of nature education activities and advances local educational development. The framework provides theoretical insights and practical guidance for curriculum innovation, teacher professional development and the advancement of art-integrated nature education in rural communities.
