On Explorative, Instructive Play at Primary Level: A Methodical Double-Decker
Abstract:
Children have questions; they ask about almost everything. Playfully, they examine, deconstruct, collect, and organize what surround them. Individual questions and active, self-directed approaches grounded in inquiry and play are increasingly used in developing educational programs at all levels. There is still little to be seen of this trend at primary level art and design, however, despite primary school students’ outstanding capacity for curiosity and aesthetic engagement. My 2020 master’s thesis “Questions about Questions” addresses this lack of childlike inquiry in aesthetically explorative teaching contexts. A lesson plan developed for third-year primary school students prompted activities explicitly guided by questions, inquiry, and children’s own interests. Subsequent pupil interviews were then assessed by means of qualitative content analysis. The evaluation demonstrates that children’s approaches to questioning – whether in developing questions or addressing them – are stage-specific, didactically influenced, and dynamic over time.

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