🧠 Our Teaching Philosophy
As professional educators, we are familiar with a range of teaching methods and philosophies — including D.A.P. (Developmentally Appropriate Practice) and the Finnish educational model.
However, these approaches are often designed for large groups. In small classes and one-on-one learning, we choose not to be bound by any single method or ideology.
We focus on the child’s individuality, the openness of artistic process, and genuine human connection.
The best teachers are not merely transmitters of knowledge, but companions who understand a child’s nature, enter their world, and help them grow from within.
If we were to name our approach, it would be:
OE·EP — Open Expression Practice: an adaptive, responsive form of education for every child and every moment.
🎨 Our Core Principles
1. Respect for Natural Growth
We place curiosity and intrinsic motivation above all else.
Following the insights of D.A.P., we guide children according to their developmental rhythm, personality, and natural impulses.
2. Openness of Expression
Art is not limited to drawing or craft — it is a holistic mode of expression involving material exploration, sensory experience, emotional regulation, storytelling, and sound creation.
We encourage children to combine materials and forms freely, building confidence, creativity, and independence.
3. Focusing on Humanity
OE·EP nurtures what makes us human:
-
Personalized expression
-
Intuition and emotion
-
Non-verbal and non-cognitive dimensions of creativity
🌿 In Simple Terms
For children aged 3 to 6, we do not focus on teaching technique or likeness. Instead, we scaffold their natural curiosity through open-ended exploration, helping them express rather than imitate.
Like tending a flower, we provide soil, sunlight, wind, and support.
We give help when it’s needed, and space when it’s not.
Art is not about perfection, but about becoming.
That is the essence of imagizoo’s philosophy of education.
🧩 FAQs
Q: What’s the use of learning to draw or paint?
A: Strictly speaking, learning anything isn’t necessarily “useful.”
The chance that a child will become a professional artist is less than one in ten thousand.
But that’s not the point of art.
Art refines coordination between hand and eye. It cultivates sensitivity to color, form, texture, and space. It teaches us to perceive beauty and imperfection, harmony and chaos.
Most importantly, it enriches the inner world — making us more perceptive, resilient, and alive.
Q: When should children start learning art?
A: Around age three, children begin showing drawing and color impulses (fine motor skills).
By five or six, they explore 3D forms and plastic modeling; by seven or eight, their creativity peaks.
At twelve, their interests diversify — but every seed planted in childhood remains part of their growth.
Q: Is 3D modeling really connected to painting?
A: Absolutely. Craft and sculpture help children think with their hands, shaping their understanding of form.
In theory, 3D is the mother of 2D — and the hand is where thought begins.
That’s why at Imagizoo, we say: “3D is 2D’s answer.”
Q: What if my child doesn’t seem talented?
A: Educational theory reminds us that every child is their own teacher.
What they love is what they need.
Our role is not to judge, but to accompany and support.
Art is an open, evolving ability.
From our experience, as long as a child remains interested, they keep exploring and refining themselves.
The moment between “ordinary” and “brilliant” often happens in an instant — when curiosity meets confidence.
Q: What if my child loses interest in art later?
A: Every creative experience leaves a trace.
When children move on from our studio, we offer a personal reflection and developmental note — a message for their future journey in art and life.
🧠 我们如何教学
作为职业教育学者，我们熟悉多种教学法与教育理念——包括美国的 D.A.P.（发展适宜性教育）与芬兰教育模式。
但这些体系多为大型班级与大众化教学而设，而在小班与一对一的教学中，我们选择不拘泥于任何固定模式。
我们更重视孩子的独特性、艺术的开放性，以及人和人之间的真实联结。
在我们看来，最好的老师，不只是知识的传递者，而是能够洞察孩子的特质，走进他们的生活与内心，成为他们的朋友。
唯有如此，孩子才能自然地成长，找到属于自己的节奏与天赋。
如果一定要为我们的教学法命名，那就是：
OE·EP（开放式表达实践）——一种能适应每个孩子、每种情况的教育方式。
🎨 我们的教学原则
1. 尊重天性
兴趣与好奇心是教育的起点。我们根据孩子的年龄、节奏与个性，循序引导他们的探索冲动。
OE·EP 借鉴 D.A.P. 的研究成果，尊重孩子在每个成长阶段的自然表达。
2. 开放观念
艺术不仅是绘画或手工，而是一种“整体表达系统”：包括材料实验、感官体验、游戏、情绪调节、视觉叙事、声音创作等。
我们鼓励孩子自由组合材料与媒介，从而建立自信、创造力与独立意识。
3. 聚焦多重感知世界的方式
如果想画得像，可以用多种类型的仪器，不学习绘画也能和大师画得一样好。
OE·EP 致力于培育人类独有的非闭合类的品质：
-
个性化表达
-
直觉与情感
-
非语言、非知识维度的多重表达
🌿 简而言之
对于年龄较小的儿童，我们不主动教孩子“怎么画”，而是为他们搭建生长的支架（scaffold）。
就像一朵花，我们提供土壤、阳光、风雨与支撑，让他们自然生长，玫瑰就是玫瑰，牡丹就是牡丹。
当他们需要时，我们给予帮助；当他们能自己探索，我们就退到一旁。
艺术不是结果，而是过程；不是模仿，而是成为。
这正是 imagizoo独一无二的教育精神。
🧩 常见问题
Q: 画画有什么用？
A: 严格来说，学任何东西都未必一定“有用”。孩子通过学习艺术而真正成为艺术家的概率，可能连万分之一都不到。
但艺术的意义并不在此。
它让人变得不再笨拙，能更好地协调手与眼；能理解色彩、空间、质感的微妙差异；能更贴切地感受到美与丑、秩序与混乱之间的张力。
更重要的是，它可以让孩子未来一生的精神世界变得更加丰富、更有弹性。
Q: 孩子多大可以开始学习艺术？
A: 一般从 3 岁起，孩子开始有绘画与色彩冲动（fine motor skills）。
5–6 岁时，他们对 3D 造型产生兴趣；7–8 岁是热情的高峰。
12 岁后，他们可能逐步转向其他兴趣点。
也有一些热情不泯，可以继续深造。
世界上，10岁到80岁开始取得巨大艺术成就的都有，这与孩子对画画的热情没有太大关系。
绝大多数孩子对画画的热情是一种自身发展的本能需求。
Q: 手工课（3D modeling）和画画有什么关系？
A: 手工让孩子“用手思考”，建立对形的理解。
从艺术教育理论上说，不理解立体，很难理解平面。3D 是 2D 的母亲，手是思想的起点。
imagizoo 的口号“3D 是 2D 的答案”正是由此而来。
我们在让孩子完成一幅静物素描之前，往往会要求他们先亲手塑建一个静物的石膏模型。
Q: ：孩子没天赋怎么办？
A: 教育学告诉我们——孩子是自己的老师。
他们所热爱的，就是他们所需要的。
我们的职责，不是评判，而是陪伴与支持。
在我们的经验中，只要孩子的兴趣还在，他们就会不断思考、调整自己。
艺术是一种开放的能力。从“平凡”到“天才”，往往只是一瞬间的觉醒。
Q: 孩子将来不再喜欢艺术怎么办？
A: 孩子在童年播下的每一颗种子，都会在未来的某个时刻以独特方式发芽。
我们会在他们离开工作室时，为他们提供一份个性化的成长评估与未来艺术建议。