How We Teach

 

As scholars of vocational education, we are familiar with a wide range of teaching methodologies and educational philosophies—including exam-oriented systems, D.A.P. (Developmentally Appropriate Practice), and the Finnish education model. However, these systems are largely designed for mass education and often carry a tone that feels overly rigid and formal.

 

We are not a place for training professional art students. Our goal is to help children joyfully experience art, enjoy it, and express themselves freely. Therefore, in our small-group programs, we choose not to be confined by any single fixed model. Instead, we draw from contemporary perspectives and past experience, placing greater emphasis on each child’s unique and open-ended expression, as well as genuine human connection.

 

In our view, a teacher is not merely a transmitter of knowledge. A true educator brings life experience and intellectual depth to understand a child’s individuality, to step into their world and inner life, and to become a trusted companion in their growth. Only then can children grow naturally and happily, discovering their own rhythm and innate gifts.

 

If we must give our approach a name, we call it:

 

OE·EP (Open Expression Practice) — a joyful educational philosophy that adapts to every child and every situation.

 

🎨 Our Teaching Principles

 

1. Respect Nature

 

Curiosity and interest are the starting points of learning.

We guide children according to their age, rhythm, and personality, nurturing their natural impulses to explore and respecting their self-expression at every stage of growth.

 

2. Open-mindedness

 

Art is not just painting or crafts; it is a holistic system of expression, encompassing material experimentation, sensory experiences, play, emotional regulation, visual storytelling, and sound creation.

We encourage children to combine materials and media freely, building confidence, creativity, and independence.

 

3. Focusing on Multisensory Perception

 

OE·EP aims to cultivate uniquely human qualities that cannot be confined to rigid categories, such as:

 

  • Personalized expression

  • Intuition and emotion

  • Non-verbal, non-academic forms of multiple expression

 

🌿 In Plain Words

 

For younger children, we do not actively teach them “how to draw”. Instead, we provide scaffolding for joyful and free growth.

For children in development, we adapt our guidance to each stage.

Like nurturing a flower, we provide the soil, sunlight, wind, rain, and support—letting them grow naturally. Roses are roses; peonies are peonies.

When they need help, we provide it. When they can explore on their own, we step back and watch them bloom.

 

🧩 Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q: What’s the point of learning to draw?

A: Strictly speaking, learning any skill is not guaranteed to be “useful.” The probability of a child becoming a professional artist is extremely low.

But the value of art is not about that.

Art helps children coordinate hand and eye, understand subtle differences in color, space, and texture, and develop a deeper appreciation for beauty, imperfection, order, and chaos.

Their inner world becomes richer and more resilient for life.

 

Q: Can a child really learn to draw by attending classes?

A: Some children will learn very well, others less so—it varies by individual.

From our experience, children draw better when they like their teacher. The secret is less about teaching technique, more about connection and trust.

Starting young helps, but there’s no such thing as a child who “cannot learn.”

Defining what it means to “know how to draw” is complex and subjective.

 

Q: At what age should a child start learning art?

A: Generally, from age 3, children start showing impulses for drawing and color (fine motor skills).

By 5–6, they develop interest in 3D forms; 7–8 is often the peak of enthusiasm.

After 12, children may gradually shift to other interests, though some remain passionate about art.

In fact, people have achieved great artistic success starting from ages 10 to 80—passion for drawing is not strictly tied to age.

 

Q: I pay for classes, but my child seems to learn the same as they would at home.

A: We reflect on our own childhoods: most of us never truly enjoyed art. That’s why we let children explore on their own.

We never pre-sketch, trace, or fix their work. In fact, children often surpass us in creativity.

Short-term outcomes are encouraging; long-term results are uncertain.

What we know is that the most important goal is to maintain confidence and joy, letting children solve problems themselves.

 

Q: What’s the connection between 3D modeling and drawing?

A: Hands-on crafts allow children to think through their hands and develop spatial understanding.

Without understanding three dimensions, it is hard to understand 2D. In our view, 3D is the mother of 2D; the hand is the starting point of thought.

At Imagizoo, children often build plaster models before drawing still life—because handling form teaches them perspective and structure.

 

Q: What if my child has no “talent”?

A: Education shows us that the child is their own teacher.

They need what they love. Our job is not to judge, but to accompany and support.

As long as interest remains, children keep thinking, experimenting, and growing.

Art is an open-ended skill—from “ordinary” to “genius” is often a sudden awakening.

 

Q: What if my child loses interest in art later?

A: Each age brings different interests, which is normal.

Every seed planted in childhood will eventually grow in its own unique way.

When children leave the studio, we provide a personalized growth assessment and future art guidance, so their journey continues even beyond our walls.

🧠 我们如何教学

 

作为职业教育领域的研究者，我们熟悉多种教学方法与教育理念——包括应试教育、D.A.P.（发展适宜性教育）以及芬兰教育模式等。然而，这些体系大多为大众教育而设，结构严谨，却难免显得过于规范与严肃。

 

我们并不是培养专业美术生的机构。我们的目标，是让孩子在艺术中获得快乐，体验创造，表达真实的自我。

 

因此，在我们的小班活动中，我们不拘泥于任何固定的教学模式，而是结合时代背景与实践经验，更重视孩子表达艺术的独特性与开放性，以及人与人之间真实而温暖的联结。

 

在我们看来，老师不只是知识的传递者。真正的教育者，应以足够的人生阅历与学识洞察孩子的特质，走进他们的生活与内心，成为理解他们、陪伴他们的朋友。唯有如此，孩子才能在快乐与自然中成长，找到属于自己的节奏与天赋。

 

如果一定要为我们的教学方式命名，我们称之为：

 

OE·EP（开放式表达实践） —— 一种能够适应每个孩子、每种情境的快乐教育方式。

 

🎨 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，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

OE·EP 教学法致力于培育人类独有的非闭合类的品质，如：

  • 个性化表达

  • 直觉与情感

  • 非语言、非知识维度的多重表达

 

🌿 用老百姓话说

 

我们不主动教小孩子“怎么画”，而是为他们搭建快乐，自由生长的支架（scaffold）。

对待成长中的孩子，每个阶段都根据实际情况给予不同的对待。

就像培育一朵花，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，静待花开。

 

 

🧩 常回答的问题

 

Q: 画画有什么用？

A: 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。

但艺术让人更好地协调手与眼；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，能在完成一件本以为做不到的事之后感到快乐。

孩子未来一生，精神世界可能因此变得丰富、有弹性。

 

Q: 画画这东西，来学就能学会吗？

有可能学得很好，也有可能学不好，因人而异。

据我们的经验，孩子喜欢老师，就画得好，我们爱谁，谁就画得更好。

而且，只要从很小开始学，没有学不好的。

但什么叫会，不好解释。

 

Q: 孩子应该多大开始画画？

A: 孩子对画画的热情是一种自身发展的本能需求。

大多数孩子从 3 岁起，开始有绘画与色彩冲动。5–6 岁时，对 3D 造型产生兴趣；7–8 岁是热情的高峰。12 岁后，可能逐步转向其他兴趣点。

也有一些热情不减，可以继续深造。

画画能带给人快乐，和创造性认识和解决问题的方法，并非一定要与艺术活动本身成就相关。

 

Q：我花钱来学习，感觉孩子没学到什么，和他自己在家画的差不多

我们学画画的人都感觉自己是学坏的，一辈子没享受到艺术带来的快乐，所以孩子如果真的学了些什么，也未见得是好事。善良的老师总是想启发引导孩子自己多攀爬，自主创作。我们从不给孩子打草稿，助笔，也不改画修画，因为我们觉得自己画得没有孩子好，也不想因为讨好家长而坏了孩子。从多年的实践来看，这种方法的短期成果我们还是比较满意的。更远的将来如何，我们没有案例，无法预测。我们只知道一点，一招一式教出来的孩子，将来取得成就的可能性不高。保持孩子的自信与快乐，让孩子自己想办法解决问题，不求结果，才是学习艺术的阳光大道。

 

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。

我们在让大一点的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: 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。

我们的经验，只要孩子的兴趣在，就是知道自己还有希望，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: 每个年龄阶段都有不同的兴趣爱好，这是正常现象。但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。

他们离开画室时，我们会upon request地为他们提供一份个性化的成长评估与未来艺术发展方向建议。