Creating Worlds: Art Making Spaces for Tennagers in China and Taiwan

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to understand the benifits in teenagers students while engaging in making art from curricula that advocates creativity, free expression and critical thinking at the core. Using action research as a methology, I have had participated in one summer camp at Jhong He Junior High School in Lanzhou, China and conducted one art making workshop at Pacific American School in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The aspects of students’ creativity, free expression and critical thinking were observed through the activities and performance of the students, including their self discovery in the process of art making. Based on my teaching, participation, observation, and reflection, the students’ responses to the art curricula are analyzed and interpreted, then conclusions are drawn.

The student´s population of the two schools are very different not only because the political climate and economical environment of China and Taiwan, but also because the social and economical status of the students’ families are polarized. This study places each workshop within its own social, economic, and political context in terms of overall national level and individual participant’s social level. The observations, discussions and analysis are also situated within these contexts. The conclusion drawn from this research is that both group of students, though their social and economic status are polarized, benifit positively from the art making curricula that advocates creativity, free expression and critical thinking.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the benifits in teenagers students while engaging in making art from curricula that advocates creativity, free expression and critical thinking at the core. Using action research as a methology, I have had participated in one summer camp at Jhong He Junior High School in Lanzhou, China and conducted one art making workshop at Pacific American School in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The aspects of students’ creativity, free expression and critical thinking were observed through the activities and performance of the students, including their self discovery in the process of art making. Based on my teaching, participation, observation, and reflection, the students’ responses to the art curricula are analyzed and interpreted, then conclusions are drawn.

The student´s population of the two schools are very different not only because the political climate and economical environment of China and Taiwan, but also because the social and economical status of the students’ families are polarized. This study places each workshop within its own social, economic, and political context in terms of overall national level and individual participant’s social level. The observations, discussions and analysis are also situated within these contexts. The conclusion drawn from this research is that both group of students, though their social and economic status are polarized, benifit positively from the art making curricula that advocates creativity, free expression and critical thinking.