by Jiayi Guo, Art Education

Based on my experience over the almost past semester, I believe that learning from writing is reasonable, but the question is how to learn more efficiently, especially for my post-00s students. The classroom I teach has 15 students, all of whom are undergraduate students with a passion for art. Our course combines reading, writing, and practice. That is to say, there are two classes per week, one for practicing art education in elementary schools in Athens, and the other for discussing practical experiences. The forms of assignments include reading reflection, teaching plan creation, etc. But these assignments have various requirements, such as the correct use of APA format, and students feel uneasy about writing assignments. As a result, they pay more attention to rigid rules than to using writing as a learning method.

This made me reflect on whether it would be better if our writing style were more free. Will students truly participate? Will they be given a free space to sort out what they have learned?

I remember a feminist research course that inspired me: before each class, we had 5-10 minutes of free writing. The instructor will not interfere with any content in writing, nor will they review it, nor will they require you to communicate with classmates. It is just a complete writing time accompanied by light music. It’s like a brief meditation. I often turn my thoughts to music and write casually, but when I look at those essays, I find that almost all the content is inadvertently connected to the classroom content, even if it’s just a complaint about the reading material; it’s a reflection. I think based on such genuine feelings, it is easier to help students sort out their ideas and learn more from writing.

I strongly feel that there is a significant difference between my current undergraduate students and my undergraduate years, which is closely related to the development of the times. For example, they are always less active in classroom discussions about reading and writing, but when they post online, their personal output is significantly smoother. Therefore, I call for the inclusion of social media in writing teaching methods as a means of increasing student engagement.

Utilizing social media responsibly can help showcase student artwork and bridge the gap between the post-00s students and the writing-learning process. Platforms like Instagram, with its visual-centric platform, are ideal for displaying students’ opinion, conducting live art sessions, or sharing visual narratives that complement the curriculum, let the students to explore and express their creativity in a context that is familiar to them. For example, when I was TAing for a class last semester, writing assignments were not limited to written texts but could be submitted in the form of recordings or podcasts. This made students feel more like discussing their writing ideas with me. Compared to the viewpoints they expressed in writing, their viewpoints in recordings were more coherent and dynamic.

Therefore, in the quest to ignite a passion for “writing as learning” among students, an engaging curriculum is paramount. As educators, our mission extends beyond delivering content and setting rules; it’s about crafting a journey that nurtures analytical prowess and creative expression. By establishing clear definitions, leveraging multimedia resources, and providing a supportive environment, we set the stage for students to confidently engage with and analyze complex concepts.