Senses-Based Learning

By Ilse van Lieshout, art therapist, teacher and researcher at Fontys/Zuyd

Painting can be great for well-being, for practicing creativity skills and reflecting on a deeper level on embodied learning.

Students learn to reflect with a certain learning topic and outcome. They gain personal insight and abilities for creativity, awareness and well-being.

In the course, painting, as a method for practicing creativity skills, well-being and awareness reflection, is used once or twice to introduce students to this method. Inspired by the painting ateliers of Arno Stern, where space and materials are fixed, people can use paint as reflection and transformation.

Ideally there is a painting room where students are introduced to this method. After the introduction students should be able to go back to the painting room any time they like.

Skills course

All university students

Based on coaching and constructive learning

The setting for students is a space with a blank wooden wall where paper can be attached. Choice of paint is gouache and soft paint brushes.

Paints of all colors are placed in buckets, every color has its own brush. People do not mix colors in the buckets but use a color that they seem fit and change colors by placing the brush back at the bucket.

There is a wall where paper can be attached. The paints are placed behind the painter.

The idea is that students choose colors and start painting without discussing, without overthinking.

Just Paint! After 30 to 60 minutes the student can stop, and let their paintings dry. There should not be a discussion about what is painted, but student can share what merely painting did to them. Or write down in a diary their own process.

Paint can be used as a method for student’s well-being, awareness and reflection skills.

Although the method is to paint and not to overthink the whole process. In assessment, students can accompany paintings with written reports afterwards about the process they underwent while painting. How did the start go, how did the choosing of the colors go, can you say something about the painting process? Make sure that students do not judge what is painted, because this is not the issue.

Learning outcome is to merely enjoy painting and creating something without judging quality. This will provide space for creative thinking and reduce stress levels.

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