Last Friday I made a visit to Gorssel where our 2nd year WdKA illustration students were spending some days to draw and paint outside, visit musea like Kroller Moller Park.
Our goal of the fieldtrip is to strengthen the bond between students and stimulate informal learning. We chose for an isolated location to be away from distractions of life in the city. We hoped that students would feel safe to experiment in this new environment. We asked students to make a 150 drawings to give them the experience of the pleasure of drawing. The illustration is I used is one of the many drawings that were made.
I find the text on the illustration interesting. We tried to generate freedom; and there were no deadlines or grades. It seems this students still felt something ‘had to be done’ instead of him/her ‘wanting to do it’. I think the key to successful education is when we can convince students; that learning is something they want to, instead of have to. I think that by giving students homework we’re not giving them the opportunity to reflect upon this.