TEACHING ART BASED ON DESIGN THINKING: DEVELOPING PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ CREATIVE THINKING

Abstract

The article focuses on the development of creative thinking and design skills in the process of teaching visual arts in elementary schools. The objective of the study is to determine how to develop the creative thinking of primary school students and their design thinking skills in art classes. To achieve this goal, the researchers analyze psychological and pedagogical scientific literature on creativity, creative thinking, design thinking, and the specifics of teaching art to primary school children. Based on the findings, the authors have formulated practical recommendations. It has been found that in order to effectively adapt design thinking to the needs of art education, as well as to the age-related and individual psycho-emotional characteristics of students, it is necessary to simplify the established stages (empathy, needs assessment, idea generation, prototyping, and testing) or change their sequence, and to maintain the teaching hours dedicated to free drawing outside the framework of design thinking. In this case, the implementation of this approach in the educational process contributes to the development of children’s observation skills, their cognitive empathy and tolerance for the unknown, the formation of collaborative creativity skills, and the slowdown of the natural decline in pre-adolescent children’s interest in art. All of this contributes to the development of children’s creative thinking and their design thinking skills.