یادگیری به مثابه تجربه بازاندیشی در برنامه درسی اوان کودکی با راهبرد فلسفه باوهاوس.
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| Title: | یادگیری به مثابه تجربه بازاندیشی در برنامه درسی اوان کودکی با راهبرد فلسفه باوهاوس. |
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| Alternate Title: | Learning as Experience: Rethinking Early Childhood Curriculum with the Strategy of Bauhaus Philosophy. |
| Authors: | مهدی عبدالملکی1 Mehdi_abdolmaleki@arch.iust.ac.ir, ناصر کلینی ممقان2 |
| Source: | Journal of Teaching Research. Autumn2025, Vol. 13 Issue 3, p1-33. 33p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Experiential learning, *Teacher development, *Early childhood education, *Curriculum planning, *Reflective learning, *Art education, Bauhaus |
| Geographic Terms: | Germany, Sanandaj (Iran) |
| People: | Gropius, Walter, 1883-1969 |
| Abstract: | Introduction: In recent years, new approaches to early childhood education, especially inspired by Dewey's views, have placed special emphasis on learning as experience. According to this view, learning becomes meaningful when the child actively interacts with his or her environment, experiences, creates, and discovers concepts through engagement with materials. This approach provides the possibility of designing active and creative learning environments for children and paves the way for reconstructing the curriculum based on experience. In continuation of this view, the educational philosophy of Bauhaus can also be considered as an inspiring model for rethinking early childhood curricula. Founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus school focused on the integration of art, life, and production, pursuing learning not through direct instruction but through making, experimenting, and active engagement with real materials. Despite numerous theoretical and empirical studies on the importance of experiential learning in early childhood, the effective implementation of this approach in Iranian preschools faces numerous obstacles and challenges. One of the fundamental challenges is the lack of flexible and experiential curricula that provide children with sufficient opportunities to explore, touch, make, and trial and error. Many current curricula are still influenced by traditional, memorybased, and one-sided models. As an integrated approach between art, life, and creativity, the Bauhaus offers an inspiring model for early childhood art education; one in which the child is at the center of experience, exploration, and meaningmaking. The aim of this study was to explore the understanding and contextual experience of preschool teachers in Sanandaj city of art-centered experiential learning using Bauhaus principles. The research method was data-based theory with a structuralist approach of "Charms". 12 teachers were invited to be interviewed through purposive sampling based on theoretical saturation. Data analysis in three stages of open, axial and selective coding led to the extraction of eight selected categories in two sections of challenges and strategies. The findings showed that three main obstacles, including "bureaucratic curriculum", "lack of professionalism of teachers" and "cultural and organizational limitations", limit the possibility of realizing experiential learning. However, teachers have tried to overcome these obstacles by adopting five creative strategies, including "child-centered project-based", "participatory learning", "thought-oriented actions", "application of simple facilities" and "interaction with family". This research, while opening new horizons in early childhood education, shows that even in limited and conservative contexts, it is possible to recreate learning through experience, imagination, and creative participation.The Bauhaus philosophy, with its emphasis on hands-on learning, workshop-based learning, and the connection between art and everyday life, is a valuable model for rethinking early childhood curricula. Founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany, the Bauhaus school or philosophy is one of the most influential educational movements in the history of art and design. The school’s main goal was to integrate art, craft, and technology so that design could be understood and experienced as part of people’s everyday lives. Education at the Bauhaus emphasized learning by doing; students understood the concepts of design and composition not only theoretically but also in practical workshops and by working with real materials. Method: The aim of this study was to explore the understanding and contextual experience of preschool teachers in Sanandaj city of experiential learning with an art focus and using Bauhaus principles. The research method was data-based theory with a structuralist approach of "Charms". 12 teachers were invited to be interviewed through purposive sampling based on theoretical saturation. Data analysis in three stages of open, axial and selective coding led to the extraction of eight selected categories in two sections: challenges and strategies. Results: The findings showed that three main obstacles, including "bureaucratic curriculum", "lack of professionalism of educators", and "cultural and organizational constraints", limit the possibility of realizing experiential learning. However, educators have tried to overcome these obstacles by adopting five creative strategies, including "child-centered project-based learning", "participatory learning", "thoughtbased actions", "use of simple facilities" and "interaction with the family". This research, while opening new horizons in early childhood education, shows that even in limited and conservative contexts, it is possible to recreate learning from experience, imagination and creative participation. Discussion and Conclusion: Based on the research findings, key challenges— bureaucratic curriculum, lack of teacher professionalism, and cultural and organizational constraints—were identified from the data, which collectively hinder the realization of experiential learning. In addition, the rigid curriculum, which emphasizes rote learning and school readiness, limits opportunities for creative and exploratory activities. The results of the present study are consistent with the findings of previous research that show that Iranian preschool curricula tend to favor traditional, rote learning over hands-on experiences. The lack of teacher training, especially in experiential learning philosophies such as Bauhaus, exacerbates the problem, leaving educators feeling unprepared and unsure of how to effectively implement these approaches. This challenge is compounded by cultural expectations of parents, who often prioritize early literacy and academic skills over play-based learning, reflecting a misunderstanding of the value of experiential education. These limitations reflect international studies (Karni, 2022) that emphasize the need for supportive learning environments, structured support, and skilled educators to facilitate effective experiential learning. Despite these barriers, this study highlighted creative strategies employed by teachers to enhance experiential learning. These strategies included child-centered project-based learning, collaborative learning, reflective practices, creative use of simple resources, and active engagement with families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| Abstract: | Introduction: In recent years, new approaches to early childhood education, especially inspired by Dewey's views, have placed special emphasis on learning as experience. According to this view, learning becomes meaningful when the child actively interacts with his or her environment, experiences, creates, and discovers concepts through engagement with materials. This approach provides the possibility of designing active and creative learning environments for children and paves the way for reconstructing the curriculum based on experience. In continuation of this view, the educational philosophy of Bauhaus can also be considered as an inspiring model for rethinking early childhood curricula. Founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus school focused on the integration of art, life, and production, pursuing learning not through direct instruction but through making, experimenting, and active engagement with real materials. Despite numerous theoretical and empirical studies on the importance of experiential learning in early childhood, the effective implementation of this approach in Iranian preschools faces numerous obstacles and challenges. One of the fundamental challenges is the lack of flexible and experiential curricula that provide children with sufficient opportunities to explore, touch, make, and trial and error. Many current curricula are still influenced by traditional, memorybased, and one-sided models. As an integrated approach between art, life, and creativity, the Bauhaus offers an inspiring model for early childhood art education; one in which the child is at the center of experience, exploration, and meaningmaking. The aim of this study was to explore the understanding and contextual experience of preschool teachers in Sanandaj city of art-centered experiential learning using Bauhaus principles. The research method was data-based theory with a structuralist approach of "Charms". 12 teachers were invited to be interviewed through purposive sampling based on theoretical saturation. Data analysis in three stages of open, axial and selective coding led to the extraction of eight selected categories in two sections of challenges and strategies. The findings showed that three main obstacles, including "bureaucratic curriculum", "lack of professionalism of teachers" and "cultural and organizational limitations", limit the possibility of realizing experiential learning. However, teachers have tried to overcome these obstacles by adopting five creative strategies, including "child-centered project-based", "participatory learning", "thought-oriented actions", "application of simple facilities" and "interaction with family". This research, while opening new horizons in early childhood education, shows that even in limited and conservative contexts, it is possible to recreate learning through experience, imagination, and creative participation.The Bauhaus philosophy, with its emphasis on hands-on learning, workshop-based learning, and the connection between art and everyday life, is a valuable model for rethinking early childhood curricula. Founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany, the Bauhaus school or philosophy is one of the most influential educational movements in the history of art and design. The school’s main goal was to integrate art, craft, and technology so that design could be understood and experienced as part of people’s everyday lives. Education at the Bauhaus emphasized learning by doing; students understood the concepts of design and composition not only theoretically but also in practical workshops and by working with real materials. Method: The aim of this study was to explore the understanding and contextual experience of preschool teachers in Sanandaj city of experiential learning with an art focus and using Bauhaus principles. The research method was data-based theory with a structuralist approach of "Charms". 12 teachers were invited to be interviewed through purposive sampling based on theoretical saturation. Data analysis in three stages of open, axial and selective coding led to the extraction of eight selected categories in two sections: challenges and strategies. Results: The findings showed that three main obstacles, including "bureaucratic curriculum", "lack of professionalism of educators", and "cultural and organizational constraints", limit the possibility of realizing experiential learning. However, educators have tried to overcome these obstacles by adopting five creative strategies, including "child-centered project-based learning", "participatory learning", "thoughtbased actions", "use of simple facilities" and "interaction with the family". This research, while opening new horizons in early childhood education, shows that even in limited and conservative contexts, it is possible to recreate learning from experience, imagination and creative participation. Discussion and Conclusion: Based on the research findings, key challenges— bureaucratic curriculum, lack of teacher professionalism, and cultural and organizational constraints—were identified from the data, which collectively hinder the realization of experiential learning. In addition, the rigid curriculum, which emphasizes rote learning and school readiness, limits opportunities for creative and exploratory activities. The results of the present study are consistent with the findings of previous research that show that Iranian preschool curricula tend to favor traditional, rote learning over hands-on experiences. The lack of teacher training, especially in experiential learning philosophies such as Bauhaus, exacerbates the problem, leaving educators feeling unprepared and unsure of how to effectively implement these approaches. This challenge is compounded by cultural expectations of parents, who often prioritize early literacy and academic skills over play-based learning, reflecting a misunderstanding of the value of experiential education. These limitations reflect international studies (Karni, 2022) that emphasize the need for supportive learning environments, structured support, and skilled educators to facilitate effective experiential learning. Despite these barriers, this study highlighted creative strategies employed by teachers to enhance experiential learning. These strategies included child-centered project-based learning, collaborative learning, reflective practices, creative use of simple resources, and active engagement with families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 24765686 |
