Description
Since the dawn of time, drawing and illustration have been natural ways of expression for humanity. They are also one of the most universal ways of communicating, which is acquired in early childhood and is understood by people from any culture.
Because of the universality of the language of images, teachers can use drawing and illustration to engage their audience and help students to process complex ideas. Unfortunately, this can be intimidating for adults, who often stop drawing when they finish school.
This course will provide school teachers with the essential tools and theory to deep back into drawing and illustration.
Participants will learn the basics of drawing and illustration, from color theory to drawing shapes and lines, from decomposing objects into simple forms to drawing simple figures and creating characters.
The course will also explore the psychology of drawing. Participants will learn to find their expressivity, use drawing to bring focus to the topic, or activity, and tap into their creativity.
Moreover, participants will discover how to exploit drawing and illustration to support their student learning. For instance, they will understand how drawings can facilitate memory by defining orders of information, how creating visual anchors can make topics more interesting and engaging, or how to improve reading comprehension through illustration.
The course will have a very hands-on approach, combining elements of the theory, individual and group work, and discussion. It is designed to progressively drag in the activities of anybody, even without previous experience.
Participants become more confident in using drawing techniques as teachers and creating their portfolios. At the end of the course, participants will be comfortable while drawing in the classroom and feel ready to use illustrations and drawings to scaffold their students’ learning and enhance their educational activities.
Learning outcomes
The course will help the participants to:
- Understand the power of illustration in the learning process;
- Color theory and color mixing;
- Drawing of shapes;
- Creation of drawn character;
- Understanding of different techniques for boosting creativity;
- Basics of storytelling;
- Use of infographics in learning;
- Creation of illustrated explanation of story or concept for learning purposes.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Drawing and illustrations at school
- Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
- Icebreaker activities;
- Presentations of participants, their schools, and the trainer;
- Why illustrations are important for learning, and why do we trust images?
Day 2 – Introduction to materials and watercolors
- Color theory: how to mix colors, color harmonies, and color palettes;
- Using colors for expressing emotions and storytelling;
- Drawing shapes;
- Processing complex pictures with simple shapes.
Day 3 – Drawing people
- Doodling and its benefits for creativity;
- Drawing faces and expressions;
- Drawing simple figures: an introduction;
- Group work: create your group of characters connected to teaching subjects.
Day 4 – Drawing and storytelling
- The basics of storytelling;
- Storytelling via images: the value of illustration and comic books;
- Infographics and their importance;
- Group work: development of short, illustrated story/concept to explain specific topics.
Day 5 – Sharing projects
- Finishing the illustrated story/concept;
- Present your illustrated story/concept sharing feedback.
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
- Excursion and other external cultural activities.