International Journal of Education & the Arts

Citation: Sprowl, R. (2026). Lessons the Bauhaus Vorkurs can teach a 21st-century art teacher. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 27(12). http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea27n12

The teachers of the Bauhaus Vorkurs used the formal elements of art to construct classroom exercises that sought to enliven creative thinking. The exercises were designed to give students hands-on experience with various materials and left ample space to experiment until an inventive solution was found. Many activities incorporated aspects of play which helped to engage the senses and summon originality. To test how relevant the Vorkurs assignments could still be today in promoting play and experimentation in adolescents, a small selection of practical Vorkurs activities were implemented in a secondary school art classroom. The results revealed that the activities challenged students’ typical approaches to the creative process, nourished their subjectivity, and increased their understanding of materials and composition. The study also inspired reflection on how art activities are composed and the benefits of creating activities that offer digital-age students meaningful opportunities for tangible play and problem-solving.