Artistic and environmental didactics: stamping of vegetal matter as a teaching resource

Abstract

In this study we aim to show an interdisciplinary project that links competences, educational values and content from artistic and environmental teaching. The main objective is to create a teaching method based on the interaction of art with outstanding natural areas; taking engravings and colours and natural materials as the main vehicles of the teaching-learning process. These materials, including leaves, stems and even fruits, are not usually used by farmers and workers in charge of keeping protected natural areas. The context of the study is university education and we propose an innovative project that transversally couples the concepts of artistic and environmental education with a view to working with different areas of the curriculum. The line of work is called "ecological artistic planning." The project is aimed at primary education students, future teachers, that through field trips and classroom experimentation with graphic-art techniques such as monotype printmaking construct and relate elements of visual and plastic language with materials extracted from the natural environment without altering it. In this article we analyse content and processes as instrumental strategies of the artistic skills that students should acquire for their future teaching. The results of the experiment are reflected in experiences and different plastic compositions which, despite being built individually, all the students did at the same time in an atmosphere of dialogue among them and the environment. Finally, in full contact with nature, the plastic compositions are displayed and curricular findings are discussed in an assembly.