Abstract
This study explores how poems as teaching materials and the instructional strategy of “transposition” affect children’s generation of themes in drawing activities within elementary school Art and Crafts classes. Drawing on the Double Diamond Model creative process from design thinking, the study conceptualizes the learning process in four stages—from the initial encounter with a poem to the completion of visual expression. The findings reveal that poetic texts appeal to children’s senses, stimulate their thinking, and awaken subconscious perceptions of objects and phenomena. These experiences, referred to as “happenings” serve as triggers for children to conceive of their own themes. Furthermore, the two forms of “transposition” used by teachers—transforming the “happenings” derived from poems into words or sketches—promote both the divergence and convergence of thinking, thereby facilitating a shift from verbal to visual modes of thought. The study suggests that understanding children’s cognitive processes provides valuable insights into how teachers can design and support creative drawing activities using poetry as a pedagogical resource.
