Efficiency of an Innovative Didactic Approach in Graphic Design Teaching

Modern educational methods enable the development of pupils’ creative design expression, but the role and importance of the didactic approaches in secondary schools have not been thoroughly researched. The paper presents the research results regarding the influence of an innovative didactic approach from the point of view of the development of art design creativity and artistic knowledge in graphic design teaching. The differences were monitored among pupils in the 3rd year of secondary school (age 17-18) in Slovenia. We have confirmed positive effects in favour of the experimental group, as a result of a set of didactic decisions, namely the combination, diversity and dynamics of teaching methods, teaching forms and didactic communication. The positive effects of the experimental approach show that the introduction of minor methodological changes can significantly improve the development of artistic creativity and artistic knowledge. By introducing the basic ideas of the innovative didactic approach (Duh, 2004), we have confirmed the effectiveness, flexibility and subtlety of innivation at the level of secondary school. We also found that the experimental program was suitable for both girls and boys, and that it could be implemented in various social environments. Keywords: artistic creativity ; high school ; teaching methods ; teaching forms ; didactic communication .