top of page

Study: Reimagining Education Through Students' Eyes

  • Writer: Tiz Creel
    Tiz Creel
  • 2 days ago
  • 3 min read

Updated: 10 hours ago

An interdisciplinary research study that brings together art, pedagogy, and community-based research emerging from the challenges of educational inequity among school students in Mexico.



A collaboration with the University of Guadalajara and the non-profit Letras para Volar for the 2019 National Strategic Education Programs of Jalisco, Mexico.


Supported by FONCA (National Endowment for Culture & Arts of Mexico), CONACYT (National Council for Humanities, Sciences and Technologies), and Instituto Transdisciplinar para la Literacidad (Transdisciplinary Institute for Literacy).



How can artistic practice transform education in rural contexts? This question sits at the heart of Mundos ideales (Making Ideal Worlds). This development project merges participatory education to address challenges in primary education in rural Jalisco, Mexico. Central to this initiative was the integration of artistic expression with theoretical frameworks rooted in cognition and education.


We collaborated with teachers and researchers to co-create a pedagogical diagnostic tool tailored to assess the social and educational needs of children in public schools. The tool consisted of custom stickers (or magnets) representing a wide spectrum of entities: people, flora, fauna, objects, natural formations and construction objects.


Developed as part of a participatory action research study that engaged dozens of students, using custom-made stickers to build their vision of an ideal world, which they then debriefed in open discussions. Whether it was a forest brimming with talking animals or a village governed by fairness and mutual respect, each creation told a story. Following this exercise, open dialogues invited students to explain the underlying values and structures they embedded within their ideal worlds.



Emergent Themes


Environmental Responsibility: One of the most pervasive themes across all sessions was environmental consciousness. Many students constructed green spaces, populated their ideal worlds with diverse ecosystems, and emphasised the coexistence of humans and nature. This strong ecological awareness suggests that students are deeply attuned to global environmental concern.


Equity and Inclusion: Another key finding was the students’ insistence on fairness, inclusion, and equality. Their ideal societies frequently abolished traditional hierarchies, replacing them with systems based on mutual respect and communal care. This theme manifested in representations of inclusive schools, diverse families, and balanced resource distribution.


Community and Belonging: Students also emphasised the central role of family, neighbourhood, and friendship. In their ideal worlds, familial bonds were strong, communities were cooperative, and homes were safe havens. The symbolic representation of houses, communal tables, and intergenerational gatherings underscored the value they placed on belonging.







Ideal Worlds, a Research and Advocacy Project in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico.


Demonstrates how creative expression accelerates language acquisition and comprehension.





Ideal Worlds, Methodological Discussion Based on the Experience from Southern Jalisco.


Offering a framework for educators to evaluate student needs using creative methodologies.



Art as a Didactic Tool for Literacy. Investigation of the Diagnostic Stage of the Ideal Worlds Project.


Exploring the intersection of visual arts and cognitive development in middle childhood.



Pedagogical Proposal for Promoting Literacy through Linguistics and Art.


Advocated for integrating student voice in the redesign of educational policies.





Tiz Creel of Living Things Studio ©2026


Thank you for reading 🫀


Keep it playful.



bottom of page