Empathetic Communication

Illustrated silent book to portray standardisation in education.

Problem Statement: Standardised education systems require all students to be uniform and comply. Not all children are the same, they have different learning needs and inclinations. Unfortunately, the children who do not meet the standardised requirements are not getting the education they deserve.

Silent book. My Shape- Say less, think more.

Objective: Demonstrate how a standardised education system can harm children. Demonstrate how empathy can change that narrative. Garner positive learning outcomes through recognising the child’s differences and working with them.

Educational book

Keerthana Puthuvaya

Animation (MA)

Weini Cheng

Fashion (MA)

Dannielle Hodson

Mandy Lane

Yuanxin Qiao

Research

As a group, we all have experienced a form of violent communication. We have shared our stories but there are very few books that target adults specifically in pedagogy to engage empathy towards students. In line with our research, real stories make a bigger impact.

East Asian Education:

Prioritize standardised curricula and lack creativity, hindering individual development and diversity.

Finnish Education:

Emphasises real-life topics, practical learning, and individualised differences, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment.

Empathetic communication can benefit teachers, pupils, schools, parents and ultimately society as a whole.

We were inspired by the saying ‘Square peg round hole,’ and the pre-school toy where small children fit shapes into their correct hole. The problem statement is illustrated. If the project was being carried forward, a positive outcome would be presented.

The story depicts the journey of a sphere as it is put through a square peg classroom and how this standardisation causes the sphere to deform.

Graduation sequence with an entirely deformed sphere

Impact

Beginning with a reflection on individual educational experiences, the book provokes critical thinking and ultimately attempts to have an impact on the education system.

The book draws attention to the negative impacts of standardisation in education, focuses on the real needs of students and aims to change the education system from the bottom up. The project also aims to promote diversity, enable students to grow and explore themselves. The objectives are to foster the development of the child as an independent individual, and in turn, promote gender and racial equality. This will hopefully reform the education system and the methods of education, and change the structure of the right to education.

Empathetic Communication

Research

Impact

Social

About

Royal College of Art