A Practical Study on the Application of Generative Painting in Ancient Poetry Teaching at Primary Schools

Jiang, Yanjun; Hsu, Cheng

A Practical Study on the Application of Generative Painting in Ancient Poetry Teaching at Primary Schools

James Alexander Gordon on 6th January 2026

Author Information

Yanjun Jiang, Jiangsu Normal University, China
Cheng Hsu, Jiangsu Normal University, China

Abstract

Teaching classical poetry in primary schools is important; however, current instruction often remains confined to word-by-word explanations and verse translations, leading to insufficient student engagement. Generative painting, grounded in generative learning theory, emphasizes learners 'active processing of information and transformation of textual content into visual representations—a natural fit for the inherent connection between poetry and painting that aligns well with classical poetry instruction. Using the teaching practices of third-grade classical poems “Looking at Tianmen Mountain” and “Jueju” at B Primary School in Xuzhou as a case study, this paper explores the application of generative painting in poetry education. Practice demonstrates that this approach significantly enhances students' interest in learning classical poetry, aids their comprehension of poetic content and emotional nuances, and fosters core literacy development. Accordingly, a practical pathway is proposed: combining teacher guidance with student initiative, implementing engaging hands-on activities, and establishing a multimodal evaluation system to effectively improve the quality of classical poetry instruction in primary schools.