Duration: 90 minutes.

Primary SPIRIT Skill(s) focus:

• Valuing people and nature
• Curiosity, sense of wonder, and openness
• Creativity

Brief description

• Museum Education Session / Classroom “Walk” Introducing the Paintings.
• Exploring the works of Pál Szinyei Merse, observing and analysing selected paintings

How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills?

The aim of the session is for students to develop resilience and flexibility through observing and interpreting the paintings of Pál Szinyei Merse. By closely examining the artworks and discussing various interpretations, students experience that understanding is not always immediate but can be achieved through perseverance and thoughtful reflection. Resilience is strengthened by cultivating patience and acceptance of uncertainty, while flexibility is demonstrated through embracing different viewpoints, openness, and responsiveness to new perspectives.

What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?

Students learn to observe visual details persistently and consciously, even if they do not understand their meaning at first. They accept that making mistakes or not knowing something is not a failure, but part of the learning process. They become capable of listening to and accepting different interpretations and confidently expressing their own thoughts. Their openness, emotional awareness, and ability to adapt flexibly to different viewpoints improve.

Academic/Curriculum Objective connection

• Developing observation skills, analytical abilities, and memory
• Improving reading comprehension and expanding vocabulary
• Enhancing opinion formation and visual communication
• Interpreting the themes and motifs of artworks (e.g., nature, hot air balloon, relationship between humans and the environment)

Materials and tools needed for implementation

Pál Szinyei Merse’s paintings in some form (original paintings in the museum; projected images or printed images displayed on the wall in the classroom).

Preparation notes

High-quality reproductions of the paintings need to be prepared for projection or in printed form. It is important to provide a basic, age-appropriate overview of the artist’s life and work—avoiding overly complex biographical details.

It is advisable to give a brief, storytelling-style context beforehand to support the reception of the artworks, and to allow time for silent observation as well. Planning the questions in advance helps guide the observation process (see appendix).

The educator should also be prepared to activate the students’ imagination and prior experiences (e.g., have they ever seen a hot air balloon, visited a museum, or what “old painting” means to them).

Guided Questions

• What was the first thing you noticed in the painting? And now, if you look again, do you see anything else?
• What do you think was the artist’s intention? Why do you think they painted this particular scene?
• What would you do if you didn’t understand what is happening in the painting? What could help in such a situation?
• Was there any detail in the painting that you found difficult to understand? What do you think about it now?

Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)

• Was there a moment when you weren’t sure what you were seeing? What did you do then?
• Did your opinion about the painting change as you looked at it more? Why?
• How did it feel when others saw the same painting differently from you did?
• What was the most difficult part of this task, and how did you solve it?

Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges

• For hesitant students, it is helpful to use simple, open-ended questions, such as “What do you notice first?” and to reinforce that every answer is valuable. When answers are quick and superficial, asking about other senses, for example, “What sounds might you hear there?” can deepen observation.
• In cases of differing opinions, it is important to emphasize that art can be interpreted in many ways, which helps develop flexibility.
• Shy students can be engaged through small group or pair discussions.
• For those with attention difficulties, giving specific search tasks, like “Find a unique shape!”, helps them focus better.
• To foster resilience, praise students who try again or seek alternative solutions after making mistakes.