Since 2022, this study has engaged with interdisciplinary handcraft workshops in Tokyo (six-day programs with high school students, undergraduates, and cross-disciplinary practitioners) to re-examine the sensory significance and ethical value of "making" within educational contexts. Compared to classroom instruction, cram schools, or AI-mediated learning, physical workshops—including ukiyo-e printmaking, letterpress typography, and collaborative art-making—function as resonant fields of collective creation. The workshop structure integrated three phases: material exploration with craftspeople, peer collaboration in small groups, and reflective dialogue. Data were collected through participant observation, conversational interviews, and analysis of creative artifacts to trace the sensory dynamics and learning intensities generated through emotional interaction and embodied collaboration. Drawing on psychological theories of emotional resonance and social synchrony, this paper introduces perceptive attunement as an analytical concept, examining how participants achieved sensory coordination and emotional connection through synchronous interaction. Key findings reveal that tactile engagement enhances embodied knowing, shared material struggles cultivate empathetic peer relations, and visible creative processes restore learner agency diminished in digital environments. Handcraft practices transcend technical training, representing an ethical response in education: rebuilding visible, tangible, and resonant human networks. Beyond addressing the limitations of online education, this study offers methodological pathways for participatory learning in psychology and education, showing how multi-sensory, collaborative workshops can inform reflexive pedagogical practice.

Authors:
Jiaye Wu, Shih Chien University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Jiaye Wu, a cross-disciplinary designer and researcher in fashion, brand visuals, and curation, focuses on integrating historical resources into immersive teaching, with plans to merge digital technology for multi-sensory, embodied learning.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

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