Aesthetic Education Teachers from Taiwan Enjoy Cross-Cultural Creative Learning Exchanges in Austria
Taiwan’s Ministry of Education launched the International Visiting Program for Aesthetic Education Teachers in 2019. This interdisciplinary international study and training initiative is designed to help art educators expand their understanding of how aesthetic and creative learning can be taught, and broaden their global outlook by exploring and learning from international examples and diverse artistic teaching approaches to aesthetic education.
In October 2025, a group of 23 teachers from schools at a range of levels travelled to Austria and the Czech Republic as part of the Ministry of Education's 2025 International Visiting Program for Aesthetic Education Teachers. The group began their visit in Vienna, giving them an opportunity to experience the city’s rich cultural diversity while learning about the Austrian education system and the approaches used to teach creative subjects. The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vienna, coordinated two school visits for the group, with the support of the Vienna Board of Education, and Dr. Elisa Hsiang-Yueh Wang, Director of the Education Division had the pleasure of accompanying the group on these school visits, and facilitating discussions and interactions between the educators from Taiwan and those in Austria.
On October 14, Ms. Romy Höltzer from the European Office of the Vienna Board of Education—the office responsible for coordinating international activities—gave them a comprehensive outline of the Austrian education system before the group visited OVS Kaisermühlen, a primary school with a strong bilingual German–English curriculum which encourages creativity in the classroom in visual arts and hands-on craft activities. A teacher at the school told the visiting teachers about the school’s daily operations and how these put emphasis on the role of diversity and intercultural exchanges—this is especially appropriate given that the school is located close to the United Nations headquarters. The group then had an opportunity to observe a number of classroom lessons, giving them a direct impression of the teaching environment and the positive, respectful interactions between teachers and students.
On the following day, the group visited BORG Hegelgasse, an upper secondary school in central Vienna which specializes in offering art and music education in a range of creative areas. The school principal Mr. Thomas Grubhofer welcomed the visiting teachers in the assembly hall and explained the school’s educational philosophy and how the school encourages artistic expression and independent thinking. The students can select to focus on photography, visual design, drama, or music, and then develop their artistic skills in their selected learning area in depth.
The group then observed art, choir, and drama classes to see how activities that nurture art-related learning are integrated into everyday teaching. The teachers particularly valued the interactions they were able to have with the teachers and students at BORG Hegelgasse. With the assistance of Dr. Elisa Hsiang-Yueh Wang they were able to generously share details of their daily school life and current projects. In this school also, the warm and trusting atmosphere between the teachers and students left a strong impression. The visit concluded in the school’s assembly hall with a mutual exchange of impressions and reflections about aesthetic education.
Another group of teachers is scheduled to visit Austria in early November as part of the 2025 International Visiting Program for Aesthetic Education Teachers to further enhance aesthetic education exchanges between educators in Taiwan and Austria and help those working in art education to broaden their understanding of creative thought and teaching aesthetics, and their global outlook. The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vienna is pleased to witness the strong mutual interest in these exchange visits and looks forward to continuing to assist in advancing cross-border engagement in aesthetic education.
