Mille-Feuille Theory

Structure of feeling

challenging triangle- and pyramid models

Centrifugal Openess

Student's Perspective

Creative Confidence

Understanding the game we are playing and finding creative ways to intervene, to change directions....

Artistic

    Pedagogy

Artistic Entrepreneurship

    & Collective Action

Creative Confidence

Methodology

and to be affected

mind the gap

to affect

non-linear  ways

               of  learning

Creative Confidence

Creating Concepts

What does it mean to create something new?

Creating Maps

How to encourage a leap out of the comfort zone and to work with the unexpected in an open ended process?

Critical Thinking

What does it mean to become an artist?

Re-Reading

Re-Doing

Teacher's Perspective

the joy of learning

What if we imagine the mille-feuille—not only as a manifolded butter dough—but as an analogy for an artistic pedagogical theory and practice? With the Mille Feuille Theory, I propose an artistic pedagogical model grounded in the aesthetics and properties of layered and relational structures. The pastry-analogy challenges hierarchical taxonomies of learning, such as Bloom's, in which ‘creativity’ is placed at the top of a pyramid as an ultimate distinction. In contrast, this approach sees creativity as something that emerges between, across, and within every layer of the learning process.

As head of the study program at KiT, I want to explore this theory not only in my own teaching but as a lens for understanding how different courses and pedagogical approaches contribute to a shared learning environment at both the BA and MA levels. I work from the assumption that creative action and inquiry are immanent to all levels of pedagogical engagement, unfolding in non-linear temporalities through a practice- and research-based learning process. Each layer of the mille-feuille—like the pastry itself—carries reciprocal meanings and offers potential for transformation.

This approach presents challenges for both teachers and students, particularly those who hold traditional views of creativity as an individual gift or as the end-point of skill acquisition. Part of the work, then, involves processes of unlearning, re-reading, and re-skilling. I aim to expand, test and reflect this theory through classroom experiences, observations, and dialogue—with both students and colleagues—supported by critical and pedagogical theory. Key influences include Dave Cormier’s rhizomatic learning, Elliot Eisner’s aesthetic education, Lauren Berlant’s affective pedagogy, the New London Group’s multiliteracies, and the social critique of Janet Wolff and John Dewey.

Ultimately, I see this as a framework not just for my own practice but for the future shaping of the KiT curriculum. I plan to use the upcoming term to deepen this inquiry, structuring it as a pedagogical development module—both to challenge my own methods and to explore how the Mille Feuille Theory might foster a more flexible, integrated, and critically reflective curriculum culture.