Indigenous Pedagogies as an Arts-Based Framework for Education 4.0

Abstract

While Education 4.0 promises to cultivate 21st-century skills like creativity and critical thinking, the reality often falls short. Current frameworks are heavily technocentric, prioritizing digital tools and measurable data over the communal, emotional, and spiritual depth that true learning requires. This paper argues that we can restore balance to this digital shift by looking toward Indigenous Pedagogies (IPs). Far from being “obsolete” relics of the past, these are sophisticated, arts-based systems rooted in storytelling, ritual, and land-based creation that can offer a creative blueprint for the human-centered goals that Education 4.0 claims to value. Through a qualitative synthesis, I deconstruct modern educational models to show how ancestral wisdom can actually serve as a vital evolution for our "postdigital" future. This work introduces the ABIP Model, a framework that braids ancient knowledge with digital tools across four key areas: narrative intelligence, land literacy, collaborative performance, and symbolic co-creation. By comparing the unique strengths of different artistic traditions, the study demonstrates how performative and visual arts can practically ground the modern competencies that Education 4.0 aims for. Ultimately, integrating these practices is not a step backward but a necessary step toward an ethical, holistic education. It ensures that as we move through the Fourth Industrial Revolution, our students are future-proofed and remain deeply connected to their humanity and their respective communities.