“If you want to be creative, stay in part a child, with the creativity and invention that characterizes children before they are deformed by society.”- Jean Piaget CH.2 Promoting Creativity Dr. Gallegos CD 7

Promoting Creativity in the Curriculum To express their creative potential, young children need knowledge and skills. –Both knowledge and skills are necessary before creative potential can have true meaning. –Children cannot develop high-level creative thinking skills without the basic knowledge and skills of a particular area. –The curriculum is the teacher’s choice of what knowledge and skills are important and also developmentally appropriate for a particular group of children.

Promoting Creativity in the Curriculum Creativity evolves from a knowledge base without knowledge, there is no creation. A child must understand in order to invent. One important goal for the early childhood teacher is to provide an adequate base of knowledge and skills for children, while at the same time providing an environment that encourages creative thinking in the use of the knowledge and skills..

Promoting Creativity in the Curriculum The curriculum is the guide by which teachers determine what will be presented to children. Creativity is fostered according to how the curriculum is presented to the child.

Promoting Creativity through Play & Exploration As children explore and play with materials in their environments, they are also in a sense shaping the brain. Human Brain contend that experience, particularly in childhood, sculpts the brain The brain changes physiologically as a result of experience. New connections are formed every day in active interaction with the environment.

Promoting Creativity through Play & Exploration Hands-on activities stimulate various regions of the brain, and active participation helps young children form stronger mental association with their existing understandings. The opportunities to learn actively in an environment provided throughout life and particularly in the early years help to create us as unique individuals The role of exploration and play is central to the development of creativity- at all ages.

Modifying Curriculum to Promote Creativity Curriculum may be viewed as an outline of knowledge and skills to be learned rather than as a recipe for how they must be taught. The term learn implies that exploration and play are part of the process; the term recipe denotes a careful following of steps in a specific order and amount to come u with one precise product. Young children are not all the same, so differing amounts and various combinations of ingredients are necessary for each child.

Modifying Curriculum to Promote Creativity The curriculum is a guide to the knowledge and abilities that are necessary to develop creative thinking skills. The curriculum provides the content around which creativity may develop. How the content is presented to the child is the means to creative development.

Modifying Curriculum to Promote Creativity When modifying curriculum to encourage creative thinking, consider the following points: –The curriculum must be developmentally appropriate for young children. This means It will allow children to both physically and mentally active, engaging them in active rather than passive activities. –Be alert and aware of children’s interests. Choose materials and activities that are meaningful to children in your group. Be sure to involve them in choosing materials and activities for the curriculum.

Modifying Curriculum to Promote Creativity Cont. Modifying curriculum –Provide a variety of materials that encourage children's creative exploration. Allow children ample time to physically and mentally explore. –Consider all the types of learning styles and multiple intelligences of children in your group –Encourage children’s divergent thinking and curiosity. Let them ask questions and search for solutions to their problems. –Encourage older children’s curiosity by giving credit in your grading system for questioning. –Be sure to promote opportunities for children to interact and communicate with other children and adults in an atmosphere of acceptance.

Enhancing Children’s Creativity in the Curriculum Remember that a teaching activity that produces an enjoyable or creative outcome does not necessarily enhance creativity unless the students have the opportunity for creative thinking. There is a difference between creative teaching (teacher is creative) and teaching develop children’s creativity. Teaching to enhance creativity has a different focus: the essential creativity is on the part of the students.

Enhancing Children’s Creativity in the Curriculum When we teach to enhance creativity, we may well be creative as teachers, but we also provide student the knowledge, skills, and surroundings necessary for their own creativity to emerge. As teachers, we need to ask ourselves questions like the following: –Do I take time to observe children in action before stepping in to teach? –Do I provide opportunities for children to use new understandings and skills in many different situations before moving to the next skill. –Do I provide open-ended activities for children each day? –Do I add or modify the materials in learning centers or stations as I perceive children are ready for change.? –Do I feel comfortable being challenged? How can I challenge myself to grow as a learner and teacher?

Integrated Curriculum & Creativity The curriculum that encourages creativity the most in young children is an integrated, whole curriculum. In an integrated curriculum, the artificial divisions among content areas are reduced. –An integrated curriculum is designed around a unit of study centered on a specific theme or project. –The unit of study contains a coordinated series of learning activities planned around a broad topic that will involve the whole group. –A unit is an integrated curriculum will involve all of the content areas (reading, art, math, music, social studies, etc.)

Integrated Curriculum & Creativity Integrated curriculum units provide the topics and framework for planning activities for children –The length of time for the unit may vary (weeks/months) –In this curriculum children are able to experience learning as a whole.

Creative Early Childhood Curriculum & Differentiated Instruction Differentiated Instruction is a way of thinking about teaching and learning. It is a philosophy It is based on a set of beliefs that relate to encouraging creativity in your children.

Creative Early Childhood Curriculum & Differentiated Instruction The beliefs of differentiated instruction are as follows –Children who are the same age are different in their readiness to learn, their interests, their students of learning, their experiences, and their life circumstances. –These differences in children affect what they need to learn, the pace at which they need to learn it, and the support they need from teachers and others to learn it well. –Children will learn best when they can make a connection between the curriculum and their interests and life experiences –Children will learn best when learning opportunities are natural. –Children are more effective learners when classrooms and schools create a sense pf community in which children feel significant and respected. –The central job of teacher and schools is to maximize the capacity of each student. –

Creative Early Childhood Curriculum & Differentiated Instruction The curriculum and instruction fit each child and children have choices about what to learn and how, Also, children taking part in setting learning goals is further evidence of differentiates instruction. With differentiated instruction, the curriculum connects with the experiences and interests of individual children.

Creative Early Childhood Curriculum and Learning Styles An important factor in understanding learning styles is understanding brain functions. When we talk about a person who is right- brained or left-brained, we are referring to learning preferences based on functional differences the hemispheres (sides) of the brain.

Creative Early Childhood Curriculum and Learning Styles The left brain is considered analytical in approach. –This means that a left-brain (successive processor) prefers to learn in a step-by-step sequential format, beginning with details leading up to understanding a concept or acquiring a skill. The right brain is described as holistic or global –This means that a right brain (simultaneous processor) prefers to learn beginning with the general concept and then go on to specifics. Dominant hemisphere means that it is what you preferred or is stronger when first processing information. –The right and left brain hemisphere have specialized thinking characteristics. –They do not approach life in the same way.

Creative Early Childhood Curriculum and Learning Styles Left Brain Hemisphere –The skills best developed in this side of the brain are handwriting, understanding symbols, language, reading, phonics, locating details and facts, talking, and reciting, following directions, and listening and auditory association. –All of these are skills children must exercise on a day-today basis in school. We ask for details, we insist upon directions being followed and we talk at children. Our curriculum is left-brained driven.

Creative Early Childhood Curriculum and Learning Styles Right Brain Hemisphere –The right hemisphere has the ability to recognize and process nonverbal sounds. It also governs our ability to communicate using body language. – Ability to make judgements based on the relationship of our bodies to space is centered in the right hemisphere. –The ability to recognize, draw, and deal with shapes and patterns as well as geometric figures. –Singing and music are right-hemisphere activities –Children who are right hemisphere create “mystery” pictures.

Promoting Creativity Through Positive Acceptance Adults who work with young children are in an especially crucial position to foster each child’s creativity. A child who meets with unquestionable acceptance of her unique approach to the world will feel safe in expressing her creativity, whatever the activity or situation. The following are guidelines on how to help transmit this positive acceptance to children, which in turn fosters creativity in any situation. –Openly demonstrate to young children that there is value in their curiosity, exploration, and original behavior. –Allow children to go at their own pace when they are carrying out an activity that excites and interests them. –Let children stay with what they are making until they feel its finished.

Promoting Creativity Through Positive Acceptance (cont.) The following are guidelines on how to help transmit this positive acceptance to children, which in turn fosters creativity in any situation. –Let children figure out their own ways of doing things if they prefer to do so. –Keep the atmosphere relaxed –Encourage guessing, especially when the answers make good sense.

Creative Questioning for Children Various ways of asking questions –Making things between with your imagination What would taste better if it were sweeter? What would be nicer if it were smaller? What would be happier if it were bigger? –Using other senses –Divergent-thinking questions Examples using the concept of water: –How can you use water? –What floats in water? –How does water help us?

Creative Questioning for Children –What would happen if? What would happen if all the trees in the world were blue? What would happen if everyone looked alike? What would happen if all the cars were gone? What would happen if every vegetable tasted like chocolate? What would happen of you could fly? –In how many different ways (Another type of question that extends a child’s creative thinking) In how many different ways could a spoon be used? In how many different ways could a button be used?

Motivating Skills for Teachers There are several ways to help children become motivated for the creative process. –Physical Needs –Interests –Friends –Activities for fun –Goals –Variety –Challenge –Reinforcement –The Children’s feelings