Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Chapter 16 Using the Creative Arts to Support Development and Learning

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 2 Goals of Chapter 16 Define creativity as it applies to young children in the early childhood classroom Clarify the importance of art and music in child development and learning Understand the teachers role in facilitating the creative arts Identify creative art and music activities for children birth to age 8 Reflect on the role of play in early drama experiences

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 3 What is Creativity? Creativity is digging deeper Creativity is looking twice Creativity is crossing out mistakes Creativity is talking/listening to a cat Creativity is getting in deep water Creativity is getting out from behind locked doors Creativity is plugging in the sun Creativity is wanting to know Creativity is having a ball Creativity is building sand castles Creativity is singing in your own way Creativity is shaking hands with the future (by E. Paul Torrance)

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4 What is Creativity? (continued) Two common criteria in defining creativity Novelty appropriateness Characteristics of Creative Individuals Curiosity Flexibility Sensitivity to problems Originality Independence Redefinition Penetration

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 5 Assisting with the Creative Process Key ingredients Adults who value creativity Low-risk classroom environments Creativity and play The two often take place together Einstein said, “Play seems to be an essential feature in productive thought” Celebrating play – For the fun of it

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 6 The Young Artist Why include the arts? The arts help children express feelings and ideas that are difficult to share in words Teachers can integrate the academic world of students through the arts The arts provide the child with a universal language that is useful in communicating with others

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 7 Misconceptions About Art Art is a nonessential element of the curriculum Discovering talent is the goal Teachers must have performance skills in art to teach it Creative teaching is teacher-centered The teacher is uninvolved

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 8 Developmental Trends in Art Scribbling and mark-making stage (Birth–2) Personal symbol and design stage (approximately 2–4) Attempts at public representation (approximately 4–7) Realism stage (late primary years and up)

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 9 The Adult’s Role in Art Experiences Put away patterns, ditto masters, and premarked papers Throw out coloring books Avoid cookbook art activities Enjoy the freedom that basic materials provide

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 10 Talking About Art What is it made of (size, tools, medium)? What does the adult see (lines, angles, shapes, symmetry, colors, overlaps)? What does it represent (design, story, symbol)? How is it organized (perspective, composition, action, view, completion)?

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 11 Talking About Art (continued) What is it about, what is the nature of involvement (violence, peace, love, sadness, persuasion, information)? Where does the idea come from (imagination, observation, literature, imitation, TV, messing around)?

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 12 The Art of Reggio Emilia Three principles Understanding cognitive theories of art Art as a language of expressing cognitive understanding Motivating children to produce art Deeply meaningful experiences Selecting teaching strategies

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 13 Music and the Young Child The importance of music Psychomotor skills Perceptual skills Affective development Cognitive growth Social skills Cultural understanding

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 14 Musical Development Infants React to loudness, softness, human voice Toddlers Listen to music, repeat some phrases, enjoy making music Three-year-olds Better voice control, master simple songs

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 15 Music Development (continued) Four-year-olds Can learn basic musical concepts, sing complete songs from memory Five-year-olds Maturing sense of pitch, rhythm, and melody Six, Seven, and Eight-year-olds Singing voices approaching maturity, enjoy silliness and word play

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 16 Music Curriculum for Young Children Curriculum Elements Listening to music Responding to music through movement Opportunities to make music Understand music and music making Movement and Music Include finger plays March to music Use rhythm instruments Provide space for movement and music

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 17 Facilitating Musical Experiences Prepare the classroom environment Encourage creative expression Emphasize enjoyment Make music fun Carefully observe

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 18 Activities in Art and Music Activities for infant and toddlers Place artwork within view, playfully sing, play background music, place noisemakers within reach Activities for preschoolers Mural painting, straw painting, crayon rubbing, working with clay, attend an art show, scarves, marching band, music appreciation Primary years Paper, glue, scissors, crayons & paint; chalk and pastels; crayon shavings; drawing or sketching; stars and snowflakes; more complex musical experiences, song singing, listening to live concerts

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 19 Creative Dramatics Informal creative dramatics in preschool More structured dramatics in primary classrooms Puppet theater

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 20 Observing Development – Creative Behavior Observe Go to MyEducationLab and select “Curriculum/Program Models” and watch the videos “Montessori” and “High Scope”. Reflect Compare and contrast the creative behavior in these two videos. Apply Describe ways that teachers in both programs either facilitated or hindered creative play.

Teaching Young Children, 4 th Edition Henniger © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 21 Multimedia Exploration and Activities… Research Go to MyEducationLab and select “Creative Arts” then watch the video “Explode Stereotypes”. Reflect How can music either help or hinder efforts to teach about different cultures? Respond Develop a rationale for creative arts education that will convince parents about its importance in early childhood.