The Aesthetic Domain “aisthetickos” – the ability to perceive through the senses.

AESTHETIC DEVELOPMENT  RESPONSIVE EXPERIENCES  Discovery Activities – appreciation of natural beauty  Exposure Activities –appreciation of arts  Evaluation Activities –forming judgments and preferences  PRODUCTIVE EXPERIENCES  Creative Activities –creative expression

Stages of Creative Representation  Age 2-4Scribble – disordered, controlled, and naming scribbles  Age 4-7Representational Preschematic – symbols  Age 7-9Schematic – highly individualized visual symbols

Teaching Strategies for Quality Aesthetic Experiences  Model aesthetic awareness and enthusiasm.  Prepare an aesthetics-friendly classroom environment.  Organize an art center or “creation station” with appropriate materials.  Select appropriate music supporting materials.  Provide a variety of creative movement props.

Teaching Strategies for Quality Aesthetic Experiences  Provide props for dramatics.  Value all aspects of the creative expression process.  Teach children to respect and care for materials.  Motivate creativity through a variety of strategies.  Explore the materials before asking children to use them.

Teaching Strategies for Quality Aesthetic Experiences  Avoid making a product when demonstrating a technique.  Involve children in music experiences daily.  Provide a large uncluttered space for creative movement.  Begin each movement experience with a similar routine warm-up and end with a similar cool down.

Teaching Strategies for Quality Aesthetic Experiences  Accept children’s own ideas for creative movement.  Utilize the principle of developmental direction in aesthetic teaching.  Discover and use picture book illustrations as works of art.  Use questions to describe, analyze, evaluate art.

Teaching Strategies for Quality Aesthetic Experiences  Avoid reinforcing only a realistic approach.  Involve ALL of the children in the arts.

Variety of Strategies to Promote Creativity  Direct hands-on time with materials  Examples shown of quality art and beautiful craftsmanship  Demonstrate new techniques.  Use of motivational dialogue.  Role-play idea.  Show and discuss pictures of real objects.  Encourage imagining.  Use nonverbal reinforcement.  Connect creative experiences to a concept

Ideas for Unit  Songs to teach literacy  Poems, puppets, and fingerplays  Use of musical instruments  Field trips to museums  Arts & Crafts  Listen to taped stories  Center-based activities  Easel/paintings  Guest speakers (artists in our town)  Creating songs about topic  Book-making experiences  Murals  Bulletin Boards