©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Using Work Samples to Look at Creativity “Writing meaningful observations as they are occurring cannot happen in a teacher-directed classroom. The teacher is too busy.”

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. WORK SAMPLES  Children’s drawings, writings, products, inventions  Media: Photos, video, audio tapes  Transcripts of conversations  Anecdotal records of dramatic play episodes

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Development Revealed in Work Samples

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Uses of Work Samples Advantages  In natural setting, non-teacher directed  Compared over a period of time  Expression of child’s thoughts and feelings Disadvantages  Children’s products are works in progress  May lead observer to draw wrong conclusions  Collection and storage

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. What to Do with It  Depending on medium, it can be duplicated for child’s portfolio  Shared with child and family as a point of discussion and comparison to work over time  Displayed in classroom (without competition)  Used to explore children ’ s interests and extend with planned activities

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. LOOKING AT CHILDREN ’ S CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT Stages of Children ’ s Art 1.Making marks – 0 to 2 years, experimentation 2.Scribbling – 2 to 4 years, exploration 3.Preschematic – 4 to 7 years, nonrepresentational 4. Schematic – 7 to 9 years, more realistic

Early Stages of Drawing Mandala – combination of a cross inside a circle Suns – the circle with radiating lines Radial – Straight lines radiate from a central point to form a circle-like shape Tadpole Man – representing humans, combining the circles and lines into a head with features ©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Observing Creativity in Infants and Toddlers  Learning how to create something from “raw” materials: they can draw w/ chubby crayons and markers; they can paint with non-toxic paint (pureed food like spinach, beets, peaches, or applesauce)  Exploring materials with their senses  Learning different ways to express thoughts and ideas  Learning to make decisions  Developing the ability to share materials and appreciate others’ work  Developing a positive self-concept  Developing and refining fine motor and cognitive activities

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Process vs. Product  Materials presented for exploration  Unique outcomes  Child has freedom to select materials and work  Only child’s hands and ideas in the work  Finished work shown as a model  All works look similar  Teacher/Adult gives directions  Adult “helps” child by contributing to the work or restricting the child’s ideas

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Blocks as a Creative Medium Types of Blocks  Plastic interlocking  Unit blocks  Hollow blocks  Cardboard blocks  Foam blocks  Special building sets  Cube blocks Stages in Block Play  Carry, fill, dump  Stacking, laying  Bridging  Attachments  Patterns  Naming, representing  Reproducing

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Creativity and Development  Cognitive – Problem solving, logico-mathematical skills  Social/Emotional – Expression, sharing, cooperation  Physical – Involves refinement of large and small muscles  Language – Expands descriptive vocabulary, symbolic representation

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Helping All Children with Creativity  Giftedness  Divergent Thinking  Cultural Diversity  Ability Diversity  Helping Professionals

©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. Talking with Children about Their Work CONSIDER NOT …  Complimenting (Very nice. Beautiful)  Judging (Great. That’s wonderful)  Valuing (I love it)  Questioning (What is it?)  Analizing (Is this a car?)  Correcting (grass isn’t orange. Here is green crayon for grass)  Modeling (making a model for the child to follow) PRACTICE  Describing  Color (you used a lot of red)  Patterns (You made a lot of blue and yellow lines)  Process (Can you tell me how you did it? What part did you do first?)  Attention (you worked a really long time at that)  Relationship to experiences  Concepts