Art

[Guest]

Hi

I've tried posting this earlier, but it didn't work...so I'll try again and apologies if you've already read it!

 

For my dissertation for my MA, i would like to investigate how art is viewed in the pre school curriculum and how this relates to a child's learning.

 

Maybe I should widen it to the creative curriculum??

 

P'raps I should look at diffeent types of School/children at school?

 

I 'm interested in particular in drawing and painting and collage.

 

I know you lot out there have strong opinions...Can anyone help?????

 

Thanks Kate

[Guest]

Hi Kate,

Sounds like a really interesting dissertation.Perhaps all areas of creative would widen it too much as there are so many areas within Art.It could be useful to compare boys and girls ,ages,rural v urban schools,teachers backgrounds re Atr-the list is endless.As i use Art extensively in all areas of the curriculum ,id be happy to discuss the topic(I teach reception Age) Good Luck.

[Helen]

Hi Kate,

If it were me doing the dissertation, I'd look at the links between music and art, or music, art and expressive language; eg, listening to different types of music, encouraging free expression with art materials, and getting the children to talk about their work.

[Guest]

Johnboy

Hi

I'd love to hear more about your art stuff and how you teach it...any ideas how this could be done?

 

Helen

I love the idea of expressive languafe. As I'm adance person, maybe this could be included somehow????

 

Hope the Brain Gym was good and you are now well exercised.

Kate

[Alison]

Hi Kate hope your finding lots of info

 

I think art is one of the most valued and versitile forms of learning in the pre-school it can be incorperated into any area of learning and most pre-schools have several art experiences going on during every session

in preschool the emphasie is in the experience not the finished results a point so many parents miss when a child takes their paintings home

 

Art can include such a range of expression are you looking at any perticular aspect in art or the whole area of creativity?

[Guest]

This is something I've got to think clearly about. At first ir was about drawing and then , After watching my daughter, I wondered if I shoulkd include more. It's a tricky one as Idon't want to makeit too broad and so make tons ofwork!!!!!

Any more suggestions? All welcome.

[Guest]

Hi Kate,

 

I work at a local Authority Family Centre with children aged 3+ and have been a Nursery Office for 25 years. This is just my view,but it might help you.

 

I believe that Art is the foundation of the pre-school curriculum and covers the six areas of learning. Exploring and expanding their creativity helps young children build self-confidence, originality, flexibility and fluency of ideas

and enhances their cognative and physical development.

 

Good luck with your dissertation Kate.

 

Fiona.

[Guest]

Hi Kate,

We had a Foundation Stage Conference in Leicestershire in April and the key note speaker was Lesley Staggs, talking about 'Creativity for learning: learning to be creative'. I didn't get to the conference myself so I don't know what it was like, but you could look her name up on the Net and see if it throws anything up.

Good luck.

Fiona

[Guest]

Hi Kate, me again. I've just been looking on the net for info for my own dissertation and came across this site that might help you.

 

'Early childhood and creativity: a scoping exercise- key studies', at:

www.nfer.ac.uk/research/papers/crbib.pdf

 

could give you some books/ papers to hunt down in the library.

Regards, Fiona.

[Guest]

Many thanks I'm off or rather on the PC now to look up your suggestions. It's great that you all think Art is so important.

One thing though....I'm wonderingif Art is taught in the pre school setting or exists for children to do with what they want. Reading Angela Anning, it seems that we are prepared to teach children to make marks that mean something in literate and numerate terms, but not so in drawing which becomes sidelined to make way for the other more 'important ' subjects.

Any views on this??? I suppose that I'll find such things out during my research.... I wonder whether creativity is more significant in this stage of a child's development rather than separating it out into more specific subjects???

 

Any views on this greatly welcomed. Many thanks

Kate

[Helen]

Hi Kate,

I think perhaps the nearest we get to teaching Art in pre-school is to demonstrate the use of a particular medium or tool, or show how an artist used a certain technique, and then allow the children to experiment. Practitioners are as worried about teaching how to draw (and I'm one of them!) as about teaching music.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with your statement about creativity not being separated out into little chunks. The lack of emphasis on encouraging self-expression in children is very short-sighted, as creativity is so important in our fast-changing world. Employers are always on the lookout for innovative individuals who can think creatively to solve problems. It sounds like you're discovering some really interesting areas in your research....keep it up!

The content of the Brain Gym course was good, although I was told (in front of all the course delegates) that I couldn't relax!!! Strangely enough, that didn't do the trick......

[Guest]

Hi Kate - I am a nursery teacher now working as an early years support teacher for playgroups, day nurseries and independent schools. I view creativity as an integral part of any curriculum - early years or any stage in life! The grasp of ways to use representation as a means of communication is so important for young children cos without this how can they begin to understand the use use of symbols - such as numbers and letters for example. Means of representation are wide and varied - and of course children discover their own ways. However I feel that some can be usefully taught because some of us human beings are less expressive and can learn how to express ideas/feelings/thoughts and responses. Have you read anything from the Pre-schools in the Italian town of Reggio Emilia. These schools have an atelierista or artist employed in each school to support, guide and contirbute to all the learning and development of projects in the schools. They work with both staff and children. Also I view awareness of the role of artistic or creative expression and thinking as essential in this society to enable children to be able to cope in a very rapidly changing society Delia Ferris

[Guest]

Hi guys

Yes I have heard of the EmiliaReggio schools....I was lucky enough to see their exhibition in the UK! This is what has inspired me to carry out this work, this and my increasing dismay in discovering the number of parents who think learning to read and write is the b all and end all of school! When will they learn???? I'm sure I'm preaching to the converted though!!!

Kate

[Helen]

I'm wholeheartedly with you on that one!!!!

[Guest]

Hi eveyone

 

OK it's getting to crunch time with this 'Art' thing.... I've got a meeting with my tutor on Tuesday next week!!

Help!

 

Do any of you out there (johnboy????) use Art in any shape or form to help your children to communicate/develop their expressive language?

If so how?

If not , why not?

Any answers greatfully received

Thanks

[Guest]

It has been a while since anyone posted on this subject, but i thought i'd add my 5 pence worth! I have just graduated with a BA (hons) in Primary Education and I specialised in art & early years. For my dissertation I studied the effects of different styles of music on children's creativity. It was really interesting and I am now determined to use music in other areas - there is a strong resource in music for so many things - even down to tidying up! In fact, there are some CDs that you can get called music to accelerate learning and there are some very useful tracks.

I am sure you probably already know, but the Journal for Art & Design Education is fantastic and can give you some great ideas to get you started in your own research. Good luck!

[Steve]

Hi Shelley -

That sounds like an interesting dissertation! Can you outline your findings? What styles of music did you analyse? I know I heard of some research a while back that seemed to indicate Mozart in particular had an incredible effect on classroom concentration and creativity.

[Guest dot]

Hi Kate,

perhaps this is a bit late for you but i have only just discovered the site. I did an essay and seminar on creativity for a module for my M.A. as i was interested in children's art. I think that you may find the work by Victor Lowenfeld an interesting read. He believes that it damages children's creativity if we teach them anything at all and that we should just give them plenty of opportunities to express themselves. He holds some extreme but interesting views and also outlines the stages of artistic development.

As n early years teacher I am dismayed by the way we are increasingly directing the children in order to reach desirable outcomes and prepare children for the national curriculum, giving them less freedom to discover and express their own creativity. There is also the question of who are the children painting-drawing for, the teachers (I need something to go on the wall) the parents (some thing to go on the kitchen wall) or themselves, for the pleasure of exploring the media.

Don't think that I am entirely on Victor's side as i believe that children can be taught loads about art if it is done in a sensitive way and I would love to spend a large part of every day on it but,I have to sit them down and teach them numeracy and literacy. Good luck with your M.A.

Jane

[Guest sophie]

hi I work in a pre-school in Coventry and our partnership consider art to be very important and have employed a number of artist to go into pre-school. In our setting we have two creative activites daily one with adult support and one for the children to work freely. I have noticed that a few children will not come near these areas without heavy prompting do you feel these children should be left to feel their own way there? (by the way these are all boy's)

Sophie

[Steve]

Hi Dot -

Welcome to the site - thanks for posting! It's never too late to respond with interesting new perspectives on a conversation! Do you have any particular texts you'd recommend from Victor Lowenfeld? I could put it on the Book Recommendations page.

 

Sophie, I've heard about artists being engaged in some areas to inspire early years settings. It sounds brilliant. How often do you get access to them?

[Helen]

Hi Sophie,

We have had children in the past who have been reluctant to go in the creative workshop area, and they too have been boys. The first decided painting was a great thing when we bought a four-sided easel (up until then, painting was done at a table). The others have enjoyed creative art activities outside, starting with chalking on the hard surface, followed by huge paint brushes and watery paint on wallpaper rolls- the children enjoyed the large, free movements they could do. Hope this helps; has anyone else got any ideas for the reluctant creator?