Creative Awareness and Expression in Early Childhood Education

Learning Outcomes

Competences:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:

• Enable an understanding of the core elements of creative awareness and expression within the ECE setting.
• Learn about the key proponents of creativity in education.
• Learn about various myths related to creativity, talent and aptitudes towards being creative.
• Prepare and present a learning environment which stimulates creative expression.
• Become an ECE practitioner who is aware of creative processes.
• Conduct a review of the current practices related to creating awareness and expression in ECE in Malta.
• Promote an environment where creativity can be manifested by all young children.
• Explore the potential connections between creativity and culture.
• Manage their role as current or future course participants in instilling an environment which nurtures imagination.
• Analyse how creativity can help the ECE setting to construct collective as well as individual forms of creative expression (through aesthetics, voice and agency)
• Carry out tasks, literature searches and desk research about ways how to create a more creative learning environment by designing learning experiences which nurture imagination.

Knowledge:

At the end of the module/unit, the learner will be able to:

• Understand how different people have different creative dispositions, including young children within ECE.
• Examine different definitions of ‘creativity’
• Formulate an understanding of the contrasting views on creativity.
• Explore how these contrasting views can be interpreted within different sociological and cultural environments.
• Be familiar with several theories and canonical authors related to creativity in education.
• Consolidate knowledge about art and the different forms of art.
• Learn about ways how to make ECE settings in Malta more creative through a self-reflective approach to creativity.
• Put forward reasoning for how a creative ECE setting is imperative for the holistic development of young children, · Outline various theories about creativity and artistic expression which may not always be the “absolute truth”
• Identify and explain various ways in which art and cultural heritage can be portrayed and facilitated within an ECE setting,
• Develop knowledge about international, European and local documentation (including legislation and policy documentation) which address creative and artistic learning.
• Be given opportunities to learn about how other ECE settings in Europe and worldwide promote the visual arts,
• Demonstrate an understanding of how various stakeholders may support making the ECE setting more creative,
• Developing knowledge about how the practitioner’s developing identity within cultural and creative diversity is imperative for the ECE setting to flourish.
• Describe various key debates and concepts related to creativity.
• Be able to discuss how young children benefit from creative pedagogies in ECE.
• Explain the role of the ECE practitioner in fostering creative ideas in young children.
• Be able to discuss the key principles of the Learning Outcomes Framework related to creating awareness and expression.
• Learn about how physical education can contribute to creative thinking amongst young children.
• Discuss how children can learn to become creative in outdoor spaces.
• Learn how to use outdoor spaces to foster creativity and healthy development in young children.

Skills:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the following skills:

• Promote creative awareness and expression in ECE settings.
• Help young children to explore and develop their creative skills (e.g. through exploration, construction, etc),
• Describe various tools, such as art, music and visual media, which may be used in the ECE setting to help young children become more creative.
• Actively contribute to the promotion of creative approaches in the ECE setting (e.g. more robust use of documentation during creativity-induced projects)
• Design flexible pedagogical tools, learning activities and resources which allow for creativity.
• Investigate how parents/guardians may support extending creative learning at home.
• Encourage persistence when using a hands-on and more process-focused learning approach.
• Enable all young children to take part in creative learning by aligning the experience to the areas of child development.
• Reflect on which type of planning nurtures imagination in ECE.
• Create activities in physical education that promote active play amongst young children and which nurture important thinking skills and creativity.
• Make use of outdoor spaces to plan activities that foster creativity and problem-solving skills in young children.

Module-Specific Learner Skills:

At the end of the module/unit the learner will be able to:

• Find ways how to help young learners be more creative within the ECE setting.
• Develop a personal range of vocabulary and be in a position to choose the most suitable terminology when discussing creativity within ECE.
• Model creative thinking and behaviour for young children.
• Foster a positive attitude towards researching creativity and creative expression in educational settings.
• Explore how creativity prepares young children for lifelong learning through problem-solving and critical thinking.
• Debunk several myths related to ECE (e.g. that creativity is only used in arts education, that it is only related to leisure, that it is a trait which young children are born with, etc)
• Develop a process of self-reflection which assesses and potentially challenges the perceptions of the course participants on creativity.

Module-Specific Digital Skills and Competences:

 At the end of the module/unit, the learner will be able to: 

• Carry out academic research on websites (e.g. Google Scholar) or journals (e.g. EBSCO, Taylor & Francis, SAGE, etc).
• Navigate the internet for policy documents and other documents related to creativity, creativity in the arts, creative participation in ECE, creativity in various formats.
• Navigate through the online learning platform to download and upload assignments, discussion boards, literature, tutorials etc.
• Use basic Microsoft office (or equivalent) applications in order to write and submit assignments. 
• Use different digital tools to make the ECE setting more creative.