Developing Young Children’s Creativity: What Can We Learn .
TopicAutumn 2004 / Issue 32Readership: primaryDeveloping young children’s creativity: whatcan we learn from research?In this article, Caroline Sharp of the NFER considers evidence from research and theory asit applies to developing young children’s creativity. She explains how creativity is defined,and identifies the implications for staff working in early childhood settings. She alsoidentifies some common myths about developing young children’s creativity.IntroductionIn September 2000, the Arts Council of Englandasked the NFER to summarise recent research andtheory on creativity in early childhood. The workentailed a selective review of research and theorypublished between 1988 and 2000 and resulted in abriefing paper on the subject (1). This article sets outto update the earlier paper and to identify some ofthe principles involved in helping young children todevelop their creativity in early years settings.How has creativity been interpreted ineducational policy?Creativity has recently been granted officialrecognition as one of the overarching aims of thecurriculum in English schools.The curriculum should enable pupils to thinkcreatively and critically, to solve problems and tomake a difference for the better. It should givethem the opportunity to become creative,innovative, enterprising and capable of leadershipto equip them for their future lives as workers andcitizens (2, p. 11).These definitions have been welcomed as givingrecognition to the importance of creativity and therole of education in encouraging creativedevelopment. The appearance of creativity as anaim of the curriculum in England is part of a trendto recognise the importance of creativityinternationally (4). However, the above statementsalso raise many questions, such as: what is meantby the terms ‘creative thinking’, ‘creativedevelopment’ and ‘being creative’? How doescreativity relate to curriculum areas? And howshould early years staff help children to developtheir creative abilities?Defining creativityDefinitions of creativity are not straightforward,and many writers have contributed to the debateabout what constitutes creativity, often hotlycontesting different views. However, most theoristsagree that the creative process involves a numberof components, most commonly: imagination originality (the ability to come up with ideas andproducts that are new and unusual)The Foundation Stage curriculum is aimed at earlyyears settings, providing for children aged aroundthree to six years. The curriculum is divided into sixmain areas of learning, one of which is creativedevelopment. According to the curriculum guidancefor the Foundation Stage in 2000 (3, p.116):Being creative enables children to make connectionsbetween one area of learning and another and so extendtheir understanding. This area includes art, music, dance,role-play and imaginative play. productivity (the ability to generate a variety ofdifferent ideas through divergent thinking) problem solving (application of knowledge andimagination to a given situation) the ability to produce an outcome of value andworth.Where definitions of creativity differ most strikinglyis the extent to which their proponents areattempting to identify creativity as a generic humancharacteristic, or to define what makes highly5
Developing young children’s creativitycreative people special and different from others.This is the distinction between what the RobinsonReport (5) calls the ‘democratic’, as opposed to the‘élite’, definition of creativity. Howard Gardner (6),adopts an élite definition of creativity when heargues that truly creative people are those who makea difference to the world (e.g. by moving forwardthinking in science, social science, music or art).This type of ‘Big C’ creativity is reserved for very fewindividuals. The report (5) of the National AdvisoryCommittee for Creative and Cultural Education,chaired by Professor Ken Robinson, adopted ademocratic view of creativity. It argued that this wasthe most useful way of viewing creativity in relationto education (5, para. 25)All people are capable of creative achievement insome area of activity, provided that the conditionsare right and they have acquired the relevantknowledge and skills.So is creativity another way of talking aboutintelligence or talent? Most authorities agree thatcreativity is different. Creativity has been shownto be distinct from intelligence (children scoringhigh on intelligence tests are not necessarilyhighly creative). The concept of ‘multipleintelligences’ (6) suggests that people may have aparticular intelligence (or potential) in relation toa given field of endeavour.is creativity While this is a more ‘inclusive’another way of concept than traditional IQ, itis still essentially distinct fromtalking about creativity, which may beintelligence or considered to represent a moretalent? generic set of abilities,applicable to a range ofdomains. Talent usually refers to the possession ofa high degree of aptitude and skill in a given area(such as music or mathematics), but would notnecessarily imply either a high degree oforiginality or an ability to demonstrate creativeabilities outside the specific area.Talk to most parents about their children’screativity and they will probably think you aretalking about artistic or musical talent. TheRobinson Report (5) argues that, while there arestrong links between the expressive arts andcreativity, viewing creativity as solely or mainly theprovince of the arts is unhelpful because it canlead to a denial of the role of creativity in otherareas, such as science and mathematics.6Creativity in young childrenWhen considering young children, it is appropriateto adopt a broad, democratic definition ofcreativity. In this way, every child can beconsidered to have creative potential and to becapable of creative expression.It is important to consider what might constitute‘originality’ in the work of a young child. After all,only a child prodigy could be expected to come upwith something new and valuable to society.Instead, each child’s creative abilities can be relatedto his/her personal stage of development. Forexample, a young child’s work may be adaptiveand original for that particular child and/or inrelation to children in their class or age group (7).Another suggestion for adapting the notion ofcreativity to suit young children is to put theemphasis on the creative process, rather than tojudge the quality of their ‘products’. This isbecause young children may not have developedall the skills they need to achieve a successfulcreative outcome (8, 9). A similar point is made byMalaguzzi (10), who says (p. 77):Creativity becomes more visible when adults try tobe more attentive to the cognitive processes ofchildren than to the results they achieve in variousfields of doing and understanding.This is an interesting comment coming from thedriving force behind the Reggio Emilia approach,which has impressed so many people with thequality of creative ‘products’ generated by youngchildren.†How does creativity develop?Some theorists have studied the way in whichcreativity develops in children. Most theories ofchild development view young children as highlycreative, with a natural tendency to fantasise,experiment and explore their environment.However, this high level of creativity is notnecessarily maintained throughout childhood andinto adulthood. For example, Meador (11) presentsevidence from the USA that creativity (as measuredby divergent thinking tests) declines when childrenenter kindergarten, at around the age of five or six.Runco (12) has studied how creativity develops. Heexplains that longitudinal research on trends increativity suggests both continuities and
Developing young children’s creativitydiscontinuities throughout an individual’s lifespan.In other words, a child identified as highly creativein early life may or may not consistently showcreativity later on. He argues that this unevendevelopment may result from the fact that certaintraits and talents develop at different rates and areinfluenced by each individual’s environment andlife chances.For example, a child may not choose to engage increative thinking because she lacks self-confidenceand does not believe that she has anything ofvalue to offer. Or maybe she becomes anxiouswhen given an open-ended task with severalpossible solutions. Through observation andconversation, an adult can work out what iscausing the child’s difficulties and encourage her towork through them.How does education influence creativity?Most writers on creativity agree that it is possibleto encourage or indeed to inhibit the developmentof creativity in young children. The findinghighlighted by Meador (11), that children areapparently more creative before they enterkindergarten, leads to the question of whether thisis a natural consequence of children maturing andbecoming constrained by social conventions, orwhether their experiences in kindergartensomehow caused the decline.In order to consider the way in which creativitycan be fostered in educational settings, it may behelpful to identify some of the components ofcreativity in young children. Creativity is closelybound up with an individual’s personality andemotional life: there is more involved than just‘thinking skills’.Russ (13) has developed a model to explain therelationship between creativity and psychologicalprocesses. This model suggests that the followingthree elements are involved:1. personality traits, such as self-confidence, being ableto tolerate ambiguity, curiosity and motivation2. emotional processes, such as emotional fantasy inplay, pleasure in challenge, involvement in tasks andtolerance of anxiety3. cognitive abilities, such as divergent thinking, abilityto ‘transform’ thinking (for example, by being able toreorder information or shift thinking ‘sets’), sensitivityHow can educational settings influence creativity?Mellou (14) suggests that young children’screativity can be nurtured through educationalsettings in three respects: the creativeenvironment, creative programmes and creativeteachers and ways of teaching. A brief overview ofrecommendations in relation to these threeelements is given below.The creative environmentFundamental to the creative environment is theencouragement of children’s play. Play is stronglyfeatured in many of the discussions aboutcreativity in young children. Indeed, older childrenand adults are often encouraged to be ‘playful’ inorder to facilitate creative thinking. Imaginativeplay (especially role play) and free choice ofactivities would seem to be key components of theearly childhood setting in relation to creativity (see9, 13, 15–18). Both creativity and play requireimagination, insight, problem solving, divergentthinking, the ability to experience emotion and tomake choices (19).This does not mean that all play involvescreativity. Prentice (18) suggests that activeinvolvement is a key feature: ‘For creativity toflourish in an educational setting, it is necessaryfor learners to be actively involved in the processof their own learning’ (p. 154). Research has alsoshown that it is possible for adults to help childrenimprove their imaginative play skills, withapparent positive consequences for their creativeabilities (19).to problems, breadth of knowledge and judgement.The implication of this model is that, in order forchildren to express creativity, they need acombination of attributes. Although some childrenalready have the necessary components, othersmay need help, encouragement and skilldevelopment in order to engage in creative activity.Two other issues have been raised concerning theenvironment in early childhood settings. Thestimulation offered by a child’s physicalenvironment is important, as Runco (20) haspointed out. This could include the size and layoutof the classroom and outdoor space, the quality ofequipment and materials, and access to varied andnew environments. A second key issue is the need7
Developing young children’s creativityfor children to be given sufficient and sustainedperiods of time in which to develop their creativeprojects (see 5, 10, 21).Creative programmesCan creativity be taught through creativeprogrammes? The results from research in this areawould seem to suggest that it is possible to enhancechildren’s creative skills through specific teachingprogrammes, including arts-based ones (see 22, 23).However, conclusions from two reviews of researchinto the transferable effects of arts education haveconcluded that the impact of arts programmes onchildren’s creativity is not yet proven (24, 25). Theapparent contradiction probably arises from a lackof sufficient high-quality research, and thepossibility that not all arts activities serve toenhance creativity.Creative teachers and creative teachingCreative teachers and creative teaching are keycomponents in fostering creativity in youngchildren. Many writers such as Tegano et al. (9),Mellou (14), Craft (15), Runco (20) and Edwardsand Springate (21), highlight the role of theteacher in providing the optimum balance betweenstructure and freedom of expression for youngchildren. They explain that teachers and otherearly childhood workers can encourage creativityby behaviours such as: asking open-ended questions tolerating ambiguity modelling creative thinking and behaviour encouraging experimentation and persistence praising children who provide unexpected answers.Malaguzzi (10) has made a number of observationsabout the best conditions for developing creativity inchildren’s daily experience, which include anemphasis on interaction with adults and peers (p. 76)The most favourable situation for creativity seems tobe interpersonal exchange, with negotiation ofconflicts and comparison of ideas and actions beingthe decisive elements.Runco (7) argues that teachers should show aninterest in children’s creative potential andencourage children to construct their ownpersonal interpretations of knowledge and events.8Some children may need to learn to stand up fortheir own ideas, especially when these do notconform to those of the rest of the group. Butchildren also need to learn discretion, so that theycan judge when it is appropriate to be divergentand original, and when it is appropriate toconform.Children are encouraged to use drawingsas a ‘graphic language’Adults, therefore, can act as supporters andcoaches, facilitators and models of creativity forchildren. But on the other hand, adults also havethe potential to stifle opportunities for creativityby being overly didactic or prescriptive (9, 10).They can limit creativity by discouraging fantasyor by having low expectations about what youngchildren are able to achieve (14, 18). Severalelements can conspire against the encouragementof creativity in early years settings, including thepressure for teachers to focus on literacy andnumeracy, a lack of training in early yearspractice, and a tension between meeting the needsof a class and encouraging the interests of anindividual (26, 27).The role of creative professionalsIn addition to the three aspects already outlined, theliterature contains several references to the potentialof creative professionals to help develop children’screativity. For example, the QCA’s guidance in 2000for the Foundation Stage (3) suggests that, in order
Developing young children’s creativityto facilitate creative development, young childrenshould have opportunities to work alongside artistsand other creative adults.In the pre-schools of Reggio Emilia, educatorsenable young children to engage in extendedprojects. Children are encouraged to use drawingsas a ‘graphic language’ to record their ideas,feelings and observations. A key part of ReggioEmilia settings is the existence of spaces that are‘rich in materials, tools and people withprofessional competencies’ (10, p. 74). Thesespaces, known as ateliers, are designed to be placesin which children’s different languages can beexplored by them and studied by their teachersand others in a peaceful atmosphere.While there is a body of research into the impactof artists-in-schools schemes, the role of artists inencouraging young children’s creativity has notyet been well researched. In other words,although the involvement of professional artistsand creative workers has considerable potential tobe helpful, we do not have research evidence tosay what kinds of involvement may have thegreatest impact on creativity. This issue is,however, currently being investigated as part ofthe Creative Partnerships Programme (Seewww.creative-partnerships.com/)Some myths about creativity1.Creativity is limited to arts subjects.Although creativity is often associated with‘creative’ subjects, such as art and music,creativity is not subject specific. Creativityis a way of approaching problem solvingthat can be exercised in different areas. Onthe other hand, creativity does not takeplace in a vacuum: the way in whichchildren express creativity will be differentin different curriculum areas.2.Children find it easy to transfer learningfrom one area/domain to another.All the evidence shows that most childrenfind it very difficult to transfer learningfrom one area to another. Knowledge andskills are so context specific that childrenmay simply fail to recognise thatsomething they had already learned can beapplied to a new situation. Adults can helpchildren to make the connection.3.The creative process is fun: it should notbe taken too seriously.Creativity may seem like a fun, selfindulgent activity to counteract the moreserious ‘work’ of the classroom. But thecreative process presents many challenges.It requires concentration, persistence anddetermination to succeed; it may in fact bea frustrating and difficult process.Creativity deserves to be taken seriously.4.Creativity is an in-born trait, limited tothe talented few. Highly creative peoplewill find their own way, regardless ofwhat happens at school.Individuals have a different combinationof abilities, personality traits and homeexperiences that make them more or lessable to express their creative potential. Thestudy of highly creative adults shows thatsome of them insisted on ‘being creative’almost in spite of their educationalexperiences, but this is not an argumentfor leaving creativity to chance. Somechildren will miss the opportunity todevelop their creativity withoutencouragement and support in pre-schooland school.ConclusionCreativity is an important human characteristic. Itis perhaps best thought of as a process, requiringa mixture of ingredients, including personalitytraits, abilities and skills. Early years staff can helpyoung children to develop their creativity byproviding a creative environment, helpingchildren to build up their skills through play,behaving creatively themselves and praisingchildren’s creative efforts.Remember that people are creative because theychoose to be, so finding out about andencouraging a child’s own interests is an importantstarting point. Some children may find it difficultto express their creativity. Staff can help byobserving their behaviour (especially duringimaginative play), identifying where the difficultylies and devising an action plan. But, you may ask,isn’t this just a description of good early childhoodpractice? Well yes, but with a creative twist.9
Developing young children’s creativity5.Children can get all the creativeexperience they need from free play andunstructured arts activities.Children do benefit from free play andunstructured arts activities. But leftentirely to their own devices, children’splay and artwork can become routine andrepetitive. Children need stimulation andcreative problems to solve. Adults can helpchildren to develop their creative skillsthrough play.6.You don’t need to be knowledgeable orskilful to be creative.There is a balance to be struck here,because insisting on extensive knowledgeand skill development can be stultifying.On the other hand, knowledge and skill arefu
early childhood setting in relation to creativity (see 9, 13, 15–18). Both creativity and play require imagination, insight, problem solving, divergent thinking, the ability to experience emotion and to make choices (19). This does not mean that all play involves creativity. Prentice (18) suggests that active
long may you run - neil young 2 old man - neil young 3 out on the weekend - neil young 4 Heart Of Gold - Neil Young 5 Ohio - Neil Young 6 unknown legend - neil young 8 birds - neil young 9 powderfinger - neil young 10. Long May You Run Neil Young Intro .
Opera performance', 'creativity in Chinese Arts', 'creativity in Cantonese Opera scripts', 'creativity in Cantonese Opera music', and 'creativity in transmission of Cantonese Opera'. Local and oversea scholars and representatives of Cantonese Opera performers, together with several other enthusiasts, all shared their precious .
46 Reprinted from Young Children July 2011 Behaviors That Still Challenge Children and Adults Developing Young Children's Self-Regulation through Everyday Experiences 1, 2, 3 As university faculty, I often collaborate with teachers when young children experi-ence learning or behavior chal-lenges. Every child is different.
The Young-Girl as Phenomenon 23 2. The Young-Girl as Technique of the Self 48 3. The Young-Girl as Social Relation 62 4. The Young-Girl as Commodity 74 5. The Young-Girl as Living Currency 88 6. The Young-Girl as Compact Political Apparatus 97 7. The Young-Girl as War Machine 105 8. The Young-Girl Against Communism 114 9.
Level 3 Diploma for the Children & Young People's Workforce (4227 -03/04/05) (England) 3 Contents 1 Introduction to the qualification 7 1.1 Qualification structure 8 2 Optional units (mandatory and pathway units in separate handbook) 18 Unit 032 Support the creativity of children and young people 22 Unit 033 Understand the needs of children and young people who are vulnerable
Social Psychology of Creativity: A Consensual Assessment Technique Teresa M. Amabile Brandeis University Although personality research has made much progress in developing an indi-vidual-difference psychology of creativity, the nature of this phenomenon can only be fully illuminated if a social psychology of creativity is developed as well.
Independent Personal Pronouns Personal Pronouns in Hebrew Person, Gender, Number Singular Person, Gender, Number Plural 3ms (he, it) א ִוה 3mp (they) Sֵה ,הַָּ֫ ֵה 3fs (she, it) א O ה 3fp (they) Uֵה , הַָּ֫ ֵה 2ms (you) הָּ תַא2mp (you all) Sֶּ תַא 2fs (you) ְ תַא 2fp (you
In general, user-mode hooking is intended for API monitoring, like Mark Russinovich’s ProcessMonitor (alias FileMon/RegMon), resource leak detection, various malware which doesn’t need to care about security issues, extending applications and libraries you don’t have the source code for (also cracks may fall in this category), adding a compatibility layer for existing applications to run .
