EDF5023 - Creative development for children - 2017

This unit explores creative play and artistic activity as important components to children's overall development. Students examine how children express ideas and feelings through drama, music, arts and dance. Students analyse children's creativity, method of thinking and problem-solving skills. They develop professional skills to plan and implement learning programs that challenge children to expand their reasoning, imagination and understanding of the world, along with encouraging an educational environment that allows children to become more confident of their views and opinions. Students engage in their own arts processes and reflect critically and creatively on these using a range of technologies that extend their knowledge of creative media and techniques appropriate for young children. Practice-led workshops provide opportunities for individual and collaborative projects to illustrate how students engage, guide, scaffold and assess children's creative expression in an arts-centred curriculum.

Upon successful completion of this unit students should be able to:

1. demonstrate advanced practical skills, knowledge and capabilities in fostering creativity through the visual arts, music, drama and movement suitable for young children (birth to eight years of age)
2. demonstrate an understanding of contemporary approaches related to the development of creativity through arts pedagogies and inquiry-based learning
3. initiate, develop, plan and implement relevant creative curriculum pedagogies that respond to a range of diverse learners' abilities and characteristics
4. demonstrate capacities to evaluate and assess students' learning and development through art and creativity
5. demonstrate a range of verbal, non-verbal, information and communication technologies (ICTs) and media communication techniques to support students' creative thinking and engagement.

Position paper on children's meaning making through the arts (2000 words, 50%)

Arts curriculum in action (equivalent to 2000 words, 50%)

Minimum total expected workload equals 144 hours per semester comprising:

1. Contact hours for on-campus students:
   • equivalent to 24 hours engagement in online, face-to-face or blended platforms
2. Additional requirements (all students)
   • independent study to make up the minimum required hours per semester

See also Unit timetable information

Dr Clare Hall

Early years education

Early years and primary education