I am writing this blog for an assignment for one of my modules, I will be exploring the five different creative approaches. The five creative approaches I have chosen to look at are;
Drama
Creative play
Mantle of the Expert
The outdoor classroom
Scientific play
For my first blog post, I will be looking into creative play and drama, and my second post will be mantle of the expert alongside the outdoor classroom, and lastly scientific play. I will also be posting images, any diagrams and video links throughout my posts that relate to my chosen approaches.
What is creativity?
Creativity is “about the ability to create something new” (Paul, 2013). It is also the use of imagination or original ideas to create something.
Creativity can mean different things for everyone, different skills and talents. Here is a mind map I made of what creativity can be and includes for me personally.
Being creative, I feel that it gives us different opportunities and being able to try new things. Creativity also allows us to be imaginative and giving us a way to express ourselves whether that us through art, drama, music or clothing.
"Creative play is a vital part of childhood and child development. Through creative and imaginative play children can grow emotionally, socially, intellectually, and even physically." (The Little Gym).
According to Morton, J and Thorp, M (2003) “Bowlby describes how maintaining the equilibrium of the relationship between adult and child, through being caring, sensitive, available and responsive, allows the child to develop an attachment with the adult” and further goes into saying that “children who have secure attachment relationships are more able to be independent, to relate to their peers and engage in more complex and creative play.”
Creative play can be anything, including; role play, painting, drawing/colouring, building blocks, dressing up, listening to music or playing with musical instruments. All these mentioned allow the child to express themselves and have fun.
Creative play should be all about “fun and stimulating, and develop the child’s knowledge and senses as they learn new skills and challenges” according to Jacqui, 2018.
Here is a video of how creative play and the activities can help with a child’s development:
For children to have creative play and the opportunities, it is important that teachers and carers provide them with different materials, resources, space and time. When children are being provided with opportunities and it is more child driven, Ginsburg, K (2007) states “when play is allowed to be child driven, children practice decision making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue.”
Although, it is important to remember that teachers can support the children however when it is being controlled by the teachers or adults it can get influenced by them instead of the child.
Through creative play it allows the child to express their emotions, gross and fine motor skills, thinking skills, finding themselves, gain experiences and make judgements from them.
They are learning through play, even if they do not realise it at times!
Drama
Role play can be seen as drama, as children are acting and playing different roles from different scenarios, for example, it could be a superhero or a villain, doctor or nurse. It is allowing them to explore different characters and scenarios.
Drama can help develop teamwork, creativity, risk taking and stimulating imagination, and giving the child or young person to explore issues and experiences and “drama also helps students develop tolerance and empathy” according to Buchanan, M.
Drama can help or make children or young people feel like that they are walking in someone else’s shoes, this allows them to experience someone else’s life but in a comfortable and safe environment.
Furthermore, it can help with self-confidence because they are taking risks in the class and with the performances, and also drama allows them to express their emotions, whilst also teaching them self-regulation as Punkoney, S (2013) states “pre-schoolers are known for acting with impulse, so dramatic play is a great stepping stone for learning to self-regulate their emotions and actions.” Here is a video which shows more benefits to drama for children and young people:
Drama can benefit both primary and secondary schools, as it gives them the opportunity to explore, think and discuss issues whilst also being able to express their emotions, and if this done from early childhood it can help them with their lives in the future.
The Foundation Phase which is the curriculum for children in Wales has seven areas of learning, and one of them is creative development. Both creative play and drama can link within the creative development as the Welsh Government (2015) states “children should be continually developing their imagination and creativity across the curriculum. Their natural curiosity and disposition to learn should be stimulated by everyday sensory experiences, both indoors and outdoors. Children should engage in creative, imaginative and expressive activities in art, craft, design, music, dance and movement. Children should explore a wide range of stimuli, develop their ability to communicate and express their creative ideas, and reflect on their work.”
“From the moment they are born, babies find out about and discover the world around them through play. They explore with their bodies and through their senses. Throughout childhood, children continue to learn and develop through a vast range of play experiences” – (Beith, K et al, 2010).
By having outdoor classrooms, it allows the children to be more active whilst also learning. They are given the freedom to explore and investigate their surroundings , and gives them a bit of risks which they can learn from, this can be known as ‘trial and error’.
The Foundation Phase also believes in outdoor learning as the Welsh Government (2009) state “the outdoor is the ideal environment for experiential learning, because it offers unique opportunities to be creative, to move around, to be noisy and to take risks” and furthermore goes onto say “being outdoors enhances all aspects of children’s development: social, physical, creative, culture and personal.”
I have created a mind map of what some of the benefits can be from using the outdoor classrooms;
Forest schools are also becoming more known and popular within schools. Forest schools are natured based and “focuses on the holistic development of the child” states the schoolrun. These will be led by teachers who are qualified for forest school.
Furthermore, it allows the children to explore the environment, have a first-hand experience, explore and challenge themselves and “sessions are driven by the learners themselves, drawing on their interests and imagination” (Welsh Government, 2009).
Here is a video that talks about forest school more in depth:
Overall, outdoor classrooms and forest schools, provide more space for children to be able to move around freely, it allows them to be creative and imaginative, challenge themselves and to take risks, gives them more of a first-hand experience, more sensory experiences, improving their physical fitness and keeping them healthy, burning off energy and can help them with their self-esteem and confidence. “Allowing children to play freely enables them to find their own direction, seek answers to their own enquiries and gain a great sense of satisfaction from being absorbed in the enjoyment of what they have chosen to do.” (Beith, K et al, 2010). If we look into Maria Montessori who placed a great emphasis on children going outside, and be able to experience nature. Montessori also believed that the outdoor environment should be an extension of the classroom. Here is a small video slip I have found on youtube explaining more about Montessori -
The Mantle of Expert was developed by Professor Dorothy Heathcote in the 1980s, this approach uses imaginary contexts that will generate a more purposeful and engaging activities for learning. “The Mantle of the Expert approach places the child at the centre of the learning. The teachers role is to create the conditions whereby a mantle of leadership, knowledge, competency and understanding grows around the child” according to (Aitken, V, 2013).
The children will become imagined ‘experts’ for their curriculum and for the children to complete their work for the lesson that has been made from the teacher.
The lesson that has been created would allow the children to become an expert and be involved within that imaginary world, for example, the children are archaeologists working with a museum in Cairo and they are excavating a tomb. For the children to complete this, they would need to find out more information about Cairo’s history, different artefacts, tombs and if there any rituals. Alongside this, they will also be developing their language, literacy and socialising skills, problem solving skills, learning about the world around them and also giving them a sense of responsibilities and learning how to work as a group/team. Furthermore, it would also be touching on other subjects, which can include; geography, history and religious studies.
Here is a video where a group of year 2/3 are using the Mantle of Expert
The Mantle of the Expert has three pedagogic structures, here is a picture:
Drama for learning, this is for both children and the teachers and are working in and out of the role.
Enquiry learning, this is problem solving and asking questions, whilst also doing research.
Expert framing, this frame asks the children to think about the learning in new way.
Furthermore, for the Mantle of the Expert to work, the teachers need to be conscious and adapt to all three modes for the learning to work its best.
The Mantle of the Expert allows children to be responsible experts, can also increase their engagement within the class, develop their critical thinking, creativity, help with teamwork, and developing communication skills. As MantleoftheExpert states “The creation of fictional context where the students experiment with making decisions, taking on responsibilities, and meeting challenging situations, is a kind of ‘safe zone’ within the classroom. Unlike in the real world, where children would rarely, if ever, have the kinds of experiences generated by MoE, in an imaginary world they can explore, discuss, and evaluate them as if they were real.”
Children are naturally curious with full of questions about what is around them and this will also drive them into investigate how things are working. “Before we can develop our children’s understanding in science, first we must encourage them to observe well and to think about their observations” – Stem Learning, 2017.
Here is a video of Peggy Ashbrook talking about the importance of starting science education in early years.
Whilst being in placement, I have seen different activities being linked within science, for example; playing in the water area and seeing what materials will float or sink, another activity was them going outside and looking for insects in the schools garden, and ticking off what insects they found. All these activities are helping the child understand the world around them, it is getting them to question and discuss, discovering new things and sharing their findings with others in the class.
Science education/play is important because;
It fosters a love for science, because children will want to explore and experiment. First discoverers states that 'research suggests that by the age of 7, most children have developed either a positive or negative attitude towards education that will remain entrenched. So by tapping into their natural predispositions early on, during this key development phase, we can nurture and establish a positive approach to science eduction that will stay with them into the future."
Studies have shown that students being to develop an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics during their elementary years" according to learning liftoff, 2018.
Encourages children to solve problems, whilst it can also help with their listening and communication skills.
Develop their own options and increase their knowledge
Overall, it shows that the five different creative approaches do play an important part of a child’s education. The creative approach I found and believed to be the most effective is the outdoor classroom, as this can also link within the four other creative approaches. The outdoor classroom promotes creativity and imagination, freedom, learning about the world and giving the child independence. Furthermore, outdoor classroom can also promote many health benefits such as; good health and well-being, let off steam, and prevent illnesses.
All the five approaches benefit the child now and later on in life, as it can help them explore and investigate their surroundings, problem solve, work as teams, and it will develop their knowledge and understanding of the world around them and how it works. For example, the Mantle of the Expert promotes creativity and imagination, as well as them problem solving, investigating, and working alongside others in the class. However, I do feel that the Mantle of the Expert would be more benefical to children in primary school, rather than secondary school.
