EEC 4227 - Creative Arts for Early Childhood Education

College of Education

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Summer 2019 (560)

Requisites

Admission to Educational Studies and Community Leadership (Bachelor of Science) (EDST-BS)
Early Childhood Education subplan and
Prerequisite EEC 3204 with a minimum grade of C

Course Description

This course is designed to explore the development of creativity and the importance of creative experiences from birth through four years of age. Emphasis is placed on creating and adapting meaningful, challenging, engaging and developmentally supportive learning experiences in art, music, movement, and dramatics. The course incorporates methods to promote creativity into all aspects of the curriculum. (Note: This course requires 15 field experience hours in an early childhood setting.)

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will evaluate the importance of creativity and creative thinking by:
    1. defining creativity and the arts.
    2. summarizing the four dimensions of creativity.
    3. identifying the characteristics of learning theories as they relate to creativity in the early years.
    4. analyzing the relationship of multiple intelligences to creativity.
    5. explaining the relationship of divergent thinking to creative expression.
  2. The student will analyze the teacher’s role in fostering creativity by:
    1. organizing a physical environment that encourages creativity in the visual arts, music, creative drama and movement.
    2. arranging instruction to include open-ended activities and materials to be used with children.
    3. choosing appropriate art activities and materials for children.
  3. The student will evaluate the importance of play by:
    1. comparing the major theories of the development and the role of play.
    2. describing various qualities and types of play.
    3. explaining how play affects the development of children in all domains.
    4. arranging instructional experiences which are integrated in learning centers to be used with children.
    5. explaining the teacher’s role during both indoor and outdoor children’s play.
  4. The student will analyze the principles and practices of artistic development by:
    1. explaining the stages of artistic development from birth to age four.
    2. comparing process-oriented experiences to product-oriented experiences.
  5. The student will design developmentally appropriate creative experiences by:
    1. choosing characteristics of theories that explain the importance of art, movement, music and drama.
    2. explaining the development of art, movement, music and drama in children.
    3. compiling appropriate art, movement, music and drama activities into the curriculum.
  6. The student will analyze the rationale for the arts being integrated into all aspects of the curriculum by:
    1. researching a “position paper” and explaining how it supports a child’s right to the expressive arts.
    2. differentiating the characteristics of teaching with the arts, about the arts, and through the arts.
    3. illustrating how the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Developmentally Appropriate Practices has an impact on the arts in the classroom.

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will, with a minimum of 75% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

C&I 4/28/09, BOT 6/19/09, Effective 20091(0415) Submitted as EEC 4209; SCNS approved as 4227. C&I 4/27/2010, BOT 6/15/2010, Effective 20093(0425). C&I Approval: 05/31/2013, BOT Approval: 06/17/2014, Effective Term: Fall 2014 (490). C&I Approval: , BOT Approval: , Effective Term: Spring 2018 (540). C&I Approval: , BOT Approval: , Effective Term: Fall 2018 (550).
C&I Approval: 02/14/2019, BOT Approval: 03/19/2019, Effective Term: Summer 2019 (560)

Related Programs

  1. Educational Studies and Community Leadership (EDST-BS) (610) (Draft)