Creativity and Play in Child Development - Essay Example

Creativity and Play in Child Development INTRODUCTION There has been considerable growing interest in the subject of creativity and play with it extending past the classroom and now showing up in everyday living. Play and creativity are exceedingly complex constructs with each notion resisting precise definition. Play is the most appropriate medium that provides for a child’s creative development and learning. Play is a self-generating mobile process of life and nature which is constant and intrinsic for the individual child. Children acquire knowledge, skills and practice concepts in situations that are open-ended which require their active thought and understanding (Jeffrey, 2004). Creativity likewise has many denotations and connotations in the English language. Creativity is hallmarked by intrinsic motivation, intention, adaptiveness and originality. It is what the person does, either the creative act or something aesthetically brand new and purposeful to the individual child. Original means it is not habitual and shies from routine. Creative has the implication of unconventional and intrinsically motivated. Intentional actions are not governed by conventions or extrinsic rewards (Sternberg, 1999). This essay will reflect on the importance of play in developing creativity. It seeks to analyze the different theories that are posited to reference childhood play and offer an evaluation of creativity across the early childhood curriculum’s in the United Kingdom (UK) namely; the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the National Curriculum (NC). Reference will be made to personal experience underpinned by relevant theory. It will begin with theoretical descriptions of creativity and play while exploring each construct separately and in relation to each other. The discussion will then follow early childhood education theories. Furthermore, the roles of teachers and parents in relation to creativity and play will be identified. CREATIVITY IN INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT Creativity is defined as a process involving the production of remote associations through thinking outside the box while possessing divergent or unusual, if not, original ideas. In creative play children develop their practical skills through imagining, designing and creating. Educational experts have developed standards defining what children should know and be able to do by certain grade levels. The content children learn in the creative curriculum is guided by these standards. The creative curriculum explains how to teach content in ways that respect the developmental stages of children. (James C. Kaufman, 2006) Teachers thoughtfully and purposefully interact with children and plan experiences that support emerging learning. When providing for creative environment, it should consist of many materials for children to tryout things, see how they work, experiment, manipulate and ask questions. This can draw on children’s curiosity and encourages children to pursue their own questions and develop their own ideas. It engages children in an in-depth exploration of a topic over time in a carefully prepared environment. It encourages children to reflect on, represent, and document their experiences, share and discuss their ideas with others. It is embedded in children’s daily work and creative play is integrated with other domains throughout the day. (James C. Kaufman, 2006) PLAY IN INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT Jean Piaget introduced the stages of a child’s development as directly related to play. According to her, intellectual growth occurs as children go through the stages of assimilation. The children also readjust their own views to meet the needs of the outside environment. Embracing creativity for young children involves encouraging them and implementing alternative possibilities in a range of contexts, including, play, activities and formal curriculum areas (Jeffrey, 2004). Play by itself is not a strong context for creativity as it does not in itself relate to academic achievement. A child’s creative development is governed by a concoction of the child’s innate ability, culture, family and school background. Nevertheless, play is important as a precursor to the development of potential creativity. Foundations for creativity include open-mindedness, flexibility and sensitivity, all aimed at viewing possibilities in an imaginative way. Play often entails openness and sensitivity to one’s surroundings while thinking imaginatively. Creativity and play likewise share intrinsic motivation, spontaneity, intellectual autonomy, and self-expression. Hence, playing well, thinking well, saying and doing things well and making things well in a creative way, often go hand-in-hand. (Runco, 2006) Certainly a concurrent relationship exists among individual everyday creative expression, self actualization and play. However, the development of domain-specific creative potential requires playfulness, but it also requires much more. Quality early childhood education programs and later schooling must provide many opportunities for play and creative expression, but also instruction and enrichment aimed at developing the other characteristics needed for the full realization of the child’s creative potential (STACKELBERG, 2010). Vygotsky on Play According to Vygotsky, the key to children’s learning is that they need their peers to grow; they need to interact with the adults to master social skills. Vygotsky suggests that a child uses play as a means for social growth. The teacher’s instruction is based on observing and developing what the children say and do. Based on Vygotskys term zone of proximal development (ZPD), teachers provide learning experiences that are challenging enough to move children to a higher level of learning but not so challenging as to frustrate them. Teachers are facilitators of creative growth and development in all children through providing creative environments. Children encounter other children while playing, e.g. in placement through language and role-play, leading to them learning how to interact with each other (Vygotsky, 1978). Montessori on Play Montessori hypothesised that play is a form of sensory learning that is being employed in schools. Her main argument is that children would be best served spending their play time learning or imagining. According to her, play is sensory thereby utilizing a hands-on approach to everyday tools like sand tables. The teacher is obligated with the task of helping the child play to learn while the child sets her/his own pace (NEW & COCHRAN, 2006, p167). Hence, teachers need to judge carefully when to intervene and when to take a "hands-off" approach and to balance planning with improvisation (Montessori, 2008). Sara Smilansky on Play Sara Smilanskys research focuses on how children learn through play and the relationship of play to future academic success. The creative curriculum shows teachers how to create an environment that allows for functional play experiences, it also shows teachers how to validate and reinforce childrens constructive play. High priority is placed on social dramatic play. The curriculum shows teachers how to interact with children to expand and learn from their socioeconomic play. The creative curriculum suggests outdoor games with rules and even encourages children to make up their own rules for games (Smilansky, 1968) . Maslows hierarchy of needs In response to Maslows hierarchy of needs, the first priority of creativity and play development is to meet the basic needs of children. Observed in placement, the teacher creates an atmosphere in which the children feel safe, emotionally secure, and have a sense of belonging. This should be implemented in activities and teaching strategies that are challenging but are within the childrens reach. Children are also given choices and a role in determining how they will learn for example there is a planning sheet filled in daily with children’s suggestions on what they would like to play with the following week discussed during the whole class circle time (Maslow, 1943). TEACHER’S ROLE IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT For school leaders the first step in developing a creative school is the fostering of a whole-school approach. Creativity is not an add-on and it cannot be imposed by the head teacher. There needs to be discussion, involvement and ownership. The debate should be based around some of the following points: Taking control of the curriculum by the school The creation of a school with creativity at the heart of the learning process Enhancing the motivation for staff and pupils Fostering the professional development of all the staff, both teaching and non-teaching Involving governors and parents in a whole-school approach to creativity and showing how this philosophy supports school improvement and high standards of achievement Getting the pupils involved in school issues (regarding the curriculum and the learning, perhaps through the school council). Staff should be empowered to design activities within the curriculum which are exciting, motivating and relevant to their school and pupils. Once these seeds are sown, creativity will flourish. In the context of classroom, developing opportunities for students to possibly think their way forward is inevitable. It will involve immersing the class in an issue or subject and helping them to ask relevant questions, be imaginative, take risks, and playfully explore options while improving their innovative perspectives. The curriculum of creativity and play in the United Kingdom is not seen as a product or an event, but a process involving the serious plays of minds and possibilities. Teaching with creativity and teaching for creativity comprise all the characteristics of good teaching including; high expectations, high motivation, the ability to listen and communicate and the ability to engage and inspire. However, working with an overloaded curriculum in a culture of accountability like the UK can cause a backlash in assessment system which can eventually have negative effects on classroom practices (Wood, 2005). Such pressure can minimize the opportunities for creative ventures and may tempt an individual to stay within the safe boundaries of the known. In this regard, the UK education policy makers have recognized this tension between the incessant drive for measurable standards and the ability of the educator to meet them, and in response they have developed a curriculum that encourages creative teaching. In order to do so, the policy makers have convinced people that creativity and play have a vital role in the education system for healthy personal and professional growth (Monighan Nourot, 2006). In the United Kingdom’s curriculum, students’ learning processes have become increasingly focused on the distinctive methods of inquiry, conceptual frameworks and key skills which the subject disciplines represent. These disciplines provide students from the United Kingdom with powerful tools for making sense of the world and integrate distinctive and interconnected ways of learning. Although play and creativity are processes rather than subjects, many activities that involve play and creativity provide opportunities for learning through the subject disciplines (MacDougall, 2004). The United Kingdom curriculum provides a framework for a more valuable design that is characterized with breadth, differentiation, balance, progression and continuity across phases. In addition, the curriculum enables the practitioners to use policy framework as a guiding structure as opposed to the prescriptive straitjacket. This is important in that it enables children to have more opportunities for practice and consolidation (Monighan Nourot, 2006). CREATIVITY VIS A VIS CHILD DEVELOPMENT Creativity was taught in the 1970s and 1980s, often through topic-based projects, but there was a lack of accountability, detailed planning and thoroughness. Much of this perceived ‘creativity’ disappeared in the 1990s as it did not fit into a strategic box and schools thought that there was no time for it and that such an approach was not valued by central government. (Mac Naughton, 2003) The United Kingdom has been credited with successfully incorporating creativity into its educational system. Creativity covers a wider arena, not just unique to education and arts, but to a human’s overall existence and involves personal effectiveness. It can be seen and identified in all aspects of the arts, humanities, sciences, maths and technology (Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson, 2008). The Creative Curriculum for the EYFS under Human Arts and Media is a blueprint for planning and implementing a developmentally appropriate program in early childhood education. Likewise, the National Curriculum Handbook (1999) included creativity within the section on thinking skills. It highlights that creative thinking skills enable pupils to generate and extend ideas, to suggest hypotheses, to apply imagination and to look for alternative innovative outcomes. (Education, 2012) Many teachers encourage free and open discussion whereby students are encouraged to be imaginative and original. In keeping with Gardners notion of interpersonal and intra personal intelligences, the curriculum show teachers how to provide opportunities for each child to pursue his or her special talents and to demonstrate areas of strength, e.g. play activities and choices to explore nature, along with traditional academics. However, many students, especially minorities and at risk children in the early grades, are constrained by a curriculum narrowed by test mania brought on by the EYFS and NC early education assessments and standards (Education, 2012). The difficulty in measuring the success of a creative approach to primary learning and teaching gave our education system many problems. This was because teachers felt strangled by administrative directives to allot inordinate amounts of time and energy to teaching the new basics in early childhood education, i.e. the high intensity subjects of mathematics and reading or emergent literacy. As a result, head teachers under the pressures of OFSTED’s inspection and statistical league tables, became reluctant to take risks with the curriculum. Consequently, teachers stopped focusing on relationships with students leading to the nurturing playfulness of and potential creativity (Ofsted, 2012). OFSTED being the body that acts as the inspectorate for children and learners in England, carried out a survey identifying good practice in the promotion of creativity in schools (Expect the Unexpected: Developing Creativity in Primary and Secondary Schools published in 2003). They found that there was generally high quality in creative work. Any barriers that existed could be overcome if teachers are committed to the promotion of creativity, possess good subject knowledge and a sufficiently broad range of pedagogical skills to foster creativity in all pupils, whatever their ability. The active support of senior management is also important. OFSTED emphasised that "the creativity observed in pupils is not associated with a radical new pedagogy…but a willingness to observe, listen and work closely with children to help them develop their ideas in a purposeful way (Ofsted, 2012). The report concluded with teachers’ comments on what should guide future policy-making and the practice of child development. These were as follows (Ofsted, 2012): Creativity needs to be built in as a key feature of all areas of the curriculum; Creativity should be fostered at an early stage; There should be more definition of the meaning of creativity and examples of how to include it in all curricular areas; There should be less emphasis on what is being taught and more on how; Current assessment procedures need to be more flexible if creativity is to be fostered. More opportunities are needed for peer and self-assessment. As a result of the report, the situation has started to change, especially with the development of the creative partnership schemes. In the setting, children enter creative play through working using art, drama, role play, language, games, colour, texture, music and symbols. Suggestions on how teachers can encourage pupil’s creativity in consideration of the importance of play in child’s development are then followed by demonstrations of these approaches (RACHEL M. HEYDON, 2006). THE CREATIVE CURRICULUM IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT The Creative Curriculum for preschool is a blueprint for planning and implementing a developmentally appropriate program. The components of the creative curriculum framework help provide all children in the classroom with learning experiences that will promote their development. From years of experience, this curriculum has proven to be beneficial and effective in the preschool classroom. It provides detailed guidelines for dedicated teachers to use as an aide in laying a positive, academic rich future for the children (Mac Naughton, 2003). For children to feel secure and valued they need to experience sensitive and responsive care. Taking creative risks and moving forward children’s learning depends heavily on the genuine atmosphere of acceptance and security (Jeffrey, 2004). Students should feel free to take risk and learn from failure as opposed to being victimized because of the failures (MacDougall, 2004). The sense of well-being which offers a positive answer to these challenges is promoted in the UK curriculum through respecting individuals and including children in activities which affirm both their common humanity and individuality. The curriculum also encourages active modes of learning and problem solving approaches which include independent investigation requirements for accessible resources of various kinds (James C. Kaufman, 2006). The second component is the learning environment. This includes setting up and maintaining the classroom, establishing a structure for each day, and creating a classroom community. In the creative curriculum, the learning environment meets childrens developmental needs. It makes all children, including those who are considered to be special needs to feel safe and comfortable, and they feel like they belong. As a result, they are guided into becoming independent and confident learners (Ofsted, 2012). When setting up and maintaining a classroom, physical space of the classroom area is organized into interest areas. Interest areas offer multiple opportunities for children to explore, discover, and grow. The arrangement of furniture and the materials, both involve children not only in learning but also in caring for the classroom and what is in it. Such an environment can support the teacher’s goals for the children and allow the teachers’ freedom to observe and interact with the children in positive ways. Establishing a structure for each day includes daily routines and a schedule that creates a sense of order in the creative curriculum. Children will know what to expect, and they understand what is expected of them. With the assurance that their environment is predictable and familiar, they can settle into learning and function as part of a group (Montessori, 2008). The other component of the creative curriculum framework is the teachers role. The creative curriculum describes how teachers can put together knowledge of childrens development with the content they want to teach. It allows the teacher to be engaged in an on-going cycle of observing, guiding learning, and assessing childrens progress. During this cycle, teachers interact with the children continuously and make decisions about when and how to respond to meet individual and group needs (Education, 2012). An aspect of knowing the children you teach is learning what makes each child unique. Your understanding of individual differences will help you respond to each child in ways that make every child feel comfortable and ready to learn. Children also have different temperaments, interest, learning styles, and life experiences. Their cultural backgrounds also influence them strongly. Some children have Special Educational Needs or have English as an Additional Language (EAL). The creative curriculum suggests that teachers who are aware of the interest of their children have a basis for building a relationship to motivate each child to learn (James C. Kaufman, 2006). The last component of the curriculum is the familys role. Home and school are a young childs most important worlds. Children must bridge these two worlds every day. If home and school are connected in positive and respectful ways, children feel secure. The creative curriculum encourages teachers to focus on developing a relationship with every family, so they can work together to support childrens healthy development and learning. Therefore, creativity can be enhanced in the classroom and at home through various activities and exercises. Parents can incorporate activities learned by students in school and enhance them at home. Creativity is a quintessential attribute of human beings, but without specialised support from the school and teachers, it is unlikely that students can achieve their full potential (ISHAQ, 2011). RECOMMENDATIONS TO FOSTER CREATIVE THINKING Though teachers would like to incorporate creative activities into their teaching, there are few practical suggestions to help accomplish these goals (Lieberman, 1977). Park and Seung have introduced four strategies to help teachers integrate creative thinking into the classroom; (Park, 2008)represents six different ways of thinking: emotional (red), positive (yellow), critical (black), objective (white), creative (green), and big picture (blue). The teacher is to divide the students in groups of six and students are given construction paper hats representing the colour. The students are then presented with a problem, e.g. Task 1: Build the tallest and strongest tower you can with dry spaghetti noodles, marshmallows, and gelatine candies. At the end of the construction period, the tower will be tested for strength by balancing a tennis ball on it and the height will be measured with a ruler. This type of task requires preparation, discussion, and planning. The students are to only act and think within their colours and description. According to the authors, this method helps make students aware of the various ways in which people think about issues (2008). This exercise also brings out their analytical thinking skills in addition to critical and deliberate thinking. It gives them insight on how to handle life’s situation’s later on. Using analytical and critical thinking, students can come up with other possible solutions which they then openly discuss. In addition to creative thinking, these strategies put students in a position to work together in groups where they have to work with other and hear others’ advice, comments, and suggestions, whether good or bad (Park, 2008). Creative Problem Solving aims to give students an opportunity to work with open-ended problems or tasks that require creative solutions (2008). In this strategy, learning becomes self-directed. Naturally students will focus on solving a problem with just one solution, however, now they are instructed to try looking at the problem from new and different ways to come up with different solutions. Teachers will remind students that there are no permanent solutions to the problem. He/she needs to prepare open-ended problems or tasks that encourage students to use their creativity and imagination (Park, 2008). CONCLUSION The link between play and creative development has become more clearly established especially in the 21st Century. Creativity is a phenomenon that is growing increasingly around the world, especially in Europe. As the world changes on a daily basis and today’s students become tomorrow’s leaders, preparedness is the key ingredient to facing the future. Creativity provides a positive impact on all ages in all areas of life. It is like the building blocks to a successful and happy future. It allows the children to bond with peers, bond with adults and socialise by listening, understanding and respecting each other’s ideas. It can help them develop teamwork skills, thinking skills, problem solving stills and many more. Creativity supports emotional development and self-esteem giving the children confidence and the opportunity to succeed. It can evoke curiosity and willingness for the child to explore, take risks and to continually develop themselves. Children use varied literacy skills, concepts, and behaviours in their play. Play encourages speaking, reading, listening and writing and provides context for meaningful literacy practices. When engaging in playful literacy, children are acting as readers and writers as opposed to just pretending to read and write. Some scholars argue that they are behaving ahead of their actual level of development such that their level of understanding is both situated in present and future progress. Fostering creativity at all stages of a student’s development is very important to his/her future. Applying creative activities to educating a young child and encouraging knowledge of self is most likely going to improve that child’s outlook of themselves. As students get older, educators and parents can promote creative thinking in more than just the education arena. Teachers can implement it through activities which force the student to truly think outside the box and get outside their comfort zone. Parents can reinforce ideals from teachers, but introduce theories to a child’s everyday life. It has been proven that university students have the ability to be trained to think creatively and to enhance these new skills, instructors should teach concepts which require creativity and suggest literature to research through writing projects. After all, creativity is becoming increasingly “life-wide”. Reference List Education, B. A. (2012). Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). London: Crown Copyright. Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson, Y. K. (2008). The Contribution of Early Childhood Education to a Sustainable Society. Paris: UNESCO. ISHAQ, A. M. (2011). International Child Art Foundation. James C. Kaufman, J. B. (2006). Creativity and Reason in Cognitive Development. Cambridge University Press. Jeffrey, B. a. (2004). Educational Studies. In Teaching creatively and teaching for creativity: distinctions and relationships (pp. 30(1), pp. 77–87). Lieberman, J. (1977). Playfulness: its relationship to imagination and creativity. New York: Academic Press. 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