Young Children and the Arts: Nurturing Imagination and Creativity examines the place of the arts in the experiences of young and very young children at home and in out-of-home settings at school and in the community. There is great need for development of resources in the arts specifically designed to introduce babies and toddlers to participatory experiences in the visual arts, dance, music, and storytelling/theater. This book presents valuable guidelines for early childhood teachers, families, caregivers and community organizations. Young Children and the Arts presents a comprehensive approach to the arts that is aligned with early childhood developmentally appropriate practice and that combines an exploratory, materials-based approach with an aesthetic-education approach for children from birth to eight years of age. It addresses both how the arts are foundational to learning, and how teachers and parents can nurture young children’s developing imagination and creativity. The models presented emphasize a participatory approach, introducing young children to the arts through activities that call for engagement, initiative and creative activity. Additionally, Young Children and the Arts addresses the intersection of early childhood education and the arts—at points of convergence, and at moments of tension. The role of families and communities in developing and promoting arts suffused experiences for and with young children are addressed. Young Children and the Arts examines the role of innovative arts policy in supporting a broad-based early arts program across the diverse settings in which young children and their families live, work, and learn.

Emerging from an education world that sees professional learning as a tool to positively shape teaching practice in order to improve student learning, Transformational Professional Learning elucidates professional learning that is transformational for teachers, school leaders, and schools. Written from the unique ‘pracademic’ perspective of an author who is herself a practising teacher, school leader, and researcher, this book articulates the why and the what of professional learning. It acts as a bridge between research and practice by weaving scholarly literature together with the lived experience of the author and with the voices of those working in schools. It covers topics from conferences, coaching, and collaboration, to teacher standards and leadership of professional learning. This book questions the ways in which professional learning is often wielded in educational settings and shows where teachers, school leaders, system leaders, and researchers can best invest their time and resources in order to support and develop the individuals, teams, and cultures in schools. It will be of great interest to teachers, leaders within schools, staff responsible for professional learning in school contexts, professional learning consultants, professional learning providers, and education researchers.

EDUCATION / Arts in Education

Containing cutting-edge research the Handbook of Research on Creativity will strongly appeal to academics and advanced students in cultural studies, creative industries, art history and theory, experimental music and performance studies, digital and ne

Offering a conceptual framework for teaching the visual arts (K-12 and higher education) from a cultural standpoint, the author discusses visual culture in a democracy.

This text explores how art education can meaningfully address the needs of older adults as learners, makers, and teachers of art in formal and informal settings. It combines perspectives of museum educators, teacher preparation professors, art therapists, teaching artists, and older artists on what is meant by Creative Aging and the ways art education can support the health and well-being of this population. Most importantly, the book discusses what the field of art education can gain from older adult learners and creators. Chapters are organized into five sections: Creatively Aging, Meeting Older Adults’ Unique Needs, Intergenerational Art Education, Engaging Older Adults With Artworks and Objects, and In Our Own Voices: Older Adults as Learners, Makers, and Teachers. Within each section, contributors investigate themes critical to art education within aging populations such as memory loss, disability, coping with life transitions, lifelong learning, intergenerational relationships, and personal narrative. The final section focuses on accounts from older adult artists/educators, offering insights and proposing new directions for growing older creatively. Though ideal for art education faculty and students in graduate and undergraduate settings, as well as art education scholars and those teaching in multigenerational programs within community settings, this book is an expansive resource for any artist, student, or scholar interested in the links among health, well-being, and arts participation for older adults.