Visual and Performing Arts - WestEd · Visual and Performing Arts Domain CDE/Child Development Division and WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies May be duplicated for educational

DRAFT August 1, 2012 Preview of Learning Experience 6

Faculty Initiative Project Instructional Guide for the California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 2 Visual and Performing Arts Domain CDE/Child Development Division and WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies May be duplicated for educational purposes only.!

70!

Visual and Performing Arts: Using the Research Base for Understanding Children’s

Development in the Visual and Performing Arts

Focus Statement

Students review the research base that describes how children acquire knowledge and skills in the visual and performing arts, including areas where children tend to learn on their own and where more adult guidance is needed.

Curriculum Alignment Project (CAP) Student Learning Outcomes

The Curriculum Alignment Project’s (CAP) lower division eight courses and

student learning outcomes are mapped onto each instructional guide

learning experience. See Appendix A for the specific student learning

outcomes, objectives, and examples of course content and topics for the

courses listed below.

• Child Growth and Development

• Child, Family and Community

• Introduction to Curriculum

• Principles and Practices of Teaching Young Children

• Observation and Assessment

• Health, Safety and Nutrition

• Teaching in a Diverse Society

• Practicum-Field Experience

Instructional Methodologies

• Class discussion

• Literature review

• Reflection—individual or large group

• Short paper

Vis

ua

l an

d P

erfo

rmin

g A

rts D

om

ain

: U

sin

g th

e R

ese

arc

h B

ase fo

r Un

de

rsta

ndin

g C

hild

ren

’s D

evelo

pm

ent

in th

e V

isua

l an

d P

erfo

rmin

g A

rts

DRAFT August 1, 2012 Preview of Learning Experience 6


71!

California Early Childhood Educator Competency Areas to Consider

The Faculty Initiative Project will be undertaking a comprehensive process in

the future to map the content of the instructional guides to the California

Department of Education, Child Development Division’s California Early

Childhood Educator Competencies. “The Competency Areas to Consider”

below are listed in this instructional guide as a preliminary exploration of how

particular competency areas might be addressed through these learning

experiences.

• Child Development and Learning

• Culture, Diversity, and Equity

• Relationships, Interactions, and Guidance

• Family and Community Engagement

• Observation, Screening, Assessment, and Documentation

• Health, Safety, and Nutrition

• Leadership in Early Childhood Education

• Professionalism

• Administration and Supervision

DRAFT August 1, 2012 Learning Experience 6


72!

Visual and Performing Arts: Using the Research Base for Understanding Children’s

Development in the Visual and Performing Arts

Before You Start

“Some skills, knowledge, and behavior emerge in nearly all children as a

consequence of daily experience. Many arts-related developments (for example, the

progression of drawing skills) tend to be seen at particular ages or in a particular

sequence. Although some behaviors and skills in the arts develop more or less

naturally through the course of children’s experience, others need the support of

adult guidance and intentional teaching . . . Teachers also help children acquire

knowledge about the arts; for example, types of music or dance” (California

Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 2, pp. 2-3).

Students may not always consider how children acquire the knowledge and skills

described in the visual and performing arts foundations. They may think of visual

arts, music, drama, and dance as primarily fun activities rather than meaningful

opportunities for children’s learning and development. Or students may be aware of

how children’s engagement in the visual and performing arts links to and supports

other areas of their development but not about the sequences of development in

visual art, music, drama, and dance themselves.

Because this learning experience requires students to locate some of the research

and reference materials listed in the “References and Source Materials” section

(California Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 2, pp. 31–36), you may need

more than one class session to address this learning experience.

It may also be helpful to provide copies of the foundations for students to use for the “Putting it together” step of this learning experience. A handout with the strands, substrands, and foundations is provided with this learning experience and can also be found in the Appendix C. An electronic version of the handout will be available when this instructional guide is online at www.wested.org/facultyinitiative.

Information Delivery

Students will need to be familiar with the introductory material,

bibliographic notes, and the foundations of the visual and

performing arts domain in the California Preschool Learning

Foundations, Volume 2 (PLF, V2):

• Introduction (pp. 1–4)

• Visual and Performing Arts Foundations (pp. 5–21)

Vis

ua

l an

d P

erfo

rmin

g A

rts D

om

ain

: U

sin

g th

e R

ese

arc

h B

ase fo

r Un

de

rsta

ndin

g C

hild

ren

’s D

evelo

pm

ent

in th

e V

isua

l an

d P

erfo

rmin

g A

rts



73!

• Bibliographic notes (pp. 22–27)

Active Learning

Getting it started Begin by asking students to read or review the introductory

material and bibliographic notes. Then ask them to each select

one of the four art disciplines of the visual and performing arts

(visual art, music, drama, and dance). Have a brief class

discussion about their choices; ask for volunteers to share why

they selected a particular art form.

Keeping it going Next ask students to identify some key points describing how children develop knowledge and skills in the art discipline the students selected. Students can do this individually, or you may have students who chose the same art discipline work together. Putting it together Have the class then review the foundations and identify which

ones they feel children could develop somewhat naturally

through their everyday experiences and which ones need more

adult or teacher support, guidance, and intentional teaching. Ask

them to cite references from their review of the introductory

material and bibliographic notes as much as possible.

If students have been working in groups, each group could

review the foundations for their art discipline and present their

ideas to the rest of the class. Or you could do the foundations

review as a whole class.

Reflection

Students can reflect on this learning experience individually or

through a class discussion with the following questions:

• What was some new information that you learned about

children’s development in the visual and performing arts?

• What will you remember about children’s developmental

sequences in each area of the visual and performing arts?

Why?

• Did this information cause you to think differently about

children’s development in visual art, music, drama, and

dance? Why?

• Which area of the visual and performing arts are you

interested in learning more about that will help you in your

current or future work with young children?

!"#$%&'&

!"#$%&(&

!"#$%)&*+,&



74!

Deeper Understanding

Ask students to review the “References and Source Materials” section (PLF, V2, pp. 31–36) for additional references related to children’s development of knowledge and skills in the discipline they have selected. They are to write a paper summarizing the findings from two or three of these references, highlighting any information that expands the discussion in the bibliographic notes.

!

!

!

Online Options

Students could post their papers online so that the whole class has access to

research summaries in each of the four visual and performing arts disciplines. Students then could reference these papers in identifying the foundations

that need more adult guidance.

!"#$%&-&



75!

!

!

Vis

ua

l an

d P

erfo

rmin

g A

rts D

om

ain

: Usin

g th

e R

ese

arc

h B

ase

for

Un

de

rsta

nd

ing

Ch

ildre

n’s

De

ve

lop

me

nt in

the

Vis

ua

l an

d P

erfo

rmin

g A

rts

Ha

nd

ou

t 1 –

Vis

ua

l an

d P

erfo

mrin

g A

rts: S

tran

ds, S

ub

stra

nd

s, a

nd

Fo

un

da

tion

s



76!

!

!



77!

!

!

!

!



78!



79!

!

!



80!

!

!



81!

!

!

!

Documents

Visual and Performing Arts - WestEd · Visual and Performing Arts Domain CDE/Child Development Division and WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies May be duplicated for educational