Child Development and Arts Education. Child Development Research

Child Development and Arts Education

Child Development Research


Research Question:

• What are recommended best practices in arts education that acknowledge students’ cognitive, social, and emotional needs and abilities at different stages?


Structure of report

• A series of literature reviews, divided by discipline and grade band

• Executive summary notes cross-disciplinary threads of research and recommendations

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Key findings



Early Childhood

• More research available for this grade band than any other

• Arts experiences are a primary means of communication at this stage


Early ChildhoodPhysical

• Limited motor ability as primary concern• Focus on gross motor skills: balance and coordination in dance,

for example• Drawing, painting, and other art-making is primarily a kinesthetic

experience at this stage. • Educators should focus on using basic tools and instruments

that students can manipulate themselves.


Early ChildhoodCognitive

• Short attention spans; need for variety in activities• Need for routines• Learn through exploration and discovery


Early Childhood: CognitiveImportance of balancing structured experience and open exploration:

Dance: repetition of basic concepts, but allowing freedom for students to invent their own movements

Music: Guided as well as improvisational work

Theatre: structured call- and-response activities as well as less-structured fantasy play

Visual art: Emphasize exploration and creative manipulation of materials


Early ChildhoodSocial/Emotional

• Learners at this stage very social and talkative• At early stage, parents and teachers are the most important

individuals in a student’s life; by ages 5-7 friendships are increasing social importance as well

• Arts experiences as primarily social experiences (example: “re-telling” pictorial accounts to peers and adults).

• May begin fostering cooperative and communication skills by working in small groups, or participating in full-class activities in theatre or dance instruction.

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Early ChildhoodPhysical Cognitive Social/Emotional

Limited motor ability Short attention span Social importance of arts experiences

Arts learning is kinesthetic Need for routineCooperation and communication skills developing

Learning through exploration and discovery

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Early ChildhoodPhysical Cognitive Social/Emotional

Limited motor ability Short attention span Social importance of arts experiences

Arts learning is kinesthetic Need for routineCooperation and communication skills developing

Learning through exploration and discovery

• How will writers develop standards under the framework of create, perform, and respond for students who might not yet be able to create with any specific intent in creating?

Elementary: Physical• Fine motor coordination increases

• Students increasingly interested in precision and technique in artistic endeavors



Elementary: Cognitive

• Arts instruction can connect with other subject areas, as students’ intellectual curiosity widens.

• Students are able and eager to refine skills; recommended practices for music included introducing practice strategies involving repetition and mastery of basic skills

• Curricular content becomes more complex; theatre instruction can expand to enhance student understanding of story structure, cause and effect, and the ability to write with detail

• Reflection and critical thinking activities can be introduced, including guided observations of works of art

• In addition, the research continued to reinforce the value of open-ended exploration and improvisational play


Elementary: Social/Emotional

• Students have a deepening interest of their own role in relation to the world, and an increasing sense of independence

• Recommended best practices reflect an understanding of the importance of social bonds to elementary students:

• Dance: include collaborative activities in duets, trios, and small groups

• Theatre activities can address social skills, focusing on conflict resolution and empathy, for example.

• Students’ levels of confidence in their own abilities may decrease at this stage

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ElementaryPhysical Cognitive Social/Emotional

Fine motor coordination increases Intellectually curious Developing sense of self

in relation to the world

Broader range of tools and processes can be utilized Eager to refine skills Social bonds more

important

Reflection/critical thinking Confidence in abilities decreasing

Need for open-ended exploration

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ElementaryPhysical Cognitive Social/Emotional

Fine motor coordination increases Intellectually curious Developing sense of self

in relation to the world

Broader range of tools and processes can be utilized Eager to refine skills Social bonds more

important

Reflection/critical thinking Confidence in abilities decreasing

Need for open-ended exploration

• How can the standards acknowledge social/emotional needs (i.e., developing sense of self)?

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Middle School

• Stage at which students are making decisions about whether to continue with arts study in the future

• Research heavily emphasizes social/emotional needs at this stage


Middle: Cognitive• Students are more interested than ever in precision and

accuracy in their work

• Students are intellectually curious; the research points to the need for students to have the opportunity to incorporate ideas of personal interest into their work.


Middle: Social/EmotionalStudents are increasingly self-focused; arts can provide an outlet to explore ideas and themes of personal significance

Dance: Students can create their own dances with peers

Music: students are ready to compose their own original music

Theatre: activities should allow students to evaluate their own ideas, needs, and beliefs in relation to others

Visual art: Create opportunities for visual choice-making; students must feel that their work represents their own original point of view.


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Middle SchoolCognitive Social/Emotional

Interest in precision and accuracy Self-focused

Intellectually curious Less likely to take risks; need for “safe space” in arts experiences

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Middle SchoolCognitive Social/Emotional

Interest in precision and accuracy Self-focused

Intellectually curious Less likely to take risks; need for “safe space” in arts experiences

• How can the standards promote creative risk-taking?

High School and College: CognitiveThe research focuses to a large extent on students’ abilities to think critically about their own work and the work of others, make informed and deliberate decisions in their work, and draw connections between disparate ideas or areas of study.

Dance: emphasis on viewing and analyzing dance performances regularly

Music: Comparing one’s own work to an ideal/professional model; compose one’s own original works whenever possible

Theatre: Importance of involving students in decision-making processes at every level of theatre production

Visual art: Developing habits and skills including envisioning, engaging and persisting, and developing craft.


High School and College: Social/Emotional Research emphasizes the importance of creating authentic arts experiences for students:

•Choosing areas of specialization

•Developing own point of view

•Feeling that they are part of a community of artists


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High School and CollegeCognitive Social/Emotional

Thinking critically Viewing self as part of community of artists

Deliberate choice-making;

Creating original works

Refining one’s own point of view;

Developing areas of specialization in the arts

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High School and CollegeCognitive Social/Emotional

Thinking critically Viewing self as part of community of artists

Deliberate choice-making;

Creating original works

Refining one’s own point of view;

Developing areas of specialization in the arts

• How can the standards emphasize the importance of creating a sense of community?


At every grade level and in every discipline, the research emphasizes the role of the arts in helping students to:

•Make sense of their world

•Make connections between disparate ideas

•Make connections between self and others

The recommended best practices at every level, for every discipline recommended the need for balance between structure and open-ended exploration in arts instruction.


Does the need for assessment and measurement of the standards force us to emphasize cognitive development over social and emotional development?

Contact Information:

Amy Charleroy, Associate Director, Arts at the Core, Office of Academic Initiatives:

[email protected]

Nancy Rubino, Senior Director, Office of Academic Initiatives:

[email protected]

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Documents

Child Development and Arts Education. Child Development Research