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Chapter 10
Using Work Samples to
Look at Creativity“Writing meaningful observations as they are
occurring cannot happen in a teacher-directed
classroom. The teacher is too busy.”
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WORK SAMPLES
• Children’s drawings, writings, products, inventions
• Media: Photos, video, audio tapes
• Transcripts of conversations
• Anecdotal records of dramatic play episodes
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Uses of Work Samples
Advantages• In natural setting,
non-teacher directed• Compared over a peri
od of time• Expression of child’s t
houghts and feelings
Disadvantages• Children’s products ar
e works in progress• May lead observer to
draw erroneous conclusions
• Reflect inferencesof selector
• Collection and storage
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What to Do with It
• Depending on medium, it can be duplicated for child’s portfolio
• Shared with child and family as a point of discussion and comparison to work over time
• Displayed in classroom (without competition)
• Used to explore children’s interests and extend with planned activities
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LOOKING AT CHILDREN’S CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Stages of Children’s Art1. Making marks – 0 to 2 years, experimentati
on2. Scribbling – 2 to 4 years, exploration3. Preschematic – 4 to 7 years, nonrepresent
ational4. Schematic – 7 to 9 years, more realistic
Observing Creativity in Infants and Toddlers
• Learning how to create something from “raw” materials
• Exploring materials with their senses
• Learning different ways to express thoughts and ideas
• Learning to make decisions
• Developing the ability to share materials and appreciate others’ work
• Developing a positive self-concept
• Developing and refining fine motor and cognitive activities
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Process vs. Product
• Materials presented for exploration
• Unique outcomes• Child has freedom to
select materials and work
• Only child’s hands and ideas in the work
• Finished work shown as a model
• All works look similar• Teacher/Adult gives
directions• Adult “helps” child by
contributing to the work or restricting the child’s ideas
©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
©2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Blocks as a Creative Medium
Types of Blocks• Plastic interlocking• Unit blocks• Hollow blocks• Cardboard blocks• Foam blocks• Special building sets• Cube blocks
Stages in Block Play• Carry, fill, dump• Stacking, laying• Bridging• Enclosures• Patterns• Naming, representing• Reproducing
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Creativity and Development
• Cognitive – Problem solving, logico-mathematical skills
• Social/Emotional – Expression, sharing, cooperation
• Physical – Involves refinement of large and small muscles
• Language – Expands descriptive vocabulary, symbolic representation
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Comparison of Stages
NOTE SIMILARITIES OF TRANSITION BETWEEN STAGES
• Cognitive – Piaget
• Creative – Kellogg, Lowenfeld
• Language
• Writing
• Social Emotional – Erikson
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Helping All Children with Creativity
• Giftedness
• Divergent Thinking
• Cultural Diversity
• Ability Diversity
• Helping Professionals
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Talking with Children about Their Work
CONSIDER NOT…• Complimenting• Judging• Valuing• Questioning• Probing• Correcting• Psychoanalyzing• Modeling
PRACTICE• Describing
– Color– Patterns– Process– Attention– Relationship to exp
eriences– Concepts
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Standard Related to Young Children and Creativity
Child Development Associate (CDA) Functional Area 7: Creative
Candidate provides opportunities that stimulate children to play with sound, rhythm, language, materials, space, and ideas in individual ways and to express creative abilities.