Prompt 7: Creative Thinking and Expression

            My classroom is not given as much time I feel they deserve to be creative. Everything is very scheduled and there is little space for any wiggle room. One thing my teachers are very good at, is allowing the students to share any ideas they might have. The teacher allows every students to have their voice be heard and is very accepting of all different answers. I have seen many examples of art, dramatic play, and music within the school day. These different activities normally do not overlap.

            My students are encouraged to come in at the beginning of the day and spend some time doing free play. The girls usually play with the dolls and cook in the kitchen while the boys play with the superheroes and trucks. During this time, the teacher does not facilitate the students or tell them what to do. The teacher will only chime in if the students are using the materials inappropriately. I have seen some of my children partake in sociodramatic play during this time. The Bullard text states that for play to be considered sociodramatic the children must, “engage in role-playing, make believe with actions and objects, have verbal and social interaction with at least one other person to coordinate roles and plot, and have a play theme that persists for 10 minutes or more”. I have seen this type of play more with the girls than the boys. The girls will coordinate a theme and play around with it for a while.

            My teacher facilitates a lot of art throughout the day. The children normally do at least two different art activities a day. They work with scissors, glue, paint, stickers, markers, crayons, and a lot of other materials. During art activities the teacher normally has an example of the product that the students will be making. By doing this, it gives students no room to be creative with their work. The teacher will go through the directions step by step instead of allowing the students to put together the materials on their own. The Bullard text states, “If children do not move beyond exploration they will not develop their full potential in the arts or be able to effectively use the arts as a tool for thinking, inquiry, and communication”.  It is important to supply students with an abundance of materials and allow them to partake in free exploration.

            One thing my students have that you do not see in a lot of schools anymore is a music class. They go to this class once a week and sing songs and learn dances with music. I have a big issue with the music class they attend. The music teacher is extremely strict and does not allow the students to be creative at all. She gets mad when students fidget in their spots, when they try and sing along with her, and if they do not do everything exactly like she says. This is heartbreaking to watch because I feel that it could potentially damage the student’s idea of music. Cutietta’s article says, “It is also important for your child to attend to and interact with music regularly”. This means students should be able to have fun with music and move their body if they feel like it. As for the children’s classroom teacher, she spends a lot of time singing songs about the days of the week, cleaning up, and songs to support different transitions. The Kemple article talks about how it is important for the teacher to participate in the music with the children instead of only directing. My teacher is very good with this aspect and always joins in as the students are singing and dancing.

            Creativity is key for younger learners. It allows them to do things on their own and learn without someone telling them what they need to know. I would adjust the creativity opportunities within my classroom. I feel that my students are not given enough time to explore and learn on their own. I understand that my teacher and school are a little old fashion, but that means there is only more room for improvement. As for art, I would still create different pieces of art with the children, but allow them to be creative with the materials. For dramatic play, I would supply the students with more materials (costumes), so they can become more involved. Although I cannot change how the music teacher approaches learning, I would play music more often in the classroom as the teacher and give students a chance to dance however they feel. The Connor’s article says, “When teachers and children move to music together, it is a unique social and bonding experience”.