Creativity is a key part of childrens' early learning. Mary Fawcett and Penny Hay explain the thinking behind a project that sets out to establish creativity as an essential foundation of early learning.
The research project ?5x5x5 = Creativity in the Early Years?, now in its fourth year, has been inspired by the approach to education and the creative arts in early years settings in Reggio Emilia, northern Italy and the work of Creative Foundation, Sightlines Initiative in the UK. It has involved two research groups in five early years settings, with five artists and five cultural centres working in partnership to support young children (aged 3 to 5 years) in their exploration, communication and expression of creative ideas.
Firm foundations
The project had three aims:
? to demonstrate ways in which creativity and innovation can be fostered in and with young children
? to influence early years educational practice by establishing creativity as an essential foundation of early learning
? to share findings as widely as possible, creating a legacy for the future.
The collaborative processes between artists, educators and cultural centres were vital as they worked with young children using a creative and reflective cycle. The underpinning principles and the role of professional development have been essential to the success of the project. The 5x5x5 project has helped to develop a new professional awareness in early years? work, promoting significant development in early childhood creative practice. This has involved sharing the process of our learning, in order to develop practice that supports and enables children in representing and expressing their creative ideas.
Our experience with 5x5x5 demonstrated that the project has the potential to support and extend children?s creative development. Creativity is fundamental to successful learning and children need to spend time with adults who are themselves creative. The project places the child at the heart of the creative-learning process. It is about acknowledging children as creative, powerful learners, making their learning visible and harnessing the curiosity, creativity and energy of both adults and children.
Creative children
The research is based on a view of all children as being creative and competent; the adults see themselves as ?researching children as they research the world?. Findings show that careful observations and documentation of children?s words will provide insight into their ideas and understandings. Our evidence is that children spontaneously and creatively connect all forms of thinking and expressive representation demonstrating their use of the ?hundred languages of children?. As adults, it is our role to facilitate and support children?s depth of learning: by respecting children and taking time to make observations and connections with the children?s thinking, we can refine our own efforts in supporting their learning more effectively.
The children and adults in this creative learning community are now researching at a deeper level, some of them in their third year of research. The lines of enquiry range from learning dispositions to imagination and fantasy in children?s play. As practical action research it is an inspirational example of the rich possibilities of working creatively with children and cultural communities ? it addresses national issues about the creative arts in society. 5x5x5 participants are exploring exciting ways in which the creative and cultural community can be involved in meaningful learning with young children and their whole families. By changing the emphasis to learning from children, the adults become re-focused and re-energised researchers. The adults? own professional development through this learning community is empowering them in their practice and giving them confidence to share their new understandings with colleagues, parents and the wider community.
Sharing learning
The 5x5x5 project has demonstrated its powerful potential, but we need to ensure its sustainability both in terms of practice and funding. In continuing to develop our research to a deeper level, not only our current team but also others will share in deepening, connecting and exchanging their learning in a wider context. Our vision is that individuals in this growing critical mass will support each other in establishing an educational culture that shares similar principles and values. The development of sustainable learning environments that support children?s active and creative learning requires continuing professional development and research. A commitment to intellectual curiosity, reflection and dialogue is paramount. We want to invest in the creative talent of individuals and build an educational culture that can change lives. The 5x5x5 project has begun to demonstrate that this is possible.
As the child grows there is a danger that adults are too ready to prepare them for adulthood. 5x5x5 has shown that in reality the child is a protagonist of their own learning ? the child?s life is full of new media, new technologies, new toys, new software that are easily negotiated ? and through opportunities for independent and self-directed learning they can flourish. We need a rigorous, creative research base that underpins future investment not only in the early years, but all stages of education. In-depth documentation of learning means that we will have sound evidence to use to measure the impact of this creative learning.
We also need to provide opportunities for creative learning for young people and for professional development in creative learning for educators. Educators at all levels are calling for ?permission to take risks?, to finally take ownership of their own creative role, to be involved with research and learning themselves to enable young people to take charge of their own learning. As adults, educators are ?companions? in research and learning, helping young people to ask good questions for exploration, providing feedback, reflection and support.
Our image of the child and the adult are vital: learning from Loris Malaguzzi in Reggio Emilia: ?One of our strengths has been to start out from a very clear, very open declaration of our ideas about the young child. It is a highly optimistic vision of the child: a child who possesses many resources at birth, and with an extraordinary potential which has never ceased to amaze us; a child with the independent means to build up its own thought processes, ideas, questions and attempts at answers; with a high level of ability in conversing with adults, the ability to observe things and to reconstruct them in their entirety. This is a gifted child, for whom we need a gifted teacher. She is a co-constructor of knowledge and values together with children; she is a cultured and curious person, which means an inveterate border crosser; and she is a researcher, with an enquiring and critical mind.?
Mary Fawcett is the evaluator for the 5x5x5 project and former Director of Child Studies at Bristol University. Penny Hay is Arts Education Development Officer for Bath and North East Somerset Council.
t: 01225 396425;
e: penny.hay@bathnes.gov.uk
Working in partnership with Sightlines Initiative, 5x5x5 has established a regional ReFocus network of interested adults and holds termly seminars sharing their research. On 17 June there will be a national conference and exhibition in Bath.