In this summary of previous weeks it particularly struck me how the elements and principles are not only the essential moving parts of each arts strand, but also the key descriptive language which students need to be equipped with in order to make useful observations and analyses of artworks. With this in mind and examining the curriculum, it is natural and logical that content descriptors from the earliest bands require students to respond to those formal terms and to explicitly consider their use of elements and principles. I frequently hear from adults that accurate technical terminology is too complex for children, but after practical experience trying to both introduce new terms and train students out of using the old ones, I wonder if many adults are simply insecure in their knowledge and hedge their bets with fluidly defined terms of their own making.
Another aspect of the curriculum which I particularly appreciate is the emphasis on play in the early years, a concept which is experiencing a popular revival for literacy results and cognitive development. Play, especially shared imaginative experiences in a social context, is ideal for stimulating creativity, motor skills, emotional self-regulation, and engagement in socially-constructed exploration. The best lessons I have ever seen are fun, allow students to be creative, allow students to work together, and generate a shareable result which ultimately draws the class together – students benefit from authentic and interesting learning just as much as the rest of us.
