Art education, which contributes to a wide range of activities from supporting children's fine motor development to increasing aesthetic sensitivity, is a basic learning area that supports children's creativity and strengthens their sensory and cognitive development in the preschool period. The purpose of the research is to create a roadmap for…

The current study explores the impact of visual arts education on early childhood, highlighting its role in enhancing creativity, imagination, and emotional expression in pre-school children. It explores the perspectives of pre-school teachers on the importance of visual arts in children's development and the challenges they face when integrating…

This article presents a way of approaching introductory design education that expands student creativity through building on research related to the impact of cognitive development and metacognitive thinking. The strategy presented emphasises the importance of encouraging divergent thinking and understanding how students perceive knowledge. The…

The paper reflects upon the tools, approaches and applications of visual literacy in the Visual Arts Department of Cross River University of Technology, Calabar, Nigeria. The objective of the discourse is to examine how the visual arts training and practice equip students with skills in visual literacy through methods of production, materials and…

This article disseminates the results of a qualitative, case-based study carried on in Danish schools in 2008-2011. Results show that learning outputs can be seen as more than academic achievement, and the arts' contribution to learning can be viewed as more than the ancillary support of academic performance. Learning within an artful mindset…

This report reviews five current research projects in aesthetic education. Chapter 2 describes recent studies at the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research (IPAR) which relate aesthetics and creativity. Chapter 3 reviews measures of perceptual and cognitive performance; perceptual and aesthetic preference; and aesthetic interests,…

Significant research over the last decade has built a strong case for the value of arts learning. Major summaries, including "Schools, Communities, and the Arts" (1995); "Champions of Change" (2000); "The Arts in Education: Evaluating the Evidence for a Causal Link" (2000); "Critical Links" (2002); and now "Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit…

Reported are studies designed to identify art and art-related experiences that enhance or reinforce cognitive development among kindergarten and first-grade children. These studies focus on conceptual thinking through transfer of image, creating thinking through clayforming, oral language through painting experiences, and letter recognition and…

Discusses a statement on art education by Jean Piaget, who makes some points about the relatively evanescent character of artistic development among children. (Author/RK)

Describes The Lab School's (in Washington D.C.) use of the arts to provide nontraditional learners with new routes to learning. States that the arts give these special children a chance to express their creativity, feel good about themselves, and learn skills they cannot learn traditionally. Looks at art as salvation, diagnostic tool, and teacher.…

Arting and loving are treated as primary instances of "creative learning" in this paper. Further, it is maintained that this learning is of such a kind that in it everything must be learned at once, even though it is generally alleged that it cannot be taught at all. The discussion includes topics such as loving and actualization of potential, the…

This book is addressed primarily to those who facilitate early learning in art education. It consists of essays by writers whose background enables them to speak insightfully on their topic. Several essays are written by teachers of preprimary children. Others were written by research workers who have studied the art of young children. Articles…

Examines children's art creations in a child care center in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy. Suggests that, to produce art, children need many interesting experiences in classroom and community, as well as encouragement to think, talk, and create art in response to their experiences. Under such circumstances, their art is as intriguing and…

Stressed is the use of art for developing creativity, perceptual skills, and cognitive skills in handicapped children. Art activities are suggested for the following handicapping conditions: visually handicapped, auditorily handicapped, cerebral palsy, emotionally disturbed, learning disabled, and mentally retarded. Described are sample art…

Characterizes a number of cherished beliefs regarding early childhood art education as myths and argues that their continued use impedes educational reform. These include a belief in art as therapy, the inherent validity of childhood expression, the superiority of process over product, and limited intervention by teachers. (MJP)