Issues in Expressive Arts Curriculum for Early Childhood PDF

Preface

In the quest for making Australia the ‘clever country’, whose citizens work smarter rather than harder, and against a background of economic rationalism and competence-based education and training, the arts are being marginalised, in the curriculum and in the eyes of the community. Economically, educationally and politically the expressive and performing arts are being debased because the arts curriculum does not always produce functional skills which are observable and measurable against an established set of outcomes.

National curriculum and policy development committees push ahead with their tasks without extensive community consultation, and arts educators feel the pinch of accountability as emphasis on testing and outcomes takes precedence over process at all levels of education. In the face of such a magisterial approach to curriculum policy development, it is imperative to establish a research base for the arts in education and for the international community to become a network in order to disseminate information and findings as well as spark international debate

This book offers an opportunity to present an Australian perspective on the issues in expressive arts in early childhood education by authors who are researching, teaching and actively involved in the arts as theatre directors, painters, designers, adjudicators, advisers, actors or arts administrators in community organisations at the national and international level.

The articles are unusual in that they cover a wide spectrum of arts areas, including media. They are diverse in that a variety of issues and approaches are canvassed, including;

— the role of the teacher of young children as co-worker, collaborator, guide, facilitator and stage-manager,

— the role of the tertiary educator in early childhood preservice education as this pertains to consideration of

(a) indigenous art,

(b) improvisational drama,

(c) student processes in movement and dance leading to performance,

— the role of the early childhood adviser in national, non-commercial television production for young children,

— a critique of Australia’s 10 million TV production ‘LIFT OFF' made by the independent organisation the Australian Children’s Television Foundation for children 3-8 years and marketed internationally, and elaboration of the national broadcasting standards required for children’s TV production in Australia (for commercial TV networks),

— the role of theatre companies and symphony orchestras in experimental programs, for and with, young children, and,

— the value of language and literature in the lives of young children

Author: Craig A. Schiller