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Study Guide in ECED 105: Creative Arts, Music & Movement in Early Childhood Module No. 01

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 01

DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVITY
MODULE OVERVIEW

The best way to view the development of creativity is as a fulfillment of potentials. If potentials are
fulfilled, actual manifest creative action and performance are likely. The individual and society will both benefit.
This module focuses on the foundation concepts related to the development of creativity. It explores the
involvement of different factors that affects creativity, experiences, divergent thinking and multiple intelligences.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this unit, the students must have:

a. defined the meaning of creativity;

b. explained the creative process;
c. described factors that encourage and discourage creativity;
d. compared process-oriented to product-oriented experiences;
e. explained the relationship of divergent thinking to creative expression;
f. describe how open-ended questioning techniques encourage divergent thinking; and
g. explained the relationship of multiple intelligences to creativity.

LEARNING CONTENTS

A. Definition of Terms:
1. Creativity
2. Creative Arts
3. Music
4. Movement

1. Meaning of Creativity
Creativity appears to be an important component of problem-solving and other cognitive
abilities, healthy social and emotional well-being, and scholastic and adult success. Yet the study
of creativity is not nearly as robust as one would expect, due in part to the preponderance of myths
and stereotypes about creativity that collectively strangle most research efforts in this area. The
root cause of these stereotypes is the lack of adequate precision in the definition of creativity.

There is a saying which goes: “The moment you define creativity is also the moment you
start killing it”. This may be the reason why there is no specific definition of the word creativity.
However, this module attempts to draw a line as to what defines creativity through inspection of the
different explanations by various educational psychologists.

Definition of Creativity from Various Educational Psychologists

 The word create came from the Latin word “creare”, which means “to make a thing which has not
been made before, to bring into being” (Barnhart, 1983).
 Creativity is a thinking and responding process that involves connecting with other previous
experience, responding to stimuli objects, symbols, ideas, people, nd situations and generating at
least one unique combination (Parnes, p.16).
 Creativity is the interaction among aptitude, process, and environment by which an individual or

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group produces a perceptible product that is both novel and useful as defined within a social
context. ~ Jonathan Plucker (2014) Professor of Neg School of Connecticut, University of
Connecticut
 “Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives … most of the things that are interesting,
important, and human are the results of creativity… [and] when we are involved in it, we feel that we
are living more fully than during the rest of life.”
 Creativity is defined as the tendency to generate or recognize ideas, alternatives, or possibilities that
may be useful in solving problems, communicating with others, and entertaining ourselves and
others. (Robert E. Franken, Human Motivation, pg. 396)
 All who study creativity agree that for something to be creative, it is not enough for it to be novel: it
must have value, or be appropriate to the cognitive demands of the situation (Robert W. Weisberg,
Creativity – Beyond the Myth of Genius, pg. 4)
 The US Patent Office criteria:
The first criterion is originality. The idea must have a low probability. Indeed, it often should be
unique. Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity certainly satisfied this criterion. No other scientist came
up with the idea. The second criterion is usefulness. The idea should be valuable or work. For example,
a solution must, in fact, solve the problem. An original recipe that produces a dish that tastes too terrible to
eat cannot be creative. In the case of Einstein’s theory, his relativity principle provided explanations for
what otherwise would be inexplicable empirical results. The third and last criterion is surprise. The idea
should be surprising, or at least nonobvious (to use the term used by the Patent Office).

2. Creative Arts
Creative Arts refers to participation in a range of activities that allow for creative and
imaginative expression, such as music, art, creative movement, and drama. The creative arts
engage children’s minds, bodies, and senses. The arts invite children to listen, observe, discuss,
move, solve problems, and imagine using multiple modes of thought and self‐ expression.

By engaging in art activities, children practice a variety of skills and progress in all areas of
development. Creative art helps children grow in physical, social, cognitive, and emotional
development. Children also practice imagination and experimentation as they invent new ways to
create art.

Creative art activities focus on the process over the product, meaning what the children do
while creating art (feeling paint between their fingers, holding a pencil, or experiencing the
stickiness of glue) is more important than what the finished product looks like. These experiences
foster growth and development more than coloring a provided picture or having child care
providers assist children in gluing pre-cut triangles to a plate to make a sun.

3. Dramatic Play
Dramatic play can be defined as a type of play where children accept and assign roles,
and then act them out. It is a time when they break through the walls of reality, pretend to be
someone or something different from themselves, and dramatize situations and actions to go
along with the roles they have chosen to play. And while this type of play may be viewed as
frivolous by some, it remains an integral part of the developmental learning process by allowing
children to develop skills in such areas as abstract thinking, literacy, math, and social studies, in
a timely, natural manner.

4. Music
Music is a collection of coordinated sound or sounds. Making music is the process of
putting sounds and tones in an order, often combining them to create a unified composition.
People who make music creatively organize sounds for a desired result, like a Beethoven

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symphony or one of Duke Ellington's jazz songs. Music is made of sounds, vibrations, and silent
moments, and it doesn't always have to be pleasant or pretty. It can be used to convey a
whole range of experiences, environments, and emotions.

Children of all ages express themselves through music. Even young infants sway,
bounce, or move their hands in response to music. Many preschoolers make up songs and,
with no self-consciousness, sing to themselves as they play. Children in elementary school
learn to sing together as a group and possibly learn to play a musical instrument. Older
children dance to the music of their favorite bands, and use music to form friendships and
share feelings.

Singing and music play an important role in our culture. You'll find music present in
many aspects of our lives: theater, television, movies, worship, holidays, celebrations, and
government and military ceremonies. At home, music can become part of our family cultures—
a natural part of our everyday experiences.

From birth, parents instinctively use music to calm and soothe children, to express love
and joy, and to engage and interact. Parents can build on these natural instincts by learning
how music can impact child development, improve social skills, and benefit children of all ages.

5. Movement
Movement is very subjective in the world of arts. Simply put, movement refers to the
“change” in something. It is imperative however to note that movement does not solely refer
to dancing, and dancing is just another kind of movement. When I lift my arms, look to the
other side, change my voice from chest tone to head tone, use different elements in my
painting to make them look moving, I incorporate movement in them. Everything that suggests
a change of position is a movement. It makes everything around us interesting because there
would be something new to look at. It deflects

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Class Activity: Changing the Known

This activity will test how students can think of varieties of ways to use a single object. It will
require them to think outside the box.

The class will be divided into 5-6 groups. Each group will be given 3 minutes to think of other
uses of an object contrary to its original use. After 3 minutes, the instructor will call a few students to
demonstrate their answers to the class. The remaining students who were not able to share will have to
send their answers to the instructor privately.

LEARNING CONTENTS

B. Factors that Discourage Creativity

“If intrinsic motivation is one key to a child’s creativity, the crucial element in cultivating it is time: open-ended time for the child to savor and explore a
particular activity or material to make it her own. Perhaps one of the greatest crimes adults commit against a child’s creativity is robbing the child of such
time.” Goleman, Kaufman and Ray (1992) The creative spirit, 63

Children’s lives, just like those of adults, should be compartmentalized. And yes, children need to
be taught to regulate their behavior according to the situation and resulting social needs. But there should
be some sense of balance between the times when children have time for creative exploration,

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experimentation, and innovation, and the times where choices are restricted, where direct instruction is
given, and where children are required to obey rules and conform to social norms. Unfortunately, what
really happens is that there is usually a lack of balance and life becomes an all or nothing proposition. As
a result, many children go through childhood learning only about competition, rules, control, and
conformity, and little about the joy of exploration, innovation, and discovery as these elements pertain to
acts of creation.

One of the things that research reveals (Piirto) on the upbringing of highly creative individuals, is
that these people usually came from homes that had only a few, important, sacred rules. The few rules
that did exist usually had to do with how people were treated.

It is perhaps ironic that within our culture we insist that we place such value on creativity and then
blatantly try to steal it away from children. In the contexts of our school and home environments there are
often so many rules that they smoother budding creative spirits. As a culture we need to finally decide
what we really want for our children and then carefully design and monitor experiences which provide
those things we value. Here Hennessy and Amabile (1992) identify what they call the common “creativity
killers.” It is important to note that all of these “killers” are commonplace in both our schools and homes.

 Surveillance  Hovering over kids, making them feel that they’re constantly being watched while they
are working – under constant observation, the risk-taking, creative urge goes
underground and hides.

 Evaluation  When we constantly make kids worry about how they are doing, they ignore satisfaction
with their accomplishments.

 Rewards  The excessive use of prizes deprives a child of the intrinsic pleasure of creative activity.

 Competition  Putting kids in a win-lose situation, where only one person can come out on top negates
the process children progress at their own rates.

 Over-control  Constantly telling kid how to do things often leaves children feeling like their originality
is a mistake and any exploration a waste of time.

 Restricting choice  Telling children which activities they should engage in instead of letting them
follow where their curiosity and passion lead, again restricts active exploration and
experimentation that might lead to creative discovery and production.

 Pressure  Establishing grandiose expectations for a child’s performance often ends up instilling
aversion for a subject or activity. Unreasonably high expectations often pressure
children to perform and conform within strictly prescribed guidelines, and, again, deter
experimentation, exploration, and innovation. Grandiose expectations are often
beyond children’s developmental capabilities.

Summarized from: Goleman, Kaufman and Ray (1992) The creative spirit, 61-62

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

“Flowers are Red”

In this activity, the students will be drawing a scene depicting the message in the video watched
in the class. They may choose any medium in creating this visual art on paper. The explanation of the
message they try to convey shall be written at the back of their artwork.

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LEARNING CONTENTS

C. Product Oriented vs. Process-Oriented Experiences

Product-Focused Art is when a child begins a project knowing what the end product should look like
and they follow a set of instructions to get to their goal. Product-focused art have a right and wrong way to work
on the project and typically require a specific skill and technique to reach that end goal.

Process-Focused Art is when a child is given an open-ended project and they have the opportunity to
express themselves through their work. Though process-focused art can end up being a gift or decoration,
however the artwork turns out is based on your child’s discovery and creativeness.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children, or NAEYC, describes process-focused
art experiments as having some of the following characteristics:

 There are no step-by-step instructions

 There is no sample for children to follow
 There is no right or wrong way to explore and create
 The art is focused on the experience and on exploration of techniques, tools, and materials
 The art is unique and original
 The experience is relaxing or calming
 The art is entirely the children’s own
 The art experience is a child’s choice

Product-Focused Art allows your child to practice their fine motor skills such as cutting in a straight,
curved or angled line and most importantly how to follow directions and reach an end goal. Product-focused art
is also a great way to teach children about specific shapes, colors, etc.

Process-Focused Art also allows children to practice their fine motor skills, however, how and what they
practice ends up being up to the child and how they decide to create. They can practice with their scissors, they
can gasp different types of materials, squeeze bottles of paint or glue. With process-focused art, it is all about
the discovery. This allows your child to focus on being creative and learn to have the confidence to explore and
experiment. Processed-focused art also provides plenty of opportunity to problem solve.

LEARNING CONTENTS

D. Convergent vs. Divergent Thinking

Not all problems require the same approach. For many students, knowing how to tackle certain
problems starts by recognizing when to apply convergent and divergent thinking. Convergent and divergent
thinking are opposites, but both have places in your daily lessons. American psychologist JP Guilford coined
the terms in the 1950s, which take their names from the problem-solving processes they describe.

Convergent thinking involves starting with pieces of

information, converging around a solution. As you can infer,
it emphasizes finding the single, optimal solution to a given
problem and usually demands thinking at the first or second
Depth of Knowledge (DoK) level.

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Determining the correct answer to a multiple-choice question is an example. The nature of the
question does not demand creativity, but inherently encourages the student to consider the veracity of each
provided answer before selecting the single correct one. Typically, he or she must apply a limited range of
skills and knowledge to reach this answer quickly. This mirrors many out-of-school scenarios, wherein
someone must use all the information available to him or her to make a decision.

Divergent thinking, on the other hand, starts with

a prompt that encourages students to think critically,
diverging towards distinct answers. As you can see, the
prompts -- in the form of guiding questions -- are open-
ended and typically require thinking at the third, or even
fourth, Depth of Knowledge level.

Writing an essay and brainstorming are examples

of exercises that demand divergent thinking. Creativity
plays an important role, as students should usually reach
an answer they did not anticipate upon processing the
prompt. This is because the prompt should encourage
them to analyze content and generate their own ideas to
arrive at a range of plausible solutions.

This mirrors real-life situations in which students face a broad problem without much information.
Now that you understand convergent and divergent thinking, you’re probably curious about the kinds of
questions that incite each strategy.

CONVERGENT QUESTIONS DIVERGENT QUESTIONS

 What is the common theme here?
 What is the single most important point that
has been made?
 What is one word that would describe how
the character acted upon seeing her ex-
husband?
 What was the reason why tartaric acid is
incorporated with meringue?
 What was the result of change in strategy
implemented?
 What happens when you block someone on
Instagram?
o What are some alternatives to
incarceration?
o What is another way of looking at this?
o How could the scientists do this differently?
o What are the possibilities of integrated
farming?
o What different strategies could be used to
solve this problem?
o What predictions might you make about the
future of genetic engineering?

LEARNING ACTIVITY 3

“Ask me Away”

This activity is an exercise empowering the skills of formulating open-ended questions and answering
them. To start with, the class will be divided into 4-5 groups and the instructor will assign a certain topic for
each group. After that, the members of the group will then formulate open-ended questions related to the topic
assigned to them. They will be turning turns in asking their groupmates about the questions they have
formulated. The members of the group may also try to set right a member of their group if they feel that the
questions isn’t an open-ended question.

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LEARNING CONTENTS

F. Multiple Intelligences and Creativity

Howard Gardner is a psychologist and Professor at Harvard University's Graduate School of

Education. Based on his study of many people from many different walks of life in everyday circumstances
and professions, Gardner developed the theory of multiple intelligences. He performed interviews with and
brain research on hundreds of people, including stroke victims, prodigies, autistic individuals, and so-called
"idiot savants." Gardner defined the first seven intelligences in Frames of Mind in 1983. He added the last
two in Intelligence Reframed in 1999.

Theory Behind the Model

Gardner's MI Theory challenged traditional beliefs in the fields of education and cognitive science.
According to a traditional definition, intelligence is a uniform cognitive capacity people are born with. This
capacity can be easily measured by short-answer tests. According to Gardner, intelligence is:
The ability to create an effective product or offer a service that is valued in a culture
A set of skills that make it possible for a person to solve problems in life
The potential for finding or creating solutions for problems, which involves
gathering new knowledge

Multiple Intelligences

According to MI Theory, identifying each student’s intelligences has strong ramifications in the
classroom. If a child's intelligence can be identified, then teachers can accommodate different children
more successfully according to their orientation to learning. Teachers in traditional classrooms primarily
teach to the verbal/linguistic and mathematical/logical intelligences. The nine intelligences are:

 VISUAL/SPATIAL - children who learn best visually and organizing things spatially. They like to see
what you are talking about in order to understand. They enjoy charts,
graphs, maps, tables, illustrations, costumes - anything eye catching.
 VERBAL/LINGUISTIC - children who demonstrate strength in the language arts: speaking, writing,
reading, listening. These students have always been successful in traditional
classrooms because their intelligence lends itself to traditional teaching.
 MATHEMATICAL/LOGICAL - children who display an aptitude for numbers, reasoning and problem
solving. This is the other half of the children who typically do well in traditional
classrooms where teaching is logically sequenced and students are asked to
conform.
 BODILY/KINESTHETIC - children who experience learning best through activity: games, movement,
hands-on tasks, building. These children were often labeled "overly active" in
traditional classrooms where they were told to sit and be still!
 MUSICAL/RHYTHMIC - children who learn well through songs, patterns, rhythms, instruments and
musical expression. It is easy to overlook children with this intelligence in
traditional education.
 INTRAPERSONAL - children who are especially in touch with their own feelings, values and ideas.
They may tend to be more reserved, but they are actually quite intuitive about
what they learn and how it relates to themselves.
 INTERPERSONAL - children who are noticeably people oriented and outgoing, and do their learning
cooperatively in groups or with a partner. These children may have typically
been identified as "talkative" in a traditional setting.

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 NATURALIST - children who love the outdoors, animals, field trips. More than this, though, these
students love to pick up on subtle differences in meanings. The traditional
classroom has not been accommodating to these children.
 EXISTENTIALIST - children who learn in the context of where humankind stands in the "big picture"
of existence. They ask "Why are we here?" and "What is our role in the
world?" This intelligence is seen in the discipline of philosophy.

Modern society accords high prestige to Logical-Mathematical and linguistic intelligence. This is
reflected in our systems of education which are concerned primarily with developing those two dimensions:
the Three R’s – Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. The other intelligences are appreciated, but are not
considered the main course in academia. Entrance into most institutions of higher learning tends to rely
heavily on performance on tests of Logical-Mathematical Intelligence.

It is a fairly commonplace observation that most children are very creative. As easy to observe is
the fact that most adults don’t seem to be. What happened? Rigorous studies (involving tests of creative
ability) have determined that the processes of formal education and socialization into organizations over
many years (where the focus is predominantly on logical-mathematical intelligence) steadily robs us of the
creative flame that burned in us when we were children. The tragedy is that this terrible loss is not lamented
because the creative ability of children is treated as a childlike quality that is best discarded as we advance
in years.

Developing our creative faculties requires exploiting the full potential of all our intelligences and
talents—not just the ones accorded the most prestige by society. This requires a constant awareness and
utilization of all aspects of our beings, by being open to all forms of knowledge, learning and expression.

SUMMARY
Below is the brief summary of this module:
 Creativity came from the Latin word “creare” which means “to make things which has not been made
before, to bring into being” (Barnhart, 1983)
 A study revealed that highly creative individuals came from homes that had only a few, important,
sacred rules. The role of school and home is very crucial in the development of creativity in an
individual.
 Product-oriented experience is focused on the output of a child while process-oriented is an open-
ended project that focuses on the discovery of the child while doing the project.
 Convergent thinking involves starting with pieces of information, converging around a solution; it
emphasizes finding the single, optimal solution to a given problem.
 Divergent thinking starts with a prompt that encourages students to think critically, diverging towards
distinct answers.
 Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence challenged the traditional beliefs in the field of education and
cognitive science. If the child’s intelligence can be identified, teachers can accommodate different
children more successfully according to their orientation to learning.

REFERENCES

E-Sources:
 https://childcare.extension.org/why-is-creative-art-an-important-part-
of-the-child-care-curriculum/
 https://www.preschoolfirst.com/pdf/hspdf_24878.pdf
 http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.asp
x?ArticleID=751#:~:text=Dramatic%20play%20can%20be%20defin
ed,they%20have%20chosen%20to%20play.
 https://www.brighthorizons.com/family-resources/music-and-
children-rhythm-meets-child-development
 https://thesecondprinciple.com/creativity/children-
creativity/killingcreativityinchildren/
 https://www.educationalplaycare.com/blog/product-art-vs-process-
art/#:~:text=Product%2Dfocused%20art%20have%20a,express%20
themselves%20through%20their%20work.
 https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/convergent-divergent-
thinking
 https://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/learning/MI%20Theory.htm

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