Synopses & Reviews
“Why should educators be concerned about creative thought and artistic expression at a time when tough talk about academic standards, teacher accountability, and international ranking on tests dominates the educational scene?”
Creative Thinking and Arts Based Learning, Fifth Edition, argues that the ability to think in innovative and productive ways is a survival skill in a world where we are inundated daily with information. The authors’ vision for this book is that it will equip practitioners in the fields of early childhood and elementary education to influence schools and communities to regard the creative processes and artistic products of children’s minds with a new appreciation and respect.
In order to achieve this goal, the authors have grounded their content with the very latest theory and research on creative thought and play. They have provided case studies in every chapter where real teachers describe how they have integrated play and the arts into their curriculum. They have included opportunities for self-reflection in their Teachers Reflection feature and their Your Reflections feature. They have offered a collection of self-expressive activities and suggestions for teachers to use that are grounded in child-centered practice. Yet, while encouraging the incorporation of play and the arts, they have also acknowledged the importance of meeting the benchmark standards at the local, state, and national levels through the Meeting the Standards feature in every chapter and the Chapter by Chapter Cross Referenced Appendix of National Standards.
New To This Edition:
NEW! Provides research, tips, and specific suggestions for diverse learners--In the section on Curriculum Accommodations for Diverse Learners (Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8).
NEW! Shows how to integrate play and each of the art forms across the curriculum in the easy to read charts throughout the book—Charts are done by content area.
NEW! Connects the text to MyEducationLab—Features video clips and artifacts that illustrate the key points.
NEW! Includes a Chapter-by-Chapter Cross-Referenced Appendix of National Standards—Shows how and where the content of each chapter meets national standards in the arts, the content areas, and in early childhood teacher education.
Synopsis
Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning prepares preservice and inservice teachers to
know why children's creative thinking and play are so important,
know about children's play and creative thinking, and also
know how to provide these experiences within the curriculum. It contains extensive coverage of the roles, responsibilities, and strategies that lead to a more child-centered, play-based curriculum.
An Applied Approach
Many instructional guidelines and classroom strategies are presented throughout the text for integrating creative thinking and play into learning.
Cases about preschoolers, K-2nd graders, and 3rd-4th graders open each chapter and show readers how teachers infuse the arts into learning. Meeting Standards. This new feature discusses how to provide for creativity in classrooms while also meeting state and national standards. Frequently Asked Questions. Another new feature poses common questions about issues, such as what materials and resources to use, how to adapt environments for diverse learners, and how to foster and assess creative thought. Misconceptions are dispelled with research-based answers. A Theoretical Approach
- Solid theory underlies all of the content. The authors' experience as university professors and practitioners is evident in their clear presentation of relevant theory.
A Reflective Approach
Teacher's Reflections in each chapter tell readers what other preservice and inservice teachers are thinking and doing in their classrooms relative to their experiences with the arts.
Resources: Instructor's Manual and test Bank, PowerPoint Slides
Synopsis
Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning prepares preservice and inservice teachers to
know why children's creative thinking and play are so important,
know about children's play and creative thinking, and also
know how to provide these experiences within the curriculum. It contains extensive coverage of the roles, responsibilities, and strategies that lead to a more child-centered, play-based curriculum.
An Applied Approach
Many instructional guidelines and classroom strategies are presented throughout the text for integrating creative thinking and play into learning.
Cases about preschoolers, K-2nd graders, and 3rd-4th graders open each chapter and show readers how teachers infuse the arts into learning. Meeting Standards. This new feature discusses how to provide for creativity in classrooms while also meeting state and national standards. Frequently Asked Questions. Another new feature poses common questions about issues, such as what materials and resources to use, how to adapt environments for diverse learners, and how to foster and assess creative thought. Misconceptions are dispelled with research-based answers. A Theoretical Approach
- Solid theory underlies all of the content. The authors' experience as university professors and practitioners is evident in their clear presentation of relevant theory.
A Reflective Approach
Teacher's Reflections in each chapter tell readers what other preservice and inservice teachers are thinking and doing in their classrooms relative to their experiences with the arts.
Resources: Instructor's Manual and test Bank, PowerPoint Slides
Synopsis
The fifth edition of this widely accepted, versatile book shows future and current early childhood educators how to integrate children's creativity, play, and the arts into their curriculum in a way that fosters learning and growth and meets accountability measures.
· NEW Curriculum Accommodations for Diverse Learners (Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8)–Sections provide specific research-based suggestions for working with diverse learners.
· NEW Play and Arts Integration Charts–Provide suggestions for integrating play and each of the art forms across the curriculum by content area.
· NEW MyEducationLab Videos and Artifacts Integrated in Book– Accompanied by assignable questions, online video clips and classroom artifacts from this powerful resource illustrate key points in the text. Go to www.myeducationlab.com.
· NEW National Standards Correlations–This appendix reference tool is cross-referenced by chapter, showing how and where the content meets national standards in the arts, the content areas, and in early childhood teacher education.
· Classroom Scenarios–Separated by grade level, these brief vignettes open each chapter, offering students a view into real classroom situations.
· Frequently Asked Questions and Research-Based Answers–Each chapter contains 3 to 5 FAQs with answers, allowing students to use these responses to build a repertoire of authoritative responses to questions that noneducators and other educators often ask.
· Teacher Reflections and Scenarios on Chapter Content–These authentic examples and candid remarks, followed by questions to stimulate thinking, give readers a sense of real teaching issues and provide a common base for discussion.
Synopsis
Prepare with the Power of Classroom Practice. Register for MyEducationLab today at www.myeducationlab.com.
MyEducationLab is an online solution that provides highly relevant assignments and resources designed to connect your textbook to real teaching situations. It is fully integrated with your textbook; wherever you see the MyEducationLab logo in the margins or elsewhere in the text, follow the simple instructions to access videos, strategies, cases, and artifacts associated with assignments, activities, and learning units on MyEducationLab.
MyEducationLab provides you with opportunities to study and thoroughly understand your course content and also to practice the skills needed to become a successful classroom teacher:
Prepare with the Power of Classroom Practice.
• Take Practice Tests for each chapter of your text.
— Completion of each practice test generates a study plan that is unique to you.
— The study plan links to text excerpts, activities with feedback, and videos and other media that can help you master concepts covered in your text.
• Complete Assignments and Activities to apply text content to real classroom situations.
• Authentic classroom video shows real teachers and students interacting, and helps prepare you for the classroom.
• Explore the Building Teaching Skills and Dispositions exercises to practice and strengthen the skills that are essential to teaching.
• Case studies offer real-life perspectives on common issues and challenges faced in the classroom.
• Authentic student and teacher classroom artifacts provide you with the actual types of materials encountered every day by teachers.
To order this book WITH MyEducationLab, use either
About the Author
Mary Renck Jalongo, Ph.D.
Mary Renck Jalongo is a teacher, writer and editor. As a classroom teacher, she taught preschool, first grade and second grade, worked with children and families of migrant farm workers, and taught in the laboratory preschool at the University of Toledo. Currently she is a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she earned the university-wide outstanding professor award and coordinates both the Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction and an initial teacher certification program at the graduate level.
As a writer, Dr. Jalongo has co-authored and edited more than 25 books, many of them textbooks in the field of early childhood education. These books include Early Childhood Language Arts (4th ed. Allyn & Bacon) and Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning (4th ed. Merrill/Prentice Hall), Exploring Your Role: An Introduction to Early Childhood Education (3rd ed., Merrill/Prentice Hall) and Major Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education: Challenges, Controversies, and Insights (2nd ed. Teachers College Press). She is also the author for various articles on early childhood education in the World Book Encyclopedia and has written two award-winning Association for Childhood Education International Position Papers.
Her most recent publications include two National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) books, Learning to Listen, Listening to Learn and Young Children and Picture Books as well as a Teachers College Press book, Planning for Learning: Collaborative Approaches to Lesson Design and Review and an edited book for ACEI, The World’s Children and Their Companion Animals: Developmental and Educational Significance of the Child/Pet Bond. Mary has earned seven national awards for excellence in scholarly writing.
Mary is editor-in-chief of the Springer international publication, Early Childhood Education Journal and co-edits their new book series, Educating the Young Child: Advances in Theory and Research, Implications for Practice.