January 18: Perceptions of Childhood

What preconceptions do you hold about the nature of childhood and children? How do these ideas affect your understanding of the role of the teacher and the nature of the content of art education? How did your experiences today confirm or change your pre-existing ideas?

When I think of childhood I think of freedom, innocence, fun and fresh-air. I think that the biggest preconceptions I hold of childhood are that childhood is a time of total innocence and a time of great exploration. My childhood held a lot of freedom, coming from a small town and spending a lot of my time in nature I was forever free to explore and experience my surroundings. My Dad drilled into me from a young age to always question the world around me, never be afraid to challenge what I knew and what others knew. I think that curiosity and questions are a large part of everyone’s childhood and crucial to growth and development. In terms of childhood I think of it in terms of innocence hopefully to the harsher realities of the world, they are not yet influenced by world issues, or by sarcasm or cynics.

This idea that childhood is a time for growth and exploration, that children are innocent and free affects my understanding of the role of a teacher because it allows me to be more open to growth. Especially growth on an individual level, in understanding that children need to question and experiment it helps me understand the need for flexibility. It shapes my view of the teacher’s role in that it allows me to see the teacher more as a guide, someone to assist sometimes, but mainly to support and encourage the student to move forward on their own and at their own pace. I think it also strongly shapes how I view and understand the content of art education. Because I see childhood as a time of freedom, I view art education as a process with a lot of room for interpretation. Most importantly, my understanding and ideas about childhood define what I feel should be the content of art education in shaping it to be an open concept. Art can and should be observed in the world around the child, so that he/she may appreciate it and try it. Art education should encourage and foster skills, at the same time that it strongly supports creativity and originality.


Today in watching James and the Giant Peach I found many of my ideas reinforced. The film reinforced my belief in the importance of imagination and the importance in believing in the capability of children, while I believe children hold an innocence a purity of sorts that allows them to see black and white good and bad more clearly I don’t believe that their innocence impairs their understanding. As we saw the importance of family and James part in that family it reassured me that children can actively contribute to our world with their own views and ideas and art is an amazing medium to allow them to explore, experiment and contribute with their voices and skills.

How do Sylvia Kind’s ideas about children’s art relate to those you have held? How can they guide you as you approach practice?

Sylvia Kind’s ideas about children’s art expand my previously held ideas and beliefs. Kind’s article, Windows to a Child's World: Perspectives on Children's Art Making, reinforced for me the range and abilities of children when it comes to art. The idea Kind puts forward about understanding each child’s needs, preferences and abilities puts me as a teacher in a mindset where I can work to challenge and engage them. The emphasis Kind places on the ability of children especially serves as a keen reminder that children are capable and we must engage and challenge them. The ideas about kinaesthetic learning will be key in guiding me in my practice, especially with the young children with whom I plan to work. Working with our whole bodies and range of movement to create art will be important. Engaging the students bodies in art, using different movements and exploring the physical world will be things I will take from this article and keep in the forefront of my mind from now on when working with children. It will also influence me in remembering that as children can be involved I should be sure to stimulate them with many different environments and materials to keep them stimulated and actively engaged and exploring.