Subject Name: Artistic Expression and Creativity in Early Childhood
Study: Grado en Maestro de Educación Infantil (Grupo bilingüe)
ECTS Credits: 6
Year and four month period: Third year, second four month period
Type of subject: Mandatory

Basic competences

  • BC2: Students know how to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional manner, and possess the skills that they usually demonstrate through the development and defence of arguments, as well as the resolution of problems within their area of study.
  • BC3: Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their area of study) to make judgements that include a reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues.
  • BC4: Students can transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to a specialised and non-specialised public.

General competences

  • GC1: Know the objectives, curricular content and evaluation criteria of Early Years Education.
  • GC3: Design and regulate learning spaces in contexts of diversity that address the unique educational needs of students, gender equality, equity and respect for human rights.
  • GC7: Know the educational implications of information and communication technologies and, in particular, television in early childhood.
  • GC11: Reflect on classroom practices to innovate and improve teaching. Acquire habits and skills for autonomous and cooperative learning and promote it among students.

Specific competences

  • SC53: Know the fundamentals of music, visual arts and physical expression in the curriculum for this stage, as well as theories on the acquisition and development of the corresponding learning.
  • SC56: Develop teaching proposals that promote musical perception and expression, motor skills, drawing and creativity.
  • SC57: Analyse audio-visual languages and their educational implications.

Unit 1. Introduction to fine and visual arts education in childhood

  • How to study this unit?
  • Key concepts. Fundamentals of fine and visual arts
  • The importance of art in Early Childhood Education
  • What should expressive and perceptive education provide to children? Educational objectives and functions
  • Educating beyond hands, but without losing touch
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 2. The art classroom: a didactic space for active learning

  • How to study this unit?
  • The arts classroom as a space for teaching and playing
  • The importance of games as a learning factor
  • Corners and artistic experiences
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 3. Materials and techniques for two-dimensional representation

  • How to study this unit?
  • Definition. Basic concepts
  • Composition of the materials
  • Materials and techniques for two dimensional representation
  • Supports and instruments
  • Materials and techniques for printmaking
  • Colour and its treatment

Unit 4. Materials and techniques for three-dimensional representation

  • How to study this unit?
  • Definition and concepts
  • Types of techniques and their materials
  • Perception of space: between two and three dimensions
  • Introduction to volume in Early Education
  • Activities based on three dimensional techniques
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 5. Creativity in Early Childhood Education

  • How to study this unit?
  • Basic concepts and their evolution
  • The creative process: imagination, creativity, motivation and games
  • Types of creativity and their application to working with children
  • The creative teacher
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 6. Relationship of the languages of art with other languages

  • How to study this unit?
  • The language of art and its relationship with other languages
  • Oral language: talking with images
  • Written language: beyond words
  • Body language, psychomotricity, and artistic expression
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 7. Visual learning and perception in childhood I

  • How to study this unit?
  • The iconosphere or the universo of images
  • Educating early vision
  • The gramar of imagen and its dimensions
  • The three systems of representation
  • Perception, learning and cognition
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 8. Visual learning and perception in childhood II

  • How to study this unit?
  • Intelligence and visual thinking: how much do we see?
  • Visual literacy: basic elements of formal configuration
  • Visual communication. Fundamentals and factors
  • Visual rhetorical figures
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 9. Visual learning and perception in childhood III

  • How to study this unit?
  • Introduction
  • Gestalt and its laws
  • Optical illusions
  • Ambivalent images
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 10. Developing graphic-plastic expression in Early Childhood Education

  • How to study this unit?
  • Significant aspects in the devolpment of graphic-plastic expression
  • Introduction to artistic evolution in children up to six years old. Sinificant aspects of theories and authors
  • Activities to work on artistic expression in children
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 11. Development of graphic-plastic expression in Early Childhood Education II

  • How to study this unit?
  • Introduction
  • The first lines. Scribbling stage
  • Uncontrolled scribbling (ages one and a half to two)
  • Controlled scribbling (ages two and a half to three and a half)
  • Ideograms (ages three and a half to four)
  • The beginning of figuration: the pre-schematic stage (ages four to seven)
  • The schematic stage (ages seven to nine)
  • The dawn of realism (ages nine to twelve)
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 12. Development of graphic-plastic expression in Early Education III

  • How to study this unit?
  • Introduction
  • Guide for the analysis of children's drawings during the scribbling stage
  • Guide for the analysis of children's drawings from four years of age

Unit 13. Curriculum design of the arts classroom in Early Childhood Education I

  • How to study this unit?
  • Contexts for attention and development
  • Attitude as an educational cornerstone
  • Some didactic guidance for arts education
  • The living classroom
  • Bibliographic references

Unit 14. Curriculum design of the arts classroom in Early Childhood Education II

  • How to study this unit?
  • Introduction: the design of teaching units
  • We draw from areas of experience
  • We identify the objectives
  • We identify the contents
  • We devise the activities
  • Other elements and considerations
  • Bibliographic references

The different tasks and activities programmed during the semester have been developed with the goal of adapting the learning process to the different capabilities, necessities and interests of the students.

The activities included in the subject are:

  • Work. These are activities of different types: reflection, case analysis, practice, etc.
  • Participation in events. Events are scheduled every week of the semester: virtual face-to-face sessions, discussion forums, tests.
  • Reading commentary. This is a very specific type of activity that consists in the analysis of texts of articles by expert authors in different units of the subject.

In the weekly program you can find the specific tasks you need to complete in this subject.

Download the program

These activities are combined with the following aspects:

  • Personal Study
  • Tutoring. The tutoring class can be implemented through different tools and means. During the course of the subject, the teacher-tutor plans the individual tutoring on specific days for the resolution of academic-oriented doubts through “Consultation sessions”. Supplementing these sessions, students have also available the “Ask your teacher” forum through which they can formulate questions and check the corresponding answers on general aspects of the subject. Due to the very nature of the media used, there are no fixed schedules for the students.
  • Mandatory on-site final exam.

The hours dedicated to each activity are detailed as follows:

ASSIGNMENTS HOURS
Attendance to virtual classes 20 hours
Master classes 12 hours
Basic material study 50 hours
Reading the additional resources 14 hours
Tasks and self-evaluation tests 29 hours
Tutoring 16 hours
Collaborative work, forums, debates, etc. 7 hours
Final exam 2 hours
Total 150 hours

Basic bibliography

The section Basic Bibliography is essential for the course. If any document (reading, article,…) is not available in the virtual classroom, you will have to find it by other means: UNIR bookshop, virtual library…

The necessary texts for the study of this subject had been elaborated by UNIR and are available in a digital format for consultation, download and print in the virtual classroom.

  • Andaruza, M., Barbero, A. M., Caeiro, M., Da Silva, A., García, J., González, A., Muñiz, A. y Torres, A. (2016). Didáctica de las artes plásticas y visuales en Educación Infantil. Logroño: UNIR Editorial.

Complementary bibliography

  • De Bono, E. (1967). The Use of Lateral Thinking. London: Jonathan Cape.
  • Buzan, T. (1996). El libro de los Mapas Mentales. Cómo utilizar al máximo las capacidades de la mente. Barcelona: Urano.
  • Bruner, J. (1989). Acción, pensamiento y lenguaje. Madrid: Alianza.
  • Crawford (1954). The Techniques of Creative Thinking; How to Use Your Ideas to Achieve Success. New York: Hawthorn Books.
  • Hernández, F. (2000). Educación y cultura visual. Barcelona: Octaedro.
  • Lyotard, J. (1987). La condición posmoderna: informa sobre el saber. Buenos Aires: Cátedra.
  • Read, H. (1982). Educación por el arte. Barcelona: Paidós Ibérica.
  • Stern, A. (1962). Comprensión del Arte Infantil. Buenos Aires: Editorial Kapeluz.
  • Stern, A. (1965). El Lenguaje Plástico, Estudio de los Mecanismos de creación artística del niño. Buenos Aires: Editorial Kapeluz.
  • Stern, A. (2016). Arno Stern. Del dibujo infantil a la semiología de la expresión. Iniciación a otra mirada sobre el trazo. Barcelona: Samaruc Ediciones.

The evaluation system is based on the following numerical chart:

0 - 4, 9 Suspense (SS)
5,0 - 6,9 Approved (AP)
7,0 - 8,9 Notable (NT)
9,0 - 10 Sobresaliente (SB)

The grade is made up of two components:

On-site final exam (60%). At the end of the semester, you need to assist a mandatory on-site final exam. You need to pass the final exam so the grade obtained from the assignments (continuous assessment) is summed up to the final grade of the subject.

Continuous assessment (40%): this type of assessment will be measured through the different assignments you need to complete during the course:

Remember that you can check the points (value) of each assignment in the weekly program.

Take into account that the sum of the grades of the assignments included in the continuous assessment is 6 points. You can do as many as you want to until a maximum grade of 4 points (which is the maximum grade you will be obtaining in the continuous assessment). In the weekly program, you can find the grade of each assignment.

Assessment method Min - Max Score
Participation in forums, classes, etc. 0% - 40%
Task, practice cases and activities 0% - 40%
Self-evaluation test 0% - 40%
On-site final exam 60% - 60%

Studying online means you can organize your study as you wish, as long as you meet the due dates of the different assignments (activities, tasks and tests). In order to help you, we propose the following steps:

  1. From our online platform you will have access to each of the subjects you are enrolled. Apart from this, the virtual classroom of Lo que necesitas saber antes de empezar (All you need to know before starting). In this section, you have available all the documents on how to use the different tools included in the virtual classroom, how a subject is organized and you will also have the possibility to organize your study plan with the tutor.
  2. Do not forget to check the weekly program. You will see which part of the content of the course you have to work on every week. You will see which part of the content of the course you have to work on every week.
  3. After knowing your work for the week, go to Temas in your virtual classroom. There, you will have access to the study material (theory and practice) from the unit you need to study throughout the week.
  4. Start by reading the Key ideas of each unit, there you will find the specific study material and it will help you understand the most important points of the unit. Afterwards, check out the sections Specially Recommended and More Information where you will find more resources in order to deepen on the topic of the unit.
  5. Devote some time to the practical cases and tasks in the subject (assignments and test). Remember that in your weekly program you find all the information related to the schedule for each assignment and the maximum grade you can obtain in each of them.
  6. We strongly recommend you to participate in the Events of the course (online classes, forums...). To know the precise schedule of the events, you need to check the communications tools in the virtual platform. Your teacher and tutor will inform you on the updates of the course.

In the virtual classroom of Lo que necesitas saber antes de empezar (All you need to know before starting) you will always find available information on the structure of the units and information on their sections

Remember that in Lo que necesitas saber antes de empezar (All you need to know before starting) you can check how the different tools of the virtual classroom work: email, forum, online classes, sending the tasks, etc.

Please, take into account the following tips…

  • Whatever you study plan is, go often to the virtual classroom so that you are always up to date about the course and you are in contact with your teacher and your tutor.
  • Remember you are not alone: send an email to your tutor if you have any doubt. If you attend the online classes, you can also ask your teacher about the contents of the unit. Also, you can always write your doubts and questions about the contents in the Forum of each subject (Ask the teacher).
  • Be active and participate! Whenever it is possible, attend the online classes and take part in the forums. The exchange of information, opinions, ideas and resources enrich us and the course.
  • And, remember, you are studying online: your effort and perseverance are the key element to obtain good results. Don’t leave everything to the last minute!!!