Early Childhood Care and Education – Playing Creatively, From Birth To Age Five
Adults working with very young children often have very little practical experience in how to engage with them
On 12 July 2018, with generous financial support provided by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the European Union (EU), the Wits School of Education (WSOE) hosted an Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Seminar titled Playing creatively: Birth – Five.
The Wits School of Education is one of the universities participating in the Teacher Education for Early Childhood Care and Education Project (TEECCEP), aimed at building capacity in ECCE.
The WSOE is in the process of developing a Bachelor of Education for Early Childhood Care and Education (BED ECCE) programme, in line with the policy on Minimum Requirements for Programmes leading to Qualifications in Higher Education for Early Childhood Development Educators (MRQECDE).
Research shows that young children learn best through a playful approach to teaching and learning.
Therefore, the new qualifications for teachers and practitioners of young children, developed though the TEECCEP, are rooted in play-based pedagogies.
Unfortunately, research also indicates that many adults who work with young children find it extremely difficult to engage in a hands-on interactive, participatory approach to teaching these children, often because they have had little practical exposure to such approaches.
Dr Mignon van Vreden presented two exciting and enjoyable workshops on Music and the Very Young Child.
Colleagues from North West University, University of Pretoria, University of Witwatersrand, the DHET and various early learning centres in Gauteng embarked on an informative and fun journey, exploring how to engage babies, toddlers and older children in musical and movement experiences.
Participants then engaged in another interactive learning experience in a visual art workshop entitled Seeing through making – Visual Arts and the Young Child.
Dr Alison Kearney encouraged participants to explore their understanding of creativity.
They had to interpret their vision of a potted succulent and then draw their interpretation on a recycled polystyrene container, cover it with paint using colours of their own choice, and then print it onto a sheet of paper.
Dr Alta van As presented the final workshop, entitled Dalcroze Debrief: Music is Movement.
Through this lively enactment of the Dalcroze approach to embodied music education, participants experienced that sound is movement, and that moving creatively with others enhances beautiful music.
The fun-filled day ended with a light lunch, enjoyed in the company of new professional friends. Everyone left as the proud owner of an original artwork, created in the Visual Arts workshop.