Themes
The theme of the 5th Art in Early Childhood Conference, Art: Identities, Places, and Communities is based on the premise that art in early childhood education is essential for constructing identities, meaning, and learning through connections to places and the community locally and globally. We welcome proposals that broadly address any of the suggested subthemes below:
Identities
- How art in early childhood education can develop our sense of being? (i.e. art as expression and play, art for self awareness)
- How art in early childhood can nurture children’s local, national and global identities? (From traditions, local culture, intergenerational communication, to global cultures)
- What is the relation between visual arts and other art forms (e.g. music) and how these may form young children’s identities in the 21st century? (e.g. multimodal expression)
Places
- How art in early childhood education can develop our sense of belonging?
- Where do young children learn and where may teachers teach art? (i.e. local communities, public/private schools, museums
- How art in early childhood can contribute to sustainable development? (i.e. art in everyday life, art for environmental awareness, social cohesion)
- What contexts and processes inspire young children’s engagement in art learning?
Communities
- In what ways art in the early childhood curriculum prepare and involve teachers and young children to work in the processes of community building (from local to global scales)?
- How art in early childhood can nurture empathy and inspire collaboration between children, teachers and the community?
- How can we create communities of learners for promoting creative and critical thinking?
