Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning: Preschool Through Fourth Grade

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In Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning: Preschool Through Fourth Grade, 6/eJoan Packer Isenberg and Mary Renck Jalongo show 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, by emphasizing the use of technology to enhance creativity and the arts, with myriad suggestions to differentiate instruction and make adaptations for diverse learners across the art forms.  Organized into four main parts, the text covers the foundations of creative thought; examines children’s play, games, and inventions; addresses the subject areas that are traditionally associated with the creative arts; delves into the teacher’s role–supporting creative expression and play, assessing creative processes and products, and working with diverse families and communities; and discusses effective design and use of environments, materials, and resources. Unique boxed pedagogical features make the text more practical, readable, and helpful to the early childhood educator. Written for prospective and practicing early childhood educators who are expected to teach in accordance with an increasing number of state, local, and national benchmarks, this proven and adaptable text will best prepare the early childhood educator for creative thinking in the classroom and beyond. The Enhanced Pearson eText features embedded video.

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Joan Packer Isenberg is Professor Emerita of Education at George Mason University where she served as associate dean in the College of Education and Human Development from 2003-2011, and as the founding director of the Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning (ASTL) program from 1999-2003. She is past-president of the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators, was the recipient of the 2006 recipient of the Early Childhood Teacher Educator of the Year Award from NAECTE/Allyn & Bacon, and served as the first visiting scholar for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards from 2002-2003. For most of her academic career, she has studied and written about early childhood curriculum, play, and arts integration, particularly as they affect children’s learning and development. She has taught children from preschool through grade four in both public and private settings. Among her numerous authored or co-authored publications are Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning, Sixth Edition (2014), Exploring Your Role in Early Childhood Education, Fourth Edition (2012), The Master’s Degree in Education as Teacher Professional Development (Rowman & Littlefield, 2012), and Major Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education, Second Edition (2003).

Mary Renck Jalongo, Ph.D., is a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she earned the university-wide outstanding professor award, and coordinates the Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction. She is a series editor for Springer’s Educating the Young Child book series, and has served as editor-in-chief of the Early Childhood Education Journal since 1995.  She has written, co-authored, or edited more than 30 books, including Early Childhood Language Arts (6^th ed.), Exploring Your Role in Early Childhood Education (4th ed.), and Major Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education:  Challenges, Controversies, and Insights (2^nd ed).  In addition, she has published two books with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (Learning to Listen, Listening to Learn; Young Children and Picture Books),  two for ACEI, and has earned five national awards for excellence in professional writing. As a public school classroom teacher, she taught first grade and second grade in low-income areas.  As a preschool teacher, she worked with English Language Learners in a federally funded program, and taught in a university-based, multi-age program for children ages two to five years