The education of young learners has become a casualty of No Child Left Behind (2001). While the mandates of this law have led to an intensively structured, narrow, teacher-driven academic curriculum accompanied by high stakes testing for all children, its exclusion of the arts has been particularly calamitous for children who do not come from White, middle-class homes. Literacy has been defined as acquisition of text through a limited number of programs reliant on printed symbols. Yet, children come to know in a multitude of ways and those whose roots lie in oral, visual, or kinesthetic cultures are placed at a disadvantage when their first experiences with schooling are bereft of joy and individual expression related to their cultural roots. This chapter will address children's meaning making in culturally responsive settings.
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amabile, T. M. (1986). The personality of creativity. Creative Living, 15(3), 12–16
Banks, J. (1994). Multiethnic education: Theory and practice(3rded.). Needham Heights MA: Allyn & Bacon
Baylor, B. (1976). Hawk, I'm your brother.New York: Scribner
Bernstein, B. (1972). A critique of the concept of compensatory education. In C. B. Cazden, V. John, & D. Hymes (Eds.), Functions of language in the classroom, (pp. 135–150). New York: Teachers College Press
Blatner, A. (1995). Drama in education as mental hygiene: A child psychiatrist's perspective. Youth Theatre Journal9, 92–96
Blackledge, A. (2000). Literacy, power, and social justice.Stoke-on-Trent, UK: Trentham Books
Bruner, J. (1996). The culture of education.Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Bruner, J. (1999). Narratives of aging. Journal of Aging Studies, 13(1), 7–10
Bruner, J. (2004). Life as narrative. Social Research, 71(3), 691–710
Catterall, J. (2002). The arts and the transfer of learning. In Critical links: Learning in the arts and student academic and social development. [Online report] Compendium of the Arts Educational Research Studies. Available: http://www.aep.org
Chapin, H. (1978). Flowers are red. On Living Room Suite[Album]. New York: Elektra Records
Chapman, L. H. (2005). No child left behind in art? Art Education, 58(1), 6–16
Chapman, L. (2007). An update on No Child Left Behind and national trends in education. Arts Education Policy Review, 109(1), 25–36
Dewey, J. (1934). Art as experience.New York: Perigee
Drohojowska-Philp, H. (2004). Full: bloom: The art and life of Georgia O'Keeffe.New York: W. W, Norton
Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (Eds.). (1998). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia approach—Advanced reflections(2nd ed.). Norwood, NJ: Ablex
Gallas, K. (1994). The languages of learning: How children talk, write, dance, draw, and sing their understanding of the world.New York: Teachers College Press
Gandini, L. (2005). From the beginning of the atelierto materials as languages. In L. Gandini, , L. Hill, L. Caldwell, & C. Schwall (Eds.), In the spirit of the studio: Learning from the atelier of Reggio Emilia(pp.6–16). New York: Teachers College Press
Gardner, H. (1994). The arts and human development.New York: Basic Books
Gardner, H. (1999). Intelligences reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21stcentury.NewYork: Basic Books
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, & practice. New York:Teachers College Press
Holt, J. (1995). Freedom and beyond (Rev. ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers
Jalongo, M. (2002). The child's right to creative thought and expression: A position paper. Washington, D.C.: The Association for Childhood Education International
Klug, B., & Whitfield, P. (2003). Widening the circle: Culturally relevant pedagogy for American Indian children. New York: Rutledge Falmer
Nagel, N., & Guest, S. (2007). Savage inequalities: STILL—An interview with Jonathan Kozol.Democracy & Education, 17(1), 3–6
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.Pub. L. No. 107–110 (HR1).http://www.ed.gpv/nclb
Ohanian, S. (1999). One size fits few: The folly of educational standards.Portsmouth NH: Heinemann
Paley, V. (1986). Molly is three: Growing up in school. Chicago: University of Chicago
Paley, V. (1988). Bad guys don't have birthdays: Fantasy play at four. Chicago: University of Chicago
Perret, P., & Fox, J. (2004). A well-tempered mind: Using music to help children listen and learn. New York: Dana Press
Pestalozzi, J. H. (1915). How Gertrude teaches her children.(L. C. Holland & F. C. Turner,Trans.) Syracuse, NY: C.W. Bardeen. (Original work published 1801)
Rea, D. (2001). Maximizing the motivated mind for emergent giftedness. The Roeper Review,23(3), 157–164.
Roskos, K., & Christie, J. (2002). Knowing in the doing: Observing literacy learning in play.Young Children, 57(2), 46–54
Russ, S. W., Robins, A. L., & Christiano, B. A. (1999). Pretend play: Longitudinal prediction of creativity and affect on fantasy in children. Creativity Research Journal, 12(2), 129–139
Sidelnick, M., & Svoboda, M. (2000). The bridge between drawing and writing: Hannah's story.The Reading Teacher, 54(2), 174–184
Smilansky, S. & Shefatya, L. (2004). Facilitating play: A medium for promoting cognitive, so-cio-emotional, and academic development in young children.Silver Springs, MD: PS&E Publications
Smith, K. (2002). Dancing in the forest: Narrative writing through dance. Young Children, 57(2),90–94
Vygotsky, L. (1962). Thought and language.Cambridge MA: MIT Press
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society.Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press
Whitfield, P. (2005). No Child Left Behind: Leaving the arts behind in young children's literacy.Journal of Children & Poverty, 11(1), 43–54
—— . (2008). Opening minds through the arts (OMA).Tucson Unified School District.http://www.omaproject.org/index.php/about/results
—— (2007). Flagstaff educator top Arizona teacher. The Arizona Republic, November 9,2007
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Whitfield, P.T. (2009). The Heart of the Arts: Fostering Young Children's Ways of Knowing. In: Narey, M. (eds) Making Meaning. Educating the Young Child, vol 2. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-87539-2_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-87539-2_9
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-87537-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-87539-2
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)