| The purpose of this inquiry was to determine the implications of and applications for creative art instruction in preservice elementary generalist training. This study questions why elementary classroom instruction often results in rows of identical projects without evidence of student development of novelty: voice, choice, and applied learning. Creativity is an illusive idea often mentioned in the literature and explained with generalized and value laden definitions. Adding to the difficulty, early childhood teachers enter the elementary classroom with limited art backgrounds and few creative teaching models. For this study, the definition of creative instruction is the encouragement of student ideas or products that are substantially novel from other previous ideas for the student, and emerge as a result of applied learning. In summary, creative instruction provides a greater range of opportunities for novel ideas and processes to develop in the classroom setting.; Art education methods courses for the 'school art' generalist can be a critical point for influencing the art instruction in the elementary setting. The art education field needs to reevaluate commonly held views toward creative instruction in art and discuss methods that are applicable to non art teachers. Creative Instruction, as with other instructional techniques, must be defined, explored, modeled and taught to preservice generalist teachers. Art education pedagogy must include defined understandings of instructional techniques for fostering creative process and product that include student choice, voice and task challenge. This research presents a model for creative instruction, CVC Instruction that expands cognitive potentials and learning linkages in art pedagogy taught to non art specialists. |
