University of Northampton
Empowering leadership in the creative arts to enhance language and social and emotional development in the early years.
This presentation will detail a research project supported by funding from a Knowledge Exchange Partnership at the University of Northampton. The project was based on the creation of a community of practice involving 5 schools in different locations in England, including a Nursery school, Nursery classes and a Reception class. The aim of the project was to use this community of practice as a vehicle of learning where educators used creative arts to develop their practice and enhance children’s language and social and emotional development. The artist Matisse and his work was used as an initial provocation, and over a six-week period practitioners shared the child led responses in their settings with each other via a weekly online meeting and the use of an online sharing platform. Throughout the project the educators captured powerful stories of children’s growth in confidence and the impact on their holistic development. Through interviews with the educators before the project and afterwards we were able to understand further the impact on their development through the project. We learnt that the educators were enthused by this project, and inspired by the children and their responses. This research highlights the significance of giving young children and the adults who work with them time, space and value to the wide range of ways in which they may choose to communicate.
Professor Eunice Lumsden’s Keynote abstract and biography
Professor Eunice Lumsden’s University of Northampton profile
Samantha Weeks’ University of Northampton profile