The Aesthetic Domain

“aisthetickos” – the ability to

perceive through the senses.
 AESTHETIC DEVELOPMENT
 RESPONSIVE EXPERIENCES
 DiscoveryActivities – appreciation of natural beauty
 Exposure Activities –appreciation of arts
 Evaluation Activities –forming judgments and preferences
 PRODUCTIVE EXPERIENCES
 Creative Activities –creative expression
 Stages of Creative Representation
 Age2-4 Scribble – disordered, controlled, and
naming scribbles

 Age 4-7 Representational Preschematic – symbols

 Age7-9 Schematic – highly individualized visual

symbols
 Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Model aesthetic awareness and enthusiasm.
 Prepare an aesthetics-friendly classroom
environment.
 Organize an art center or “creation station” with
appropriate materials.
 Select appropriate music supporting materials.
 Provide a variety of creative movement props.
 Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Provide props for dramatics.
 Value all aspects of the creative expression
process.
 Teach children to respect and care for materials.
 Motivate creativity through a variety of strategies.
 Explore the materials before asking children to use
them.
 Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Avoid making a product when demonstrating a
technique.
 Involve children in music experiences daily.
 Provide a large uncluttered space for creative
movement.
 Begin each movement experience with a similar
routine warm-up and end with a similar cool down.
 Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Accept children’s own ideas for creative
movement.
 Utilize the principle of developmental direction in
aesthetic teaching.
 Discover and use picture book illustrations as
works of art.
 Use questions to describe, analyze, evaluate art.
 Teaching Strategies for Quality
Aesthetic Experiences
 Avoid reinforcing only a realistic approach.
 Involve ALL of the children in the arts.
 Variety of Strategies to Promote
Creativity
 Direct hands-on time with  Role-play idea.
materials  Show and discuss pictures
 Examples shown of
of real objects.
quality art and beautiful
 Encourage imagining.
craftsmanship
 Demonstrate new  Use nonverbal
techniques. reinforcement.
 Use of motivational  Connect creative
dialogue. experiences to a concept
 Ideas for Unit
 Songs to teach literacy  Center-based activities
 Poems, puppets, and  Easel/paintings
fingerplays  Guest speakers (artists in
 Use of musical our town)
instruments  Creating songs about topic
 Field trips to museums  Book-making experiences
 Arts & Crafts  Murals
 Listen to taped stories  Bulletin Boards