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

“Why should educators be concerned about creative thought and artistic expression at a time when tough talk about academic standards, teacher accountability, and international ranking on tests dominates the educational scene?”

 Creative Thinking and Arts Based Learning, Fifth Edition, argues that the ability to think in innovative and productive ways is a survival skill in a world where we are inundated daily with information.  The authors’ vision for this book is that it will equip practitioners in the fields of early childhood and elementary education to influence schools and communities to regard the creative processes and artistic products of children’s minds with a new appreciation and respect. 

In order to achieve this goal, the authors have grounded their content with the very latest theory and research on creative thought and play.  They have provided case studies in every chapter where real teachers describe how they have integrated play and the arts into their curriculum.  They have included opportunities for self-reflection in their Teachers Reflection feature and their Your Reflections feature. They have offered a collection of self-expressive activities and suggestions for teachers to use that are grounded in child-centered practice.  Yet, while encouraging the incorporation of play and the arts, they have also acknowledged the importance of meeting the benchmark standards at the local, state, and national levels through the Meeting the Standards feature in every chapter and the Chapter by Chapter Cross Referenced Appendix of National Standards.    

New To This Edition:

NEW!  Provides research, tips, and specific suggestions for diverse learners--In the section on Curriculum Accommodations for Diverse Learners (Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8).

NEW!  Shows how to integrate play and each of the art forms across the curriculum in the easy to read charts throughout the book–Charts are done by content area.

NEW!  Connects the text to MyEducationLab–Features video clips and artifacts that illustrate the key points.

Mary Renck Jalongo, Ph.D.

Mary Renck Jalongo is a teacher, writer and editor.  As a classroom teacher, she taught preschool, first grade and second grade, worked with children and families of migrant farm workers, and taught in the laboratory preschool at the University of Toledo.  Currently she is a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she earned the university-wide outstanding professor award and coordinates both the Doctoral Program in Curriculum and Instruction and an initial teacher certification program at the graduate level. 

As a writer, Dr. Jalongo has co-authored and edited more than 25 books, many of them textbooks in the field of early childhood education.  These books include Early Childhood Language Arts (4th ed. Allyn & Bacon) and Creative Thinking and Arts-Based Learning (4th ed.  Merrill/Prentice Hall), Exploring Your Role:  An Introduction to Early Childhood Education (3rd ed., Merrill/Prentice Hall) and Major Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education:  Challenges, Controversies, and Insights (2nd ed. Teachers College Press). She is also the author for various articles on early childhood education in the World Book Encyclopedia and has written two award-winning Association for Childhood Education International Position Papers.

Her most recent publications include two National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) books, Learning to Listen, Listening to Learn and Young Children and Picture Books as well as a Teachers College Press book, Planning for Learning:  Collaborative Approaches to Lesson Design and Review and an edited book for ACEI, The World’s Children and Their Companion Animals:  Developmental and Educational Significance of the Child/Pet Bond.  Mary has earned seven national awards for excellence in scholarly writing. 

Mary is editor-in-chief of the Springer international publication, Early Childhood Education Journal and co-edits their new book series, Educating the Young Child:  Advances in Theory and Research, Implications for Practice.