# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Stageles 5 _ 27-02-25 (groep 6) mentor evaluatie

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
UTF-8Stageles 5 _ 27-02-25 (groep 6) mentor evaluatie

# data[].attributes.body
-Zum Gali Gali

-Ping en Pong

-Wie niet lopen wil

-Een kronkelige slang (Sietse)

-Als ik een giraf was

-Ik ben veranderd in een Dino

-Ghost of Tom

-Throw and Catch

-Fruitsalade

-I can sing a rainbow

-Pieten-Rumba

-Dicht bij de kerstboom

-Mango meloenen

-Bim-Bam-Bom

-De krokodil

-De noormannen

-Wat hoor ik toch

-Lente Canon

-Droomboom

-Rode Stippen op een Ei

-Kip Zei De Boer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Creativity has been a part of the human condition ever since we first began to think and ask questions of ourselves and our surroundings. Humanity's view of creativity has evolved significantly in both eastern and western civilisations. In ancient Rome and China, creativity was said to be a gift bestowed by the gods to a select few. In the nineteenth century, the more romantic view of the creative muse took hold. Until the 1920s, creativity was seen to be a somewhat mystical quality which lay firmly in the realm of the arts and the eccentric.
Fortunately, creativity is now a science. We know that creativity is possible in all fields of human endeavour and that everyone has the capacity to be creative. Furthermore, it is not limited to fields that are more traditionally seen as creative, such as the visual and performing arts. Not only can creativity be taught, learned and assessed, but we also know the factors that make up creativity, as well as the social, environmental and individual qualities that support its development and expression. In the past 20 years, the capacities and competencies of creativity have become important in education around the globe. This importance was perhaps first informally recognised in primary school education, where subjects are often taught in a more integrated fashion than in secondary school. However, education systems have now realised that students need to leave school with not only literacy and numeracy but also digital and creative competencies. Creativity is now a feature, though often explained and explored quite differently, in many international curricula.

Creativity in primary school education: Teaching with creativity

Teachers strive for variation in their pedagogic approach in the classroom. They also strive to model behaviours for the students to adopt. By demonstrating that there are many approaches to teaching a lesson, just as there are many approaches to learning knowledge and skills in a lesson, teachers who teach with creativity in their classroom find that their students are more motivated and engaged. A fairly straightforward example is as follows. The journey from long addition to the rules of multiplication can be difficult for some students to understand. Asking students to discover mathematical rules through constructing objects rather than writing equations is one example of teaching with creativity. Research has found that, if teachers use multimodal ways in presenting key information in mathematics, students not only feel more creative but also more competent in maths.

A pre-requisite for teaching with creativity is a sufficient level of knowledge and skills in a given subject, as research has demonstrated that teachers who lack confidence in a particular subject or unit of work are more likely to teach from pre-prepared resources like textbooks and worksheets and less likely to experiment with a variety of teaching methods. Most primary school teachers are naturally more confident in some subjects than others. Teachers with a bigger toolkit of options to approach a particular unit of work also feel a greater sense of satisfaction and enjoyment in their teaching[i].

Primary school students are very open to exploring ideas and concepts, so teaching with creativity in the primary school classroom can mean using a bank of open-ended questions. For instance, in a science lesson on states of matter, start by asking the students to give examples of things that freeze and things that boil. This can lead to a science experiment, looking at how different objects behave under variations of temperature. Using open-ended questions rather than giving prepared examples helps to identify and activate students' prior knowledge.

Another example of teaching with creativity in the primary school classroom is demonstrating to students that failure is part of learning. For example, most teachers have had lessons that somehow did not go as planned. Being open about this with your students and inviting them to offer alternative ways of explaining and understanding the concept being taught is an excellent way of modelling the attitudes of creativity. You can also demonstrate to students your creative process. For example, even though you are not an artist, you might show students some drafts of your attempts to draw a cat. Why is one draft better than another? Teaching with creativity is about using the environment, attitudes and processes of creativity in your teaching. It can also mean exposing your creative processes to your students and discussing what it means to be creative.

Introducing creativity to students: Teaching about and for creativity

Creativity is like any other element of schooling: it requires knowledge, skills, application and practice. Experience in schools has shown that short explicit instruction in elements of creativity, integrated into the current classroom subject, is the most effective method of introducing creativity to students. Creativity is not a separate subject, and teaching creativity is more effective if the elements are incorporated throughout the learning process.

Over time, teachers also develop an understanding of what low, medium and high levels of creativity look like in each of the subjects they teach and in the year level they are teaching. At the primary school level, students are working in what researchers of creativity call little-c and mini-c[ii]. Little-c is the very beginning of the creative process - what we might consider everyday creativity. Mini-c is more deliberate and planned creativity. It can be observed in the classroom and reflected in formative observations and assessments where applicable.

When planning lessons, teachers need to think about the physical and social learning environment of the lesson. Does the lesson involve individual work or are students being creative in groups? An important part of creativity is that students feel a sense of psychological safety. This means that they are able to ask questions and explore ideas in an open way, without being shut down or criticised by the teacher or fellow students. Primary school teachers are aware that learning takes time for younger students and the safer they feel to explore their ideas and how they think, the better that learning will be.

The second stage for teachers in their planning is to consider the attitudes and attributes that the students will need to demonstrate in order to be creative. Attitudes such as curiosity and openness to new experiences and attributes such as resilience and risk-taking all help students to be more creative.

Thirdly, it is necessary to consider the method of problem solving and the stages of the problem-solving process. With very young students, it is better to focus on just one small element, such as how many ideas they can generate, or how many ways can they record ideas - do they write them, draw them, or record them on video? Which way works best for them with a particular problem in a subject at a particular time? As they mature, students should have the opportunity to experience a variety of elements of problem solving which eventually come together as a complete process.

The final element to be considered is that of the outcomes - the product or the results - of creativity, although it is not necessary to focus only on the final creative product. Primary school students may be considered successfully creative if they ask a specific number of questions. They may demonstrate curiosity or resilience, or give constructive feedback to a classmate. If students are asked to show certain creative elements in a presentation, feedback can be given on the individual elements as well as the final result. Teachers can give students supportive feedback on all these aspects of creativity. It is also important to remember that all of these micro-components will build over time, enabling students to become more confidently and capably creative.

Examples of teaching for and with creativity in music and STEAM

The following two examples demonstrate some elements of creativity. As you read them, try to look for which elements are being used. You will see how each of these elements may easily and readily transfer to whatever subject you are teaching.

Creativity in primary school music

Some teachers can find teaching music quite daunting. Research has shown that strong negative early experiences in music, such as being asked not to sing in the school choir, can lead to negative self-belief which can have a lasting impact. In the New Zealand Curriculum, music is called 'sound arts'. The following unit of work, suitable for around the year three level, explores the knowledge and skills of how instruments work. It combines the subjects of music, technology and science, at the same time working on students' coordination skills. It is important that students can see links between subjects and also the elements of creativity being covered.

You will notice that the instructions below are simple in detail. The essence of creativity is that you as a teacher will personalise this unit of work to suit your own teaching style and the needs of your individual class.

Elements of teaching with creativity:

Asking open-ended questions such as 'how do instruments make sound'?

Demonstrating experimentation

Demonstrating trial and error

Elements of teaching for creativity:

Encouraging an environment of positive feedback

Encouraging an attitude of curiosity

The process of trial and error through model-making

Creating a flute which plays music from a straw

Once you have made straw flutes of different pitches, it is possible to make music. This could also be an introduction to other types of musical instrument that could be made in the classroom, such as strings and percussion.
Creativity in STEAM
This unit of work, for Year 6, explores science, technology, engineering, arts and maths through the lens of the butterfly. This unit of work begins by asking the students how to draw a butterfly. The picture below was drawn by my Grade 6 daughter.

Elements of teaching with creativity:

Asking open-ended questions
What do butterflies look like? (Art - Drawing & Maths - Symmetry)

What do butterflies eat? (Science - Biology)

How do butterflies fly? (Engineering)

How many ways can you make a model of a butterfly which flies? (Technology)

Encouraging students to share pre-existing knowledge about butterflies

Elements of teaching for creativity:

A collaborative environment through group work

The use of pre-existing knowledge (perhaps from a group discussion of what students already know about butterflies)

The process of recording ideas (for example, post-it notes as a brainstorming tool)

Exploring how many different types of flying objects the class can make

In both of the above examples, several elements of teaching and learning are at play. Firstly, in both instances the students are developing the knowledge and skills appropriate to the subject which they are studying. Secondly, the teachers are demonstrating that they can teach with creativity by using multimodal methods of instruction. Thirdly, the students are building their creative capacities in the environment, the attitudes, the process and the products of creativity.
References
Collard, P., & Looney, J. (2014). Nurturing creativity in education. European Journal of Education, 49(3), 348-364.

Craft, A. (2001). An analysis of research and literature on creativity in education: Report prepared for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Runco, M. (2008). Creativity and education. New Horizons in Education, 56(1), 96-104.
Endnotes
[i] Norouzpour, F., & Pourmohammadi, M. (2019). The effect of job satisfaction on teachers' creativity in using supplementary equipment in learning English in Iranian English institutes. European Journal of Education Studies, 6(4), 267-275.

[ii] Kaufman, J. C., & Beghetto, R. A. (2009). Beyond big and little: The Four C Model of creativity. Review of General Psychology, 13(1), 1-12.

By Tim Patston

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to support and promote creativity in primary schools - THE EDUCATION HUB

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A closer look at how to support and develop students' creativity in primary school classrooms

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Social development is a fundamental aspect of early childhood that plays a crucial role in shaping how children interact with the world around them. At Montessori Academy, we understand the importance of nurturing social skills from a young age, as these abilities lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy relationships, effective communication, and emotional well-being. In this article, we'll explore the benefits of social development in early childhood, the importance of social interaction and play, and how the Montessori method supports this key area of growth.

Defining Social Development in Early Childhood

Social development in early childhood refers to the process by which young children learn to interact with others, manage their emotions, and develop social skills. These skills include the ability to share, take turns, empathise with others, and communicate effectively. Social development also involves understanding social norms and learning how to form relationships with peers, adults, and even siblings.
During these formative years, children are particularly receptive to learning about the world around them through interactions with others. This is why early social experiences are so important-they help children develop the confidence and competence they need to navigate social situations throughout their lives.

Why Is Social Development Important in Early Childhood?

Social development is critical in early childhood because it lays the groundwork for a child's future interactions, relationships, and emotional health. Here are a few key reasons why social development is so important:

Building Relationships: Early socialisation helps children form bonds with others, teaching them how to connect with peers and adults. These early relationships are essential for emotional security and well-being.

Communication Skills: Social interactions provide children with opportunities to practice language and communication skills. Through conversations, role-playing, and collaborative activities, children learn how to express themselves clearly and listen to others.

Emotional Regulation: Learning to manage emotions is a crucial aspect of social development. As children interact with others, they encounter situations that require them to control impulses, manage frustrations, and navigate conflicts. These experiences help children develop emotional intelligence.

Preparation for School: Social skills are directly linked to a child's readiness for school. Children who have developed strong social skills are more likely to succeed academically, as they can better engage with teachers, participate in group activities, and work cooperatively with classmates.

The Benefits of Social Interaction and Play

Social interaction and play are powerful tools for fostering social development in early childhood. Social play, in particular, is a natural and enjoyable way for children to learn about themselves and others. Here are some key benefits of social interaction and play:

Language Development: Through play and interaction, children are exposed to new vocabulary and sentence structures. They learn to express ideas, ask questions, and negotiate with others, all of which contribute to language development.

Empathy and Understanding: Playing with others can allow children to step into different roles and perspectives. This helps them develop empathy-understanding and sharing the feelings of others-which is crucial for building strong, compassionate relationships.

Conflict Resolution: Social play often involves disagreements and conflicts, providing children with valuable opportunities to practice problem-solving and conflict resolution. Learning to navigate these situations helps children develop resilience and cooperation.

Cooperation and Teamwork: Many forms of play, such as group games or collaborative projects, require children to work together towards a common goal. These experiences teach children the importance of teamwork, sharing, and mutual respect.

How Montessori Supports Social Development

The Montessori method is uniquely suited to support social development in early childhood. It emphasises independence, collaboration, and respect for others, creating a respectful environment where children can develop social skills naturally and confidently.
Here's how Montessori fosters social development:

Collaborative Learning: Montessori classrooms encourage children to work together on projects and activities. This collaborative approach allows children to learn from one another, share ideas, and develop a sense of community.

Mixed-Age Classrooms: In Montessori settings, children of different ages learn together. This arrangement allows younger children to learn from older peers and gives older children the opportunity to mentor and guide their younger classmates. This interaction promotes empathy, leadership, and cooperation.

Independence and Confidence: Montessori education encourages children to take ownership of their learning. As children gain confidence in their abilities, they are more likely to engage positively with others and contribute to group activities.

Respectful Communication: Montessori educators model and teach respectful communication. Children learn to express their needs and feelings appropriately, listen to others, and resolve conflicts peacefully.

Montessori Activities That Promote Social Interaction

Montessori classrooms are filled with activities that naturally promote social interaction and skill development. Here are some examples:

Group Work: Several Montessori activities are designed for small groups, encouraging children to collaborate and learn together. Group work helps children develop teamwork skills, share knowledge, and build friendships.

Role-Playing: Role-playing activities allow children to explore different social roles and scenarios. This type of play helps children understand social dynamics, practice empathy, and develop communication skills.

Practical Life Exercises: Montessori practical life activities, such as preparing a snack or setting the table, often involve working together with peers. These activities teach children the value of cooperation, responsibility, and contributing to a shared environment.

Why Choose Montessori Academy for Your Child's Social Development?

Montessori Academy is committed to nurturing the social development of every child. Our carefully prepared environments, experienced educators, and child-centred approach ensure that children have the opportunities they need to develop strong social skills.
At Montessori Academy, we believe that social development is just as important as academic learning. By providing a supportive and respectful environment, we help children build the confidence and competence they need to navigate the social world.
We invite parents to learn more about our programs and how Montessori education can support their child's social and emotional growth. Contact us today or visit one of our childcare centres to see the Montessori difference in action.

Conclusion

Social development in early childhood is a critical aspect of a child's overall growth and well-being. Through social interaction, play, and the Montessori method, children learn the skills they need to build relationships, communicate effectively, and manage their emotions.
At Montessori Academy, we are dedicated to fostering these essential skills in a nurturing and supportive environment. We encourage parents to explore the benefits of Montessori education and consider how it can support their child's social development from an early age.
Whether you're new to Montessori or looking to deepen your child's social experiences, Montessori Academy is here to guide your child on their journey towards becoming a confident, compassionate, and socially adept individual.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Benefits Of Social Interaction In Early Childhood | Montessori A

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the benefits of social skills in early childhood with Montessori Academy's blog. Find out how social interaction is important for all preschoolers!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Piaget emphasized peer interaction as important for cognitive development, while Vygotsky focused more on adult-child interactions and scaffolding by more knowledgeable others.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Do you remember your favorite preschool nursery rhyme or song that was sung to you when you were a toddler? The answer is likely no; however, that doesn’t

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children move through four different stages of learning. His theory focuses not only on understanding how children acquire knowledge, but also on understanding the nature of intelligence. Piaget's stages are:

Sensorimotor stage: Birth to 2 years

Preoperational stage: Ages 2 to 7

Concrete operational stage: Ages 7 to 11

Formal operational stage: Ages 12 and up

Piaget believed that children take an active role in the learning process, acting much like little scientists as they perform experiments, make observations, and learn about the world. As kids interact with the world around them, they continually add new knowledge, build upon existing knowledge, and adapt previously held ideas to accommodate new information.

History of Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Piaget was born in Switzerland in the late 1800s and was a precocious student, publishing his first scientific paper when he was just 11 years old. His early exposure to the intellectual development of children came when he worked as an assistant to Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon as they worked to standardize their famous IQ test.

Piaget vs. Vygotsky

Piaget's theory differs in important ways from those of Lev Vygotsky, another influential figure in the field of child development. Vygotsky acknowledged the roles that curiosity and active involvement play in learning, but placed greater emphasis on society and culture.

Piaget felt that development is largely fueled from within, while Vygotsky believed that external factors (such as culture) and people (such as parents, caregivers, and peers) play a more significant role.

Much of Piaget's interest in the cognitive development of children was inspired by his observations of his own nephew and daughter. These observations reinforced his budding hypothesis that children's minds were not merely smaller versions of adult minds.

Until this point in history, children were largely treated simply as smaller versions of adults. Piaget was one of the first to identify that the way that children think is different from the way adults think.

Piaget proposed that intelligence grows and develops through a series of stages. Older children do not just think more quickly than younger children. Instead, there are both qualitative and quantitative differences between the thinking of young children versus older children.

Based on his observations, he concluded that children were not less intelligent than adults-they simply think differently. Albert Einstein called Piaget's discovery "so simple only a genius could have thought of it."

Piaget's stage theory describes the cognitive development of children. Cognitive development involves changes in cognitive process and abilities. In Piaget's view, early cognitive development involves processes based upon actions and later progresses to changes in mental operations.

The Sensorimotor Stage of Cognitive Development

During this earliest stage of cognitive development, infants and toddlers acquire knowledge through sensory experiences and manipulating objects. A child's entire experience at the earliest period of this stage occurs through basic reflexes, senses, and motor responses.
Birth to 2 Years
Major characteristics and developmental changes during this stage:

Know the world through movements and sensations

Learn about the world through basic actions such as sucking, grasping, looking, and listening

Learn that things continue to exist even when they cannot be seen (object permanence)

Realize that they are separate beings from the people and objects around them

Realize that their actions can cause things to happen in the world around them

During the sensorimotor stage, children go through a period of dramatic growth and learning. As kids interact with their environment, they continually make new discoveries about how the world works.

The cognitive development that occurs during this period takes place over a relatively short time and involves a great deal of growth. Children not only learn how to perform physical actions such as crawling and walking; they also learn a great deal about language from the people with whom they interact. Piaget also broke this stage down into substages. Early representational thought emerges during the final part of the sensorimotor stage.

Piaget believed that developing object permanence or object constancy, the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, was an important element at this point of development.

By learning that objects are separate and distinct entities and that they have an existence of their own outside of individual perception, children are then able to begin to attach names and words to objects.

The Preoperational Stage of Cognitive Development

The foundations of language development may have been laid during the previous stage, but the emergence of language is one of the major hallmarks of the preoperational stage of development.
2 to 7 Years
Major characteristics and developmental changes during this stage:

Begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects

Tend to be egocentric and struggle to see things from the perspective of others

Getting better with language and thinking, but still tend to think in very concrete terms

At this stage, kids learn through pretend play but still struggle with logic and taking the point of view of other people. They also often struggle with understanding the idea of constancy.

Children become much more skilled at pretend play during this stage of development, yet they continue to think very concretely about the world around them.

For example, a researcher might take a lump of clay, divide it into two equal pieces, and then give a child the choice between two pieces of clay to play with. One piece of clay is rolled into a compact ball while the other is smashed into a flat pancake shape. Because the flat shape looks larger, the preoperational child will likely choose that piece, even though the two pieces are exactly the same size.

The Concrete Operational Stage of Cognitive Development

While children are still very concrete and literal in their thinking at this point in development, they become much more adept at using logic.﻿﻿ The egocentrism of the previous stage begins to disappear as kids become better at thinking about how other people might view a situation.
7 to 11 Years
Major characteristics and developmental changes during this stage:

Begin to think logically about concrete events

Begin to understand the concept of conservation; that the amount of liquid in a short, wide cup is equal to that in a tall, skinny glass, for example

Thinking becomes more logical and organized, but still very concrete

Begin using inductive logic, or reasoning from specific information to a general principle

While thinking becomes much more logical during the concrete operational state, it can also be very rigid. Kids at this point in development tend to struggle with abstract and hypothetical concepts.

During this stage, children also become less egocentric and begin to think about how other people might think and feel. Kids in the concrete operational stage also begin to understand that their thoughts are unique to them and that not everyone else necessarily shares their thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

The Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development

The final stage of Piaget's theory involves an increase in logic, the ability to use deductive reasoning, and an understanding of abstract ideas. At this point, adolescents and young adults become capable of seeing multiple potential solutions to problems and think more scientifically about the world around them.
Age 12 and Up
Major characteristics and developmental changes during this time:

Begins to think abstractly and reason about hypothetical problems

Begins to think more about moral, philosophical, ethical, social, and political issues that require theoretical and abstract reasoning

Begins to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general principle to specific information

The ability to thinking about abstract ideas and situations is the key hallmark of the formal operational stage of cognitive development. The ability to systematically plan for the future and reason about hypothetical situations are also critical abilities that emerge during this stage.

Important Cognitive Development Concepts

It is important to note that Piaget did not view children's intellectual development as a quantitative process. That is, kids do not just add more information and knowledge to their existing knowledge as they get older.

Instead, Piaget suggested that there is a qualitative change in how children think as they gradually process through these four stages. At age 7, children don't just have more information about the world than they did at age 2; there is a fundamental change in how they think about the world.

Piaget suggested several factors that influence how children learn and grow.

A schema describes both the mental and physical actions involved in understanding and knowing. Schemas are categories of knowledge that help us to interpret and understand the world.

In Piaget's view, a schema includes both a category of knowledge and the process of obtaining that knowledge. As experiences happen, this new information is used to modify, add to, or change previously existing schemas.

For example, a child may have a schema about a type of animal, such as a dog. If the child's sole experience has been with small dogs, a child might believe that all dogs are small, furry, and have four legs. Suppose then that the child encounters an enormous dog. The child will take in this new information, modifying the previously existing schema to include these new observations.

Assimilation

The process of taking in new information into our already existing schemas is known as assimilation. The process is somewhat subjective because we tend to modify experiences and information slightly to fit in with our preexisting beliefs. In the example above, seeing a dog and labeling it "dog" is a case of assimilating the animal into the child's dog schema.

Accommodation

Another part of adaptation is the ability to change existing schemas in light of new information; this process is known as accommodation. New schemas may also be developed during this process.

Equilibration

As children progress through the stages of cognitive development, it is important to maintain a balance between applying previous knowledge (assimilation) and changing behavior to account for new knowledge (accommodation).

Piaget believed that all children try to strike a balance between assimilation and accommodation using a mechanism he called equilibration. Equilibration helps explain how children can move from one stage of thought to the next.

One of the main points of Piaget's theory is that creating knowledge and intelligence is an inherently active process.

"I find myself opposed to the view of knowledge as a passive copy of reality," Piaget wrote. "I believe that knowing an object means acting upon it, constructing systems of transformations that can be carried out on or with this object. Knowing reality means constructing systems of transformations that correspond, more or less adequately, to reality."

Piaget's theory of cognitive development helped add to our understanding of children's intellectual growth. It also stressed that children were not merely passive recipients of knowledge. Instead, kids are constantly investigating and experimenting as they build their understanding of how the world works.

Additional Reading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Psychologist Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development has 4 stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Verslag stagebezoek Thomas van Gemert 22 mei 2025

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ingevuld Eindevaluatie Stage Docent Muziek (1)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Eindevaluatie Stage Docent Muziek ingevuld (1)