Learning intentions

In this chapter we will examine:

• current research on the content knowledge that teachers need to have about the arts, health, wellbeing and physical education in early childhood

• how teachers can build on children’s home experiences in the early childhood classroom to help transform children’s thinking.

In this chapter the theory and the practice of Vygotsky’s (1998) work on concept formation will be further discussed. The content areas of arts and health, wellbeing and physical education will be used to illustrate the importance of conceptual knowledge in the early childhood curriculum. How to integrate domain knowledge into curriculum was identified by students in our opening scenario:

On the face of it, the topics in this chapter sound like an unusual combination, but as we hope this chapter shows, much of the concept formation associated with these domains of knowledge involves the interrelationship of cognitive abilities and psychomotor skills. For the purposes of simplicity only, the arts in this discussion include the visual arts, dance and music. The focus is on concept formation that involves developing physical abilities, such as drawing, painting, playing a musical instrument, singing, dancing, and playing on the jungle gym, playing ball games and other games with rules.