ART EDUCATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

PEDAGOGICAL LETTERS AND THE THEORIES OF JOHN DEWEY

Abstract

This article gathers prospects on art education in Early Childhood Education, based on reflections on the contributions of the American philosopher John Dewey (1859-1952) and autobiographical narratives written in two Pedagogical Letters by teachers and researchers about their praxis in the field of arts and its relationships with Early Childhood Education. A qualitative field research, with the participation of one male and one female art teacher, carried out between the years 2023 and 2024. In view of this, we problematize: rethinking art education, and the creative processes in Early Childhood Education together with John Dewey's concepts, can it contribute to Art Education with children nowadays? In order to raise possible reflections around our main question, the general objective is to identify contributions about art, experience, and democracy for Early Childhood Education based on the contributions of John Dewey and autobiographical narratives written in Pedagogical Letters. The results showed that the research contributes to the understanding that art still needs to advance in terms of exploration and creative processes in Early Childhood Education settings. In the narratives of the Pedagogical Letters, we identified the possibilities and challenges in teaching art to children in Early Childhood Education. It was possible to consider that, although the ways in which art is present in these spaces are not measurable, it is necessary.