Inspirations for the research 6 - possibility thinking

A research study that involved looking at children's response to resources was a study by  Professor Anna Craft and her colleagues at a London Children's Centre[1].

Their study was influenced by the 5x5x5=Creativity project and practice in Reggio Emilia (see our post for 20th September below). The focus was on the use of adult initiated 'provocations' as stimuli for children's play. For four weeks, the researchers observed and documented  four year olds' responses to natural materials such as logs, leaves, stones (Group 1) or puppets and props (Group 2).
 
Evidence was found of 'possibility thinking'. This type of thinking is central to young children’s creativity as they constantly generate possibilities in their play. They ask ‘what if?’, and ‘what can I do with this?’ and so go beyond ‘what is’ to explore ‘what could be’. 

The study showed how creative practitioners could use resources as provocations to stimulate changes in practice and children’s experiences; there's a summary in a chapter on play and creativity that Paulette has written for the new edition of An Introduction to Early Childhood - due out early next year.

In our research, we are interested in the ways that reclaimed materials stimulate young children's 'possibility thinking'.

---

[1] Craft, A., McConnon, L. and Matthews, A. (2012) Child-Initiated Play and Professional Creativity: Enabling Four-Year-Olds' Possibility Thinking. Thinking Skills and Creativity. Vol.7(1), p.48-61