Studio Thinking in Early Childhood

Studio learning environments provide important support for young children as they learn to create and interpret in visual art and design. In this chapter, I use the Studio Thinking Framework, developed from research at Harvard University’s Project Zero that involved close observation of studio art classrooms to see what teachers intend to teach and how they teach it, to inform how we can think about learning in formal and informal early childhood education. I describe strategies teachers can use to create a studio environment that fosters children’s development of habits of mind such as becoming more observant, more engaged and persistent, reflective on their work, and willing to explore and express ideas. I discuss how teachers can use this focus on developing students’ habits of mind in the arts to build connections to other learning areas.