Art education and sensitive tolos innovation project in the training of early childhood education teachers

Abstract

This paper shows the experience developed in the compulsory subject Expression Laboratory of the 4th year of the Early Childhood Education Teaching Degree at the University of Oviedo within the Innovation Project Art Education and Sensitive Tools for Early Childhood Education (PINN-20-A-056). An optional project that was developed online during the first term of 2020-2021. It was developed in a stressful situation for the students, an educational context of distance learning, in which they felt stress and pandemic fatigue (Covid-19), with the additional disadvantage of not having common physical spaces in which to develop the artistic work of the subject in a context of didactics for Early Childhood Education. The objective was to integrate activities related to sensory stimuli and the well-being of people through the Visual Arts. To this end, a group of N=115 pupils were given the tools of art therapy and other disciplines. With a qualitative methodology, through semi-structured interviews, activities and questionnaires, the results were measured. The results are considered to have been positive, with an increase in motivation towards Art Education subjects. In conclusion, Art Therapy, Music Therapy and Mindfulness generate moments of relaxation and reduce anxiety in students.