Building self esteem into learning with children

Yesterday I wrote about building self esteem in to learning. Today I wanted to share a bit more about the connection with examples from my work and creative practice with children. I will continue this series blogging about building self esteem with adults in corporate training and community education.
The clients requirements are always primary. Their request can be as basic as 'do something creative with the group' or 'can you make something fun with them'. Often my focus is to build creative confidence*. Working with clients allows me develop workshops and programs that allow children (and adults) to experience positive creativity which builds self esteem. I realised how particularly these pieces were linked when I started working with siblings of Autistic children in 2010.
I describe *Creative confidence  as confidence in self expression, using the imagination, thought association, playfulness, drawing, making, painting, use of materials, understanding and following instructions, construction, making, sharing, listening, receiving feedback, learning, listening, respect, communication both verbal and non verbal, having a can do attitude, questioning perceived creative rules, showing more then one person what you have made.

I facilitate creative confidence with arts based methodologies, experiential learning, game play and with technology. So that means making, drawing, painting, arts and craft; games like warm up exercises or street gaming usually in the yard or hall plus creative projects using software, cameras, photography and cultural references. 

When I design simple making workshops they are multi-levelled experiences. I try to make the art materials work above and beyond the making process and I incorporate building self esteem into the design and delivery of those learning environments.  

With 240 children earlier this year how to make your hand a sock workshop identified 5 different outcomes to my client, Gorey Public Library.

1. engage children with the public library
2. teach them how to tie a knot
3. teach them to stitch
4. transform their hand into a snake through making an odd sock puppet
5. develop their snake hand character and play

I've discovered that to get real work done in a teaching or rather learning environment participants have to be engaged and open to participate. We might assume children arrive to an arts workshop in an open state but its is not so. Part of my work is to facilitate each child to have a positive creative experience. I allow the children to arrive and engage them as a group and as individuals.
 I like to design environments for mixed needs so that children can work at their own pace. I realise that artists typically put the creative work before the experience of the child. But working in a child centred way is important to my creative practice, I'm processed based, its all about the journey. The map has to be rich and the destination multifaceted.
It's a balancing act of enough structure to communicate the idea and explain materials but not too much to dampen down flexible creative bend. More confident kids can make and express themselves along side children who need extra support and encouragement. The point being that each child has their own creative pace and is encouraged and acknowledged for their abilities, for trying and for making.
Where appropriate I want a child, family or teacher to think 'I could do this again'.  Building self esteem into the learning is critical. This workshop was designed to teach basic skills of knot tying and stitching, but also to be presented in such an accessible way that children could teach other children. Subsequently meeting parents and teachers I discovered that this odd sock creativity was being taught at schools to other classes, in families and to friends. Including one child who made it the theme of their birthday party and taught all her friends!
For me working with 240 children on how to make your hand a sock was about teaching skills exploring creativity through making, craft skills and play plus empowering children to share their own discoveries and learning through teaching others. Building confidence with art materials gives children a sense of accomplishment. When children make something they are happy with, when they have expressed themselves with satisfaction it builds their self esteem automatically. In workshops where teachers, parent volunteers or family members participate. ground rules have to be established, a certain managing of how we talk to children and 'extreme encouragement' must be pursued.  Reinforcing their learning through the use of positive can do is an important reflection from adults. 

With children at The Gap Arts Festival, Whoosh! was n't just to make paper move - it was to give children and families clear instructions so they make, learn how to, repeat, teach another child and have fun all the way. Paper is such a basic creativity material crumpled it becomes a ball, folded a gliding plane, but cut and combined with materials it becomes an introduction to engineering, science and technology. The fascination with how things work and making things that work puts ingenuity into children's hands. It helps them craft responses to their environment and opens learning. Sparking that curiosity is an joy to behold. But it won't happen unless the engagement is right.  

The programme with five Wexford public libraries to support their summer reading challenge identified more complex challenges for the creative workshops. They meet the challenge well. With this program I connected my research and online added value in resource material using a presentation in most workshops and Pinterest, blog post here. The clients specific requirement is the corner stone of designing anything but the 'what else and how' is why clients hire me.

Making something might be enough but to understand materials, learn what to do with them, be open to discover something, make new connections, think differently, establish a way of relating that is out of the ordinary, feel good, experiment, have a safe positive learning environment, be encouraged, be enthused, feel like you could share this with others,  have a good experience of learning their the things that embed the learning. I offer a facilitated learning experience. I often refer to myself as an educator rather then a teacher - the secret to my successful practice has been to build raising self esteem and positivity into every learning activity I offer.
What's your secret?