About

Artful Conversations: Enriching Children’s Appreciation of Art

Museums can play an important role in igniting children’s sense of curiosity and wonderment in their formative years. Artful Conversations has been specially developed to equip early childhood educators to nurture young children’s appreciation of art in their visits to the
National Gallery Singapore. Through Artful Conversations, participants will explore various approaches and be equipped with skills and knowledge to facilitate imaginative conversations and engagement in the classrooms or at the gallery.

With reference to the Nurturing Early Learners (NEL) Framework, the session aims to

• Equip pre-school teachers with skills and confidence to discuss about artworks with young children through playful learning and inquiry-based approach.
• Nurture pre-school teachers’ creative expression and develop their appreciation of the unique role that art can play in disseminating ideas and information in the early childhood classroom.
  

Target Audience: Educators/ Practitioners.

Presenter 1

Ms Elaine Chan

Elaine Chan oversees Early Years in her role as Assistant Director (Learning) at National Gallery Singapore. With over 10 years of early years education experience and 8 years of museum education experience in Singapore, she has managed and contributed effectively to the development of quality preschool and family programmes at National Gallery Singapore since 2016.

An early childhood practitioner by training, Elaine is interested in how the arts can help us look and re-look at ourselves and our world. She believes that early exposure to art fosters curiosity in children and encourages them to make new discoveries beyond the boundaries of curriculum.

Elaine holds a M.Ed in Early Childhood Education from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Presenter 2

Ms Shaherah Arshad

Shaherah leads the pre-school portfolio at the National Gallery Singapore. As a museum educator, she believes that Art Education plays an important role in nurturing children’s growth and expanding their creativity.

She also plays an active role in making Art Education at the Gallery, accessible for SPED (Special Education) schools.

Shaherah holds a bachelor’s degree in General Studies from the Singapore University of Social Sciences. She spent her undergraduate years specialising in courses that helped hone her skills as an early childhood art educator.