Ruth Churchill Dower

Ruth Churchill Dower

ESRI postgraduate researcher

Spaces of Difference – attuning through immersive dance with children who sometimes don’t speak (PhD)

Background and aims

Ruth is keenly exploring research that will change the way the arts can make a difference in early education in the future. Ruth is interested in exploring how different art forms can harness biological, neuroscientific and cultural forces for attunement and expression, especially with young children who don’t speak for whatever reason. Starting with dance, Ruth is investigating how young children’s bodies, touch and sensations can share incredible knowledge with parents, carers or teachers, without using any words.

Shaped by a passion for anti-cartesian approaches that integrate body and brain, and influenced by posthuman and new materialist theories, Ruth is using speculative dance-based methodologies along with slow-motion video and biosensors to find out more about just how the aesthetic-expressive body ticks in relation with other bodies (human and nonhuman).

Working in partnership with nursery teachers, speech and language therapists and families with young children who don’t speak, Ruth hopes to identify ways in which immersive dance might remove obstacles to attunement and expression in ways that words can’t through their very nature of representing only a tiny perspective of the lived experience.

Hopefully, this research will offer an alternative thinking-with-dance approach for teachers by focusing on listening, creating and expressing knowledge through the whole body rather than the current over-focus on cognitive development. In doing so, we may use dance and the sensorium to counter the colonialist notions of the ideal ‘cherished child’ currently pervasive in early education systems, whose expectations for learning and assessment seem to create unnecessary anxiety in that they are not aligned to the highly attuned somatic and sensorial competences young children embody.

publications

Churchill Dower, Ruth (2020) Creativity and the Arts in Early Years – Supporting Young Children’s Development & Well-Being, Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Churchill Dower, R. and Sandbrook, B. (2018) Early Years Arts and Culture: Current practice and options for future development., Arts Council England.

Churchill Dower, Ruth (2018) ‘Creativity in early years education’ In: Early Childhood Education Redefined – Reflections and Recommendations on the Impact of Start Right, Eds Preedy & Ball; London, Routledge.

Churchill Dower, Ruth (2018) ‘Neuroscience and early childhood development’ IN: Museum of London Early Years Toolkit, published online.

Churchill Dower, R.; French, G.; Rogers, M.; Sandbrook, B. (2013) ‘Early Childhood Arts - Three Perspectives’, published by The Arts Council Ireland, Young People, Children, and Education department (YPCE).

Churchill Dower, Ruth (2012) ‘Creativity or play? Why early arts professionals should not have to choose’ IN: The Guardian.

Birkett, D; Brice Heath, S; Churchill Dower, R; Craft, A; Duffy, B; Egan, P; Ellyatt, W; Gill, T; Jayatilaka, G; Lammy, D; Rosen, M; Teather, S; Ward, (2010) Born Creative, London, Demos.

Churchill Dower, R. (2007) ‘Fostering Creative Learning For 3-5 Year Olds In Four International Settings’ IN: Creative Learning 3-11 and how we document it (Ch 9).

Churchill Dower, Ruth (2009) Cultural Entitlement in a Nutshell, Holmfirth, Lulu.

Churchill Dower, Ruth (2009) ‘A Joined Up Future’ January 12, Issue 185 article IN: Arts Professional.

Cochrane, P.; Jeffrey, G.; Churchill Dower, R.; Garnham, J.; and McGregor, S. (2008) ‘The Arts and Community Radio’, The report profiles how different art forms are represented in community radio – music, drama, written work, festivals - and also profiles innovative partnerships between radio stations and community organizations including collaborative work with schools, community groups and arts organizations, Cape UK.

Anderson, F.; Caulton, T.; Churchill Dower, R.; Cochrane, P.; Burke, C. (2006) ‘Cultural Entitlement: the capacities of cultural and creative organisations in the Yorkshire region to deliver a ‘cultural entitlement’ agenda in schools’, Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships, Leeds University, Yorkshire Museums Libraries and Archive Service.

Churchill Dower, Ruth (2006) ‘Valuing Children’s Creative Practice’ Volume 7 page 36’ IN: Early Years Educator,.

Churchill Dower, Ruth (2006) Imagination for Life and Learning, Yorkshire, Arts Council England.

Churchill Dower, Ruth, Sharon Hogan, Helen Sims, Chris Hoy (2006) Search for Meaning - The Children’s Curriculum, Bradford, Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families.

Churchill Dower, Ruth (2004) International Creative Practice in Early Years Settings, Yorkshire, Arts Council England.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

  • ‘What matter might matter in moments of discomfort?’ Ten-minute presentation at the ECY PGR Annual Conference (online), June 2020
  • ‘What matter might matter in moments of discomfort?’ Ten-minute presentation at the White Rose DTP Annual Conference (online), June 2020
  • ‘Spaces of Difference – using the forces of dance as expression with children who don’t speak’ – Ten Minute presentation at the Graduate School PGR Conference, Manchester Met, March 2019.
  • ‘Using music and singing to explore early communication’. Schools Development Support Agency and Talk Derby Early Years conference, March 2020.
  • ‘Exploring the role of dance and materials as an immersive space for rich, wordless communication’. The Boo Early Years Symposium, March 2020
  • ‘Creating immersive, nonverbal dance environments to explore the agency of young children who do not talk’. Passion for Practice Symposium by People Dancing – Foundation for Community Dance (November 2019).
  • ‘Harnessing the power of young minds and bodies’. IKSV - Istanbul Foundation For Culture And Arts, Turkey (October 2019).
  • ‘What are the origins of young children’s creativity and what does this mean for early years practice?’ Blackheath Conservatoire and London Early Years Foundation, London (September 2019).
  • Evidence to: DfE parliamentary committee and Arts Council England on the revising of the EYFS in direct relation to the EAD area of learning plus submission of response to full EYFS Reforms consultation – Spring/Summer 2019.

Contact RUTH

Email: ruth.churchill-dower@stu.mmu.ac.uk

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