Charge Your Brain

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• Charge Your Brain
• With ART!
• Lynette Fast, Art Specialist
• Lincoln Public Schools
• Lincoln, NE

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Arts With The Brain In Mind

• Teachers lectures and textbooks are no longer
  the primary sources of content in our world.
• High School graduation rates are rising in 25-29
  yr. olds. So called hard-to-reach students used
  to drop out. Now we are committed to helping
  them stay in school.
• Knowledge is no longer the key now that everyone
  has access to it.

(Jensen 2001)
3
Into the 21st Century

• We are in the twilight of a society based on
  data. As information and intelligence become the
  domain of computers, society will place a new
  value on the one human ability that cant be
  automated emotion.
• -Rolf Jensen, director
• Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies

(Jensen 2001)
4
Into the 21st Century

• Workplace demands
• Emotional balance
• Cognitive flexibility
• Social Skills
• Self-discipline
• Thinking Skills
• Art gives your emotions a form - and therefore
  creates an opportunity to manipulate that form.
  With the arts, we practice and interpret the
  demands that the workplace will place upon us,
  preparing our balance, flexibility, and skills.

5
The Enemies of Creativity

• Cultural and Personal Forces
• Prejudice and repression
• Poor Models of Leadership
• Fear, anger, lack of self-respect, negative
  speech and thought
• Schools
• Building fences, discouraging, no risk-taking
• Habitual processes, repetitive lessons
• Teach us safety in the known, do not teach us to
  choose
• Red tape, parental pressures, meager budgets

(McCabe 1990)
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The Enemies of Creativity

• Patterns of Parenting
• Indecisiveness, demonstrate the burden of choice,
  showing great stress around making choices
• Waste energy, become passive
• Avoidance of Self-Expression
• Lessons of fear, self-distrust, lowered
  self-esteem
• Accept adults belief systems, loose interest
• Made to feel incompetent, wrong in their
  approach, withdraw
• Repression of Thoughts and Feelings
• Learn to distrust, ignore, repress
• Learn so well we do not always know how we feel
  or if we feel

(McCabe 1990)
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The Enemies of Creativity

• Negative Emotions
• Distorted by social codes, morals, ignorance, or
  fear
• Lack of Self-Esteem
• I dont count
• Idealized glamour, faking, hiding
• Falseness causes problems in communication,
  contributes to disruptions, interrupts, confuses
  relationships with other people
• Repressed feelings
• Fear of making the wrong step, fear of failure,
  success, what other people think or do, being
  wrong, different, risking being wrong

(McCabe 1990)
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Can students analyze, critique, and place
information in context?

• Less trivia
• more in-depth learning
• More in-depth learning
• Organization, Flexibility, Cooperation
• Integrity, Truth, Fairness, Justice, Dignity
• Thinking skills, Contribution
• A sense of wonder, Creativity

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ART Building a quiet confidence

• A universal language, with a symbolic way of
  representing the world, allowing us to understand
  other cultures
• Provide healthy emotional expression
• Develops patience, self-criticism
• Improve focused attention states (Sautter, 1994)
• Enhance concentration, happy to work alone and
  focus on the task at hand, fostering commitment
  to task
• Work ethic develops - social skill, teamwork,
  self discipline, self motivation, helplessness is
  decreased (Sautter, 1994)

(Jensen 2001)
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Art A visual sketchpad for thinking

• Painting is just another way of keeping a visual
  diary.
• - Pablo Picasso

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Art A visual sketchpad for thinking

• Doing art is a way of thinking and demonstrating
  the product of thinking.
• - Howard Gardner

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Art A visual sketchpad for thinking

• Art exercises our creative, intuitive faculties
  in a way that other curricular areas might never
  do.
• - Eric Jensen

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Art A visual sketchpad for thinking

• An active mind can be self-stimulating and thus
  always create its own environment. A stimulating
  environment can induce activity in a brain that
  might otherwise remain sluggish.
• -Ashley Montagu

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The Action of LearningInside the Brain

• The brain has approx. 100 billion neurons.

(Chudler, 2006)
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The Action of LearningInside the Brain

• Each neuron has about 1,000 - 10,000 synapse
  connections. We grow synapses.
• Dendrite - receives information
• Axon - sends information

(Chudler, 2006)
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(Chudler, 2006)
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The Act of Seeing

• Brain Processing of Visual Thought

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Brain Processing of Visual Thought - Seeing is a
Whole Brain Experience

• Your visual system has more than 35 areas for
  processing.
• Retina transmits along millions of axons
  (electrical wires) to the thalamus
• Midbrain organizes the information and packages
  it, determining where it will be sent next

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Brain Processing of Visual ThoughtOccipital Lobe

• Processes color, movement, contrast, form, and
  critical elements of vision

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Brain Processing of Visual Thought Memory

• Temporal Lobe names and memorizes
• Parietal Lobe processes the spiral layout

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Brain Processing of Visual Thought Frontal Lobe

• Determines attention and how long to look at
  something

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Brain Processing of Visual ThoughtRoutine

• Active input
• Construction
• Feedback
• Reconstruction

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Brain Processing of Visual Thought

• To create a visual image, our brain has to do a
  lot and not do certain things. Its a complex
  and creative process.
• Seeing also involves a backward flow, using our
  cognition and memory to double-check, mediate,
  and fill in what we see.
• There is no passivity to seeing or creating.

(Jensen, 2001)
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Brain Processing of Visual Thought - Developing
Seeing

• Experience space in the real world
• Non-dominant hand plays a critical complementary
  (and covert) role. Non-dominant hand is getting
  directions ahead of the task.
• Bilateral brain activity is present during art

(Jensen, 2001)
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Strong emotion-visual brain linkExpression

• Thalamus
• Amygdala
• Top of brain stem to frontal lobes
• Familiar activates hippocampus
• Bizarre activates thalamus / parietal lobe

(Jensen, 2001)
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Brain Processing of Visual Thought Motivation and
Self Discipline

• Frontal Lobes / Emotional system Choosing what
  students CAN do, OR what they actually CHOOSE to
  do.

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Teaching Visual Arts

• Preparing for Today and Tomorrow - Elliot W.
  Eisner

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Ten Lessons the Arts Teach
(Eisner, 2004)

• Good judgments about qualitative relationships
• Unlike much of the curriculum in which correct
  answers and rules prevail, in the arts, it is
  judgment rather that rules that prevail.
• Problems can have more than one solution
• Questions have more than one answer.
• Celebrate multiple perspectives
• Many ways to see and interpret the world.
• Complex forms of problem solving
• Learning that ideas can change with circumstance
  and opportunity.
• Willingness to surrender to the unanticipated
  possibilities.

Elliott Eisner, in Beyond Creating The Place for
Art in America's Schools. Getty Center for
Education in the Arts. 1985 p. 69.
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Ten Lessons the Arts Teach
(Eisner, 2004)

• Reveals cognition
• The limits of our language do not define the
  limits of our cognition.
• Subtleties
• Small differences can have large effects.
• Conceptual knowledge becomes real
• Learn to think through and within a material.
• Meaningful literacy
• Ability to encode or decode meaning in and of the
  symbolic forms used in culture.
• Learn to say what can not be said.

Elliott Eisner, in Beyond Creating The Place for
Art in America's Schools. Getty Center for
Education in the Arts. 1985 p. 69.
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Ten Lessons the Arts Teach
(Eisner, 2004)

• Discover emotion
• Experiences not possible from any other source.
• Discover the range and variety of what we are
  capable of feeling.
• The arts position in the school curriculum
  symbolizes to the young what adults believe is
  important.

Elliott Eisner, in Beyond Creating The Place for
Art in America's Schools. Getty Center for
Education in the Arts. 1985 p. 69.
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Teaching Visual ArtsAesthetic Value

• How visual arts is taught is just as important as
  what is taught.
• Joy, pleasure, surprise, novelty
• Exploration, discovering, motivation

(Jensen 2001) (McCabe, 1990)
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Teaching Visual Arts Functional Value

• Exercises in shifting perspectives, attitude
  change, too much ego, testing out possibilities,
  keeping an open mind
• Brainstorming, what if, consider what might be
  possible, the more the better
• Finding ways to express and develop ideas

(Jensen 2001) (McCabe, 1990)
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Teaching Visual Arts An Inclusive Subject

• History, styles, time periods
• Society, collaboration
• Communication, criticism
• Production
• Literacy

(Jensen 2001) (Eisner 2004)
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Teaching Visual ArtsInfluences on Thinking and
Memory

• All forms of color are superior to black and
  white for recall
• Realistic color is better than unrealistic color
  in memory tasks
• Unrealistic color is processed the the right
  hemisphere, realistic ones (color or black and
  white) are processed in the left hemisphere
• Context does play a role in color processing

(Berry, 1991) (Jensen, 2001)
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Teaching Visual Arts The Questions We Ask

• "How does the brain respond to this?
• "How can we cause the brain to do the work
  (processing) of learning?
• "Can we construct learning activities that invite
  all learners to participate?
• In what ways can learning opportunities be
  aligned with the natural learning systems of the
  brain?

(Greenleaf)
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Instructional Strategies

• Classroom Instruction That Works
• Nine instructional research-based strategies for
  increasing student achievement

(Marzano et al, 2001)
37
Identifying Similarities and Differences
Guidance in identifying similarities and
differences enhances students' understanding of
and ability to use knowledge. Independently
identifying similarities and differences enhances
students' understanding of and the ability to use
knowledge. Representing similarities and
differences in graphic or symbolic form enhances
students' understanding of and ability to use
knowledge. Identifying similarities and
differences can be accomplished in a variety of
ways comparing, classifying, creating metaphors,
and creating analogies.
(Marzano et al, 2001)
38
Summarizing and Note Taking

• To effectively summarize, students must delete
  some information, substitute some information and
  keep some information.
• To effectively delete, substitute, and keep
  information, students must analyze the
  information at a fairly deep level.
• Being aware of the explicit structure of
  information is an aid to summarizing information.

(Marzano et al, 2001)
39
Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition

• People generally attribute success at any given
  task to one of four causes ability, effort,
  other people, and luck.
• Not all students realize the importance of
  believing in effort.
• Students can learn to change their beliefs to an
  emphasis on effort.

(Marzano et al, 2001)
40
Homework and Practice

• Less homework should be assigned to younger
  students than to older students.
• Parent involvement in homework should be kept to
  a minimum.
• The purpose of homework should be identified and
  articulated.
• If homework is assigned, it should be commented
  on.

(Marzano et al, 2001)
41
Nonlinguistic Representation

• A variety of activities produce nonlinguistic
  representations.
• Creating graphic representations.
• Generating mental pictures.
• Drawing pictures and pictographs.
• Engaging in kinesthetic activity.
• Nonlinguistic representations should elaborate on
  knowledge.

(Marzano et al, 2001)
42
Cooperative Learning

• Organizing groups based on ability should be done
  sparingly.
• Cooperative groups should be kept small in size.
• Cooperative learning should be applied
  consistently and systematically, but not
  overused.Cooperative Learning five defining
  elements
• Positive interdependence
• Face-to-face interaction
• Individual and group accountability
• Interpersonal and small group skills
• Group processing

(Marzano et al, 2001)
43
Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback

• Instructional goals/objectives narrow what
  students focus on.
• Instructional goals/objectives should not be too
  specific.
• Students should be encouraged to personalize the
  teacher's goals.

(Marzano et al, 2001)
44
Generating and Testing Hypothesis

• Hypothesis generation and testing can be
  approached in a more inductive or deductive
  manner. In general, students produce better
  results when using the deductive thinking
  process.
• Deductive thinking requires students to apply
  current knowledge to make a prediction about a
  future action or event.
• Inductive thinking involves students in a process
  of drawing new conclusions based on information
  they know or have presented to them.
• Teachers should ask students to clearly explain
  their hypotheses and their conclusions. Research
  has shown the power of asking students to
  explain, in a variety of communication modes,
  their predictions and results.

(Marzano et al, 2001)
45
Questions, Cues and Advanced Organizers

• Cues and questions should focus on what is
  important as opposed to what is unusual.
• "Higher level" questions produce deeper learning
  than lower level questions.
• "Waiting" briefly before accepting responses from
  students increases the depth of student answers.
• Questions are effective learning tools even when
  asked before a learning experience.

(Marzano et al, 2001)
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Information Processing Model

• How the Brain Learns,
• David A. Sousa, 2001

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Information Processing Model
( Sousa, 2001)
How the Brain Learns, David A. Sousa, 2001
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( Sousa, 2001)
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( Sousa, 2001)
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( Sousa, 2001)
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Into the Classroom

• Environmental Considerations
• For
• Emotional Response

53
MUSIC
Party Shuffle 3 different BPM, only Instrumental
Music
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SMELLS arouse the Senses
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Into the Classroom

• Safety Creating Community

56
Into the Classroom

• The brain needs predictability. There have to
  be things in place in the classroom that the
  brain can count on.
• Marilee Sprenger, from All Kids Learn the Same
  Differently!, an audio recording from ASCD's 2003
  Annual Conference and Exhibit Show.

57
Animals / Plants

• Draw in varied learners.
• Create community.
• Produce oxygen.

58
SEATING ARRANGEMENTS
Changing seats frequently produces novelty in the
brain. Develops community.
New Assigned Seats Every 2 Weeks
New Managers Weekly
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Reducing Stress levels
Too much stress will ultimately impair our
students' ability to learn. High concentrations
of cortisol over a long period of time can
provoke hippocampal deterioration and cognitive
decline. With prolonged stress, the immune system
is compromised, increasing the risk of illness,
acceleration of disease, and retardation of
growth. (p. 110)
Brain Matters Translating Research into
Classroom Practice, Pat Wolfe (2001)
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Reducing Stress levels
How can we compete with the media, video games,
and sports figures? Faced with this competition,
one almost gets a sense of hopelessness. Can we
make a difference?
Brain Matters Translating Research into
Classroom Practice, Pat Wolfe (2001)
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Reducing Stress levels

• The two strongest protective factors are strong
  emotional attachments to parents and to teachers.
  
• Positive relationships with teachers were more
  important than class size, amount of teacher
  training, classroom rules, and school policy.
• When students feel connected to their teachers,
  fairly treated, and a part of the school, they
  are less likely to use drugs, drink alcohol,
  smoke, or have early sex.

American Medical Association (Resnick et al.,
1997)
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Reducing Stress levels
Taking time to connect with our students, to win
them over, is the first step in classroom
management.
American Medical Association (Resnick et al.,
1997)
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Into the Classroom

• Teaching to the Whole Child
• Wellness Considerations

64
Nutrition
Brain NutritionMarilee Sprenger, from All Kids
Learn the Same Differently!, an audio recording
from ASCD's 2003 Annual Conference and Exhibit
Show.
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MOVEMENT
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Wellness Oxygen

• 1 Oxygen
• Stretching Breaks
• Working Memory works for 10-20 minutes and then
  needs processing time.

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Wellness Water

• 2 Water
• Brain - Over 80 Water
• Body - 70 Water
• Neuronal Transmission is highly sensitive to cell
  polarity.

(Levine, 1995)
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WATER
Brain over 80 water Body over 70
water Needs 4 oz. / hour

• Save your bottle reuse
• Write your name on your bottle
• NO OUTSIDE DRINKS ALLOWED!

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Into the Classroom

• Teaching to the Whole Child
• Delivery of Instruction

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WHAT IS HUMAN INTELLIGENCE?
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DID YOU KNOW?

• Young people who participate in the arts for at
  least nine hours each week
• through at least one full year are
• 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic
  achievement
• 3 times more likely to be elected to class office
  within their schools
• 4 times more likely to participate in a math and
  science fair
• 3 times more likely to win an award for school
  attendance
• 4 times more likely to win an award for writing
  an essay or poem

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WHAT IS HUMAN INTELLIGENCE?
Your Dreams and Career
Where Am I?
Hard Working
Lazy
Where Do I Want To Be In Life?
Standard Household Doorknob
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9 INTELLIGENCES

• Bodily / Kinesthetic
• Musical / Rhythmic
• Logical / Mathematical
• Visual / Spatial
• Intrapersonal
• Interpersonal
• Naturalist
• Verbal / Linguistic
• Existential

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Teach Skill Development to performance outcomes

• Take time to teach basic skills / concepts
• Apply learning to life, make multi-disciplinary
  connections
• Allow time for experimentation, exploration of
  concepts
• Concrete concepts in place before moving on to
  performance

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Teach Skill Development to performance outcomes

• THE POWER OF ADVERTISING - UNIT EXAMPLE
• Standard 1
• Students will recognize points of view,
  propaganda, and/or statements of fact and opinion
  while viewing a variety of advertising media.
• Standard 2
• ? Students will categorize how advertisements are
  targeted to specific audiences by compiling
  advertisements.
• ? Students will classify messages found in
  advertising by examining advertisements.
• ? Students will incorporate their knowledge of
  persuasive advertising by producing their own
  slogans and advertisements.

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Teach Skill Development to performance outcomes

• Standard 3
• ? Students will apply concepts of page layout
  (proportions, word choice, graphic and word
  placements) by employing them into their own
  advertisement.
• Standard 4
• ? Students will practice persuasive techniques to
  influence consumers' choices by utilizing them in
  their own advertisement.
• Students will develop technical skills in a
  graphic arts medium by creating an advertisement.
• ? Students will define advertising / persuade /
  persuasive / persuasive techniques and carry
  through these concepts to develop and create an
  advertisement about their school.

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Teach Skill Development to performance outcomes

• Standard 5
• ? Students will differentiate how advertising
  techniques can vary between media, purpose, and
  audience by relating various advertisements to
  Howard Gardners Multiple Intelligences.
• Standard 6
• ? Students will evaluate how advertisements are
  targeted to specific audiences by predicting what
  persuasion techniques their audience will respond
  to.
• ? Students will compare the use of persuasive
  advertising techniques to becoming smarter
  consumers by inferring how they will perceive and
  purchase products and services in the future.

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Teach Skill Development to performance outcomes

• Set up a challenge, allow choice
• Allow time to go through creative processing
• Allow time to create final performance using
  individual preferences

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Lets join neuroscientists in the advocacy for
children in our country!

• Lynette Fast
• North Star High School
• Lincoln, NE
• lfast_at_lps.org

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Bibliography
Eisner, E. W. (2004). Preparing for today and
tomorrow. Educational Leadership, 61(4),
6-10. Kelley, T., Littman, J. (2001). The art
of innovation. 1st ed. New York
Doubleday. Jensen, E. (2001). Arts with the
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Association for Supervision and Curriculum
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Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom instruction that
works. 1st ed. Alexandria, VA Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development. Jensen,
E. (2000). Different brains, different learners.
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D. (2001). How the brain learns. 2nd ed.
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