Learning, the Arts, and the Brain -- The Dana Foundation

A report issued by The Dana Foundation in 2008 expresses some interesting implications regarding how the human brain learns, specifically addressing the correlation between the arts and learning processes. The report states the following:

1.      An interest in a performing art leads to a high state of motivation… that leads to improvement in other domains of cognition.

2.      Genetic studies are beginning to show genes that may help explain individual differences in interest in the arts.

3.      Specific links exist between high levels of music training and the ability to manipulate information in both working and long term memory.

4.      In children, there are links between practice of music and skills in geometrical representation.

5.      Correlations exist between music training and both reading acquisition and sequence learning.  One of the central predictors of early literacy, phonological awareness, is correlated with both music training and the development of a specific brain pathway.

6.      Training in acting leads to memory improvement.

7.      The tempermental factor of openness is influenced by dopamine-related genes.

8.      Learning to dance is related to observational learning.  This organization of complex actions done by neural substrates may transfer to other cognitive skills.

As an instructional designer, this report fascinates me.  First, it expresses the importance of genetics and brain functionality to the learning process.  Second, it expresses the importance of including the arts in every day instruction.

However, this report also leaves me with many questions.

Are some students predisposed to excelling in the arts?

Do some students read sooner and have better reading comprehension due to predisposed factors, such as musical talent?  Is it possible to overcome these?

 

Can early exposure to the arts enhance the “neurological pathways” in order to help children later in life as learners?

Gazzaniga, M. (2008) Learning, arts, and the brain: the Dana consortium report on arts and cognition.  New York: Dana Press.

 

www.dana.org

Should teachers study the brain in order to improve their instructional design?

Should teachers study the brain in order to improve their instructional design?

Last June, Sarah Sparks examined this question in her Education Week article, “Neuroscientists Find Learning is Not ‘Hard-Wired.’” Sarah says that recent research shows that human brains do not function as computers. Rather, the human brain changes shape and function as a result of learning, or experiences. 

Here are a sampling of quotes from the article:

"What we find is people really do change their brain functions in response to experience," said Kurt W. Fischer, the director of Harvard University's Mind, Brain, and Education Program. "It's just amazing how flexible the brain is. That plasticity has been a huge surprise to a whole lot of people."

 “…Mr. Fischer and other mind-brain-education researchers said, helping teachers and students understand how the brain changes in response to experience may be the best way to link neuroscience findings to classroom experience.”

 "A student's brain physically changes every day, and the way we teach either enhances or impairs it," she [Principal B. Lynn Brown] said, noting that she and her teachers hold summer seminars for other district staff on the brain's flexibility and response to instruction. "We have to ask ourselves as educators, what does our practice say about what we believe? We are explicitly teaching thinking skills."

According to this article, recent research indicates that instructional designers must be aware of thinking processes in addition to behavior processes in order to teach students effectively.  It seems as though the quoted research is sound.  However, it does not seem as though the research has been repeated in many different environments with multiple people groups represented. 

That said, the most interesting part of the article outlines myths that many teachers believe, such as the “myth” that learning improves when a teacher teaches to a child’s learning style.  There are several listed instructional "truths" that this author debunks as myths.  This is unsettling to most educators.

What other instructional “truths” are now classified as myths?  Follow this link to see how well you know your brain…

 

www.edweek.org/go/brainquiz

Sparks, S. (2012).  Neuroscientists find learning is not “hard-wired”. Education Week, 31(33), 1-17.

 

How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition

Excellent resource describing the difference between novices and experts.  It points out that experts in a field are able to quickly problem solve and find patterns.
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition

Dear Curiosity, perhaps technology will help you survive

“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.” – Albert Einstein

As I journey toward creating engaging online learning opportunities for students both globally and locally, I am exploring where others have gone before.  Reinventing the wheel has never been my style.  Here are three teachers from whom I am gaining great insight into online learning.

1.      Online Learning Insights

Resources for online teachers are not scarce on Debbie Morrison’s blog.  As one example, I will outline the article “How to encourage online learners to take responsibility for their learning.”

Beginning with a provocative quote by author Vincent Tinto (“To single out the institution as being solely responsible for student departure, as do many critics, is to deny an essential principle of effective education, namely that students must themselves become responsible for their own learning.”), this author points out the essentials of mandatory engagement in order for learning to occur.  She refers to J. Bruner’s theory of constructivism and connectivism as she explains how online learners must possess the following in order to succeed:
§  Time management and organization skills where the learner is able to complete assignments within due dates, manage course materials and content effectively.
§  Motivation and drive to learn demonstrated through participation in forums and/or group work.
§  The drive to ask questions and seek instructor support.
§  Strong writing skills where the learner can create discussion posts and interact with classmates.

She also outlines specific steps online instructors can take in order to improve responsibility in online learning situations.

This blog will prove valuable to me as I begin my journey / transition into “online classroom management” – a topic of which I did not consider important until I perused this blog.

2.      Larry Ferlazzo’s Theory ofKnowledge Class Blog

This classroom blog is littered with excellent links to philosophical web sites regarding theories of knowledge on the arts, emotions, ethics, history, human sciences, languages, and perception.  I will use it as an excellent resource throughout this Walden University course on theories of learning and knowledge.  I will also use it as an example of online instruction and collaboration in a traditional classroom.

3.      The Edublogger

This blog outlines specific teaching strategies I can utilize to engage students in my classroom.  The teaching strategy outlined in her latest blog is called memrise, which refers to an online vocabulary wiki aimed at teaching ESL students new vocabulary over a period of time.


It is my hope that implementing a few of these web 2.0 teaching strategies will engage the curiosity of my students and allow them to step into a more meaningful, authentic learning environment.

Mesmerize Your Students With Memrise

Great idea!
Teach vocabulary using Web 2.0 tools and strategies:

Mesmerize Your Students With Memrise