ARTSblog: A Nation at Risk – 30 Years Later
Thirty years ago education took a dramatic turn that resulted in cuts in art programs and increased testing of a narrowed curriculum.
Brain Development
How Children Learn: One Size Education Does NOT Fit All.
There are several different learning styles, and each has a direct impact on how your child learns, processes information, and their level of success in the classroom.
Art & Academics: Back to School – Back to Art
As we get our kids ready to go back to school, let’s remember how important it is for them to get back to art.
Here’s a great Cinderella story about how one principal used art to dramatically transform a failing school.
Creativity Requires Quiet
Do you want to be more creative? Have the next million-dollar idea?
Do you want to be in the ranks of Einstein, Picasso or Steve Jobs? Then it’s time to get creative… and quiet!!
Creativity is an internal process that requires time spent in imagination. But today’s world is busy; so many things demand our time, attention and energy. That generating original ideas can sometimes feel more like work than play.
Thinking creatively is an internal process. It’s about finding and connecting thoughts to arrive at new conclusions and new ideas. This kind of thinking comes naturally to the right side of our mind, but we need to slow down and “tune in” to hear it. We can all be creative, but we have to get quiet enough to hear ourselves think.
Learning Styles: Reading Directions
Ever wonder why people do the things they do? Why doesn’t your husband read the directions? Why can’t you find anything once you take the time to file the papers in your office? Why do you have to pinch and poke yourself to stay awake during language heavy presentations?
It’s all about wiring. The way our brains are wired has a direct affect on the way we organize or don’t organize; the way we see, think and do and the way we operate at home, school and work. There are three distinct learning styles: auditory, visual and tactile.
Auditory folks are good with words and logical, linear thinking. Visual learners are big picture, innovative thinkers that need to see things. Tactile people take a very hands-on approach to life.
So what kind of thinker are you? There are a variety of learning style tests on-line but here’s a quick question to get you started:
Imagine you just came back from the store with a new cabinet that needs to be assembled. How would you proceed?
A Great Art Teacher: Impacting Minds
I love the way visual kids express themselves, learn problem solving, see multiple solutions to problems – and the impact the arts have on developing minds. Meet Terra. She makes me want to be 16 again.
Terra is the head of the Menomonee Falls High School art department and I want to be a student in her classes. Recently I had a tour of the art classrooms, saw student work and enjoyed Terra’s classroom stories and favorite assignments.
Changing Education Paradigms: Sir Ken Robinson
This is one of my favorite speakers, Kenneth Robinson. He’s an author, educator, and creativity expert, he speaks internationally, challenging us to rethink our school systems, cultivate creativity and protect the arts.
You’ll appreciate the message in this video – but also that it is so visual – because its been illustrated! The images make his thoughts even more powerful.
Preschool Art: Teaching How to Draw
Brayden has the distinct advantage of having drawing classes at home. As the founder of Young Rembrandts, I’ve taught thousands of preschool kids how to draw, but always enjoy special time with my grandson.
Kids and the Arts: Before & After
One of my all time favorite things to do is to head into a classroom full of preschool students, sit them around a table and teach them how to draw. That would strike terror into the hearts of most people, but with training and a reasonable expectation of what is possible – it is a most remarkable experience.
