Movement and Arts Meeting the Diverse Needs of Gifted & Talented Learners
Feb 09, 2016
Movement and Arts
Meeting the Diverse Needs of Gifted & Talented Learners
Janet Draper
DPS GT Itinerant Teacher
October 5, 2009
Movement & the Arts• Prepares the mind for learning• Internalize concepts• Enhances understanding• Builds mental flexibility• Adds variety and fun• Addresses active learning styles• Meets the needs of Visual-spatial, kinesthetic,
ELL, and special needs students
Established Programs
• Roger Taylor Integrated Units• Kagan • Brain Gym• Language!• Arts Integration in IB• Fluency Fast- TPR-Storytelling• Many local practitioners
Workshop will Cover:
Facts & Studies that support Arts &
Movement
Activities and Examples
Classroom set up
Arts and Achievement
• Study 1: Arts improves academics• http://
www.dkfoundation.org/pdf/profilesofsuccess-3-4-2008.pdf
• Recent Colorado study • Profiles eight schools that are closing the
achievement gap. All of the schools offered music programs and most provided creative and performing arts.
Study 2: Arts improves engagement
2008 Colorado Council on the Arts andColorado Department of Education study showed schools
that offer more arts education have higher academicachievement and lower dropout rates.
www.coloarts.orgwww.cde.state.co.us
Study 3: Adults value the arts education
May 2005 Harris National Poll on the attitudes of Americans toward arts education
revealed the public strongly supports arts:
93% arts are vital to a well-rounded education
86% say arts assisted in the improvements of attitudes toward school
www.aep-arts.org
Structured Movement & Creative Arts
Reinforce Higher-Level Thinking
Academic Achievement & the Arts
New information
• Daniel Pink John Ratey
Daniel Pink: A Whole New Mind
Daniel Pink, Arts, and Movement
• In the Conceptual Age, the logical-sequential left brain will no longer be sufficient. The right-brain can interpret many things simultaneously.
• We’ll need an integrated brain
Integrated brain that does:• Work that overseas workers cannot do
cheaper• Thinking that computers can’t do faster• High-concept, high-touch thinking that
satisfies the aesthetic, emotional, and spiritual demands of a prosperous time.
Pink suggests “PLAY”
• p. 178 “When you are playful, you are activating the right side of your brain. The logical brain is a limited brain. The right side is unlimited. You can be anything you want” says Dr. Madan Kataria of India.
• Games, humor, and joyfulness can help lead to sophisticated thinking.
Spark• The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and
the Brain by John Ratey, MD and Eric Hagerman• Ratey is a clinical associate professor of
psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
• JohnRatey.com
Exercise makes one smarter
Exercise
• Exercise…makes the brain function at its best.
• The point of exercise is to build and condition the brain.
• The relationship between food, physical activity, and learning is hardwired into the brain.
• Spark, page 3
Exercise increases levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine
—important neurotransmitters that traffic in thoughts and emotions.
Brains respond like muscles do, growing with use,
withering with inactivity.
…exercise causes the neuron connections to grow
and bloom with new buds, thus enhancing brain function at a
fundamental level.”
The more complex the (exercise) movements, the more complex the synaptic connections.
And even though these circuits are created through movement,
they can be recruited by other areas and used for thinking, p. 56
Brain Rules- 12 rulesby John Medina
www.brainrules.net
• Ancestors walked 12 miles a day• Rule #1 Exercise boosts brain power• Rule #3 Every brain is wired differently• Rule # 9 Stimulate more of the senses- Sensory integration is important to
learning.
Directly opposed to brain
• Current classrooms• Stressful cubicle offices• Driving with cell phone
• Suggests Multisensory school lessons• Treadmills in classrooms and offices• Recess twice a day
How Much Exercise?
• 2-3 times per week for 30 minutes• 6 times per week for at least 30 minutes• Strenuous exercise that increases heart
rate• Aerobic exercise• Day-long movement still beneficial
Exercise
Please advocate:
Movement/Exercise: Before and after schoolIn the classroom and class dayAs part of our instructional tools (Water, Sleep, Nutritious Food)
Activities & Examples:1. Language Arts2. Science3. Math
Language Arts
• Long Vowels– a trip to Elitches• Limerick - 3-Step Limerick poem• Tic-Tac-Toe: movement choice• Visualization & literature• One-pager - AVID• Tableaux: Romeo & Juliet
Science
• Draw and color world• Walk the Heart – Mamie Garceo• Whirligig – Scientific Method – Cheryl
Joseffy and DPS Integrated Arts team
Scientific Method
Human Whirligigs
• Explain Scientific Method• Display a whirligig• Small groups draw 5-step tasks• Small groups physicalize steps• Perform as human whirligigs
Math
• Crop Circles- Bridgette Russell Weiss• String art – equation-based- Weiss• Rope angles – Jane Page• Algebra – order of operations
Classroom Logistics
• Number tables and desks • Flexible grouping• Small groups can move at once• Clear expectations• Teach no-mouth + movement• Age-appropriate• Stop! If inappropriate
Room arrangement
• “Patio” – standing area• Clipboards for sitting or standing• Glide rocker (with turns)• Teach sit or stand options• Learning centers• Small group options• Establish routines
Non-competitive Games
• Non-competitive Games• Build cooperation, teamwork, and
communication skills• Principal Greta Martinez asked Janis Ward
to design the games• Games establish a caring school climate
Grant Games- Janis Ward