Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts, and the Brain

NEUROEDUCATION: LEARNING, ARTS, AND THE BRAIN Findings and Challenges for Educators and Researchers from the 2009 Johns Hopkins University Summit About The Johns Hopkins University School of Education Department of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education Neuro-Education Initiative Bringing Together Researchers, Educators, and Stakeholders Located at The Johns Hopkins University School of In partnership with The Dana Foundation and Education, the Neuro-Education Initiative (NEI) as a follow-up to the Dana Arts and Cognition bridges the gap between the brain sciences and Consortium, NEI hosted its inaugural national education by bringing together an interdisciplinary summit in May 2009 on the topic of Learning, Arts, group of researchers, educators, and stakeholders and the Brain. This publication captures the spirit of to explore the intersection and application of brain collaboration among summit participants who repre- research in education and to support potential areas sented a wide array of disciplines among the research, of translational research. academic, arts and educational practitioner commu- Supported by the Johns Hopkins University’s nities. Future summits will build on this spirit of Brain Science Institute, the Neuro-Education discovery and communication to bring the practical Initiative spearheads collaborative projects among needs of educators and stakeholders to the research research and educational faculty from across the community and the exciting discoveries of the brain University and beyond to advance the science of sciences to those who teach and nurture children. learning. Such projects include national summits For more information and future events visit and conferences on topics relevant to education, www.education.jhu.edu/nei; or contact the Neuro- graduate programs, and research initiatives to bring Education Initiative Co-Directors Mariale Hardiman new knowledge to inform educational practices at [email protected] or Susan Magsamen at and policies. [email protected]. About Dana The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic In the science and health fields, Dana grants organization with particular interests in brain support research in neuroscience and immunology. science, immunology, and education. As part of its outreach to the public, Dana produces In 2004, Dana funded the Dana Arts and Cognition books and periodicals from the Dana Press, coor- Consortium bringing together scientists from seven dinates the international Brain Awareness week research institutions to study how arts training in chil- campaign; and supports the Dana Alliance for Brain dren might affect other learning domains. The results Initiatives, a nonprofit organization of more than of the study were published in 2008 and became the 250 neuroscientists, including ten Nobel laureates, focus for an all-day summit focused on neuroeduca- committed to advancing public awareness of the tion, hosted by the Johns Hopkins Neuro-Education progress of brain research. The Dana Web site is at Initiative, in cooperation with Dana. This publication www.dana.org. is an outcome of that summit meeting. Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts, and the Brain Findings and Challenges for Educators and Researchers from the 2009 Johns Hopkins University Summit By Mariale Hardiman, Ed.D., Susan Magsamen, Guy McKhann, M.D., and Janet Eilber Barbara Rich, Ed.D., Editor Johanna Goldberg, Associate Editor New York/Washington, D.C. Copyright 2009 by Dana Press, all rights reserved Published by Dana Press New York/Washington, D.C. The Dana Foundation 745 Fifth Avenue, Suite 900 New York, NY 10151 900 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20005 DANA is a federally registered trademark. ISBN: 978-1-932594-52-2 Art direction and cover design by Kenneth Krattenmaker. Layout by William Stilwell. Cover illustrations: Art from students at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School, Baltimore Dedication William Safire 1929–2009 William Safire died while this publication was in production. But, in true Safire-style, he met the deadline for his prolegomenon just a week or so before his death. “Deadline, deadline, deadline” was his mantra and he kept to it. Safire, always the first to realize what would be significant and push for it, believed in the importance of arts education, brain research, and neuroeducation. In 2004, with the approval of the Dana Board of Directors, the Foundation established the Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium. The Consortium, researchers at seven major institutions, was charged with studying the effects of arts training on other learning domains. The results of that study, which showed strong correlative links, but not causal ones, were released in a report in 2008. Earlier this year, Safire gave his approval for the Foundation to support The Johns Hopkins Neuro- Education Initiative, which planned to hold a summit for scientists, educators, and policy makers on the results of that study and subsequent research. Safire was convinced that this emerging field of neuroeducation, with its strong ties to cognitive research, would ultimately make a difference in teaching and would emphasize the importance of bringing arts back into the classroom. Safire decided that the Foundation, working with the Neuro-Education Initiative, would publish a book of the highlights of the summit meeting. He told me to “get on it,” and get this book out. The time frame was never stated, but certainly implied. Safire hated old news. Enough said. So, despite the sadness following his death we “got on it.” I asked, “What would Bill say?” And I knew the answer would be, “Keep the faith, kiddo.” And we will, Bill. This one’s for you. Barbara Rich, Ed.D. Editor Contents Section 1: Prolegomenon 1 by William Safire Section 2: Executive Summary 3 Section 3: Summary of Neuroscience Research 13 Section 4: Keynote, Jerome Kagan, Ph.D. 29 Why the Arts Matter Six Good Reasons for Advocating the Importance of Arts in School Section 5: Edited Excerpts from the Educators’ Panel 37 Implications of Research for Educational Practice Section 6: The Roundtable Discussions 47 Section 7: Implications for Policy and Practice 67 Part 1: A View from Science .................67 Part 2: A View from Education ............70 Part 3: A View from Arts Education .....75 Agenda 79 About the Authors and Presenters 81 Resources 91 Acknowledgements 97 Index 101 v Section 1 The Circuits of Neuroeducation A Prolegomenon* By William Safire, Chairman, the Dana Foundation When they get around to remaking the 1974 the information it acquires—circuitry has become movie The Graduate, the key word whispered into an ever more exciting challenge. the young man’s ear as the secret to success in the Because cognition is rooted in the Latin word coming generation won’t be “plastics!” The word for knowledge, educators also have a great stake in the updated version will be “circuits!” in the idea of circuits. In great universities and in An early user of that word in its scientific elementary classrooms, the constricted “stovepipe” sense was Benjamin Franklin. Franklin described departments of the past have given way to interdis- his experiments in electricity in several letters to ciplinary approaches. Such connectivity in teaching Peter Collinson, a friend and Fellow of the Royal gives memorable context to learning; equally Society who lived in London. Collinson and others important, it spurs student creativity. Subjects cross in London thought Franklin’s letters contained over each other, transferring skills and knowledge, valuable information, so in 1751 they published figuratively as they do in the brain. them in a book, Experiments and Observations on Let’s now apply the metaphor of circuitry to Electricity. the book in your hand. A circuit has been forming Today, neuroscientists—having used the recent over the past two decades, relatively unremarked, leaps in imaging technology to discover and map between cognitive neuroscience—the science of the regions of the brain dedicated to perceiving, learning—and the practitioners of education. What reacting, remembering, thinking, and judging— was needed to close the knowledge circuit—to give are delving into the connectivity among the brain’s a jolt of energy to the trend toward neuroeduca- universe of neurons. In cognitive neuroscience—the tion—was a field of experimentation familiar and study of how the brain learns, stores, and then uses accessible to both disciplines, one that would dispel a sometimes inbuilt mutual wariness. * A prolegomenon is a highfalutin word for a brief preface to a One connection that presented itself was an lengthy tract. Neuroeducators avoid such words. area of controversy: the impact of training in 1 2 Learning, Arts and the Brain WILL KIR the brain that would near transfer to motor skills, K , HOME or even far transfer to the ability to solve math- ematical problems? Did dance training increase W OOD P an aptitude for geometric patterns, ultimately H OTOGRA leading to high marks in architecture or interior design? Beyond such specific effects on related PH academic areas, did rigorous arts training enable IC SERVICE the student to better concentrate on any subject? Of course, correlations between, say, music and S mathematics talents have long been apparent, but as skeptical scientists rightly pointed out, correla- tion is not causation. The neuroeducation circuit has gradually been forming across the country, including the University of California, Santa Barbara; the University of California, Irvine; Harvard; and several smaller colleges. Nowhere

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