Fifth International School On Mind, Brain And Education

2010 August 1-6

Learning, Arts,
and the Brain

Directors: Antonio M. Battro and Kurt W. Fischer
Program officer: María Lourdes Majdalani


This year’s Course explores the topic Learning, Arts, and the Brain. Its purpose is to provide a unique opportunity for the research and educational communities to come together to discuss what is known about arts, cognition, and neuroscience; what is and can be applied in the classroom, at home, and in the community; and to explore priorities and opportunities for further research.

Inspired by the growing interest in the arts, the last three years have witnessed several scientific attempts to unveil links between exposure to the arts and children’s learning – much of this fueled by new studies in brain science. In 2008, for example, the National Science Foundation sponsored an interdisciplinary workshop called “Art, Creativity, and Learning” and commissioned a report due out in 2010 that reviews the current state of our knowledge and avenues for future research. The Dana Foundation also released the first findings from a set of preliminary studies investigating how dance, music, theatre, and visual arts are related to different aspects of academic achievement.

These findings were presented at a cutting-edge multidisciplinary conference, Learning, Arts, and the Brain, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University in June of 2009 that touted the interface of neuroscience, art, and education as a fertile frontier for scientific discovery, meaningful intervention, and new pedagogy.

The broad interdisciplinary perspective, from synapses to systems and applied research, enrich and broaden this course and provide the canvas for diverse conversation and collaboration. Topics include explorations of the visual system, space and architecture, music, creativity, the biological basis of beauty, arts integration, and film and the brain. There is tremendous interest in this topic and we believe the workshop is a great opportunity to expand this important conversation by bringing scientists and educators together to frame the next research agenda for arts and learning.


Participants
MBE Prize 2010: Soraya Umewaka



ANTONIO M. BATTRO

Academia Nacional de Educación, ARGENTINA
One Laptop Per Child Association.
Chief Education Officer.
The art of fencing and painting with a half brain
Abstract / Paper

KURT FISCHER

Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA

SUSAN MAGSAMEN

John Hopkins University - School of Education, USA
Can You Really Learn Through The Arts? Learning 21st Century skills through poly-sensory experiences and Arts
Abstract / Paper 1 / Paper 2

HIDEAKI KOIZUMI

Hitachi, Japan
“Brain-science & the arts” for human well-being
Abstract

JEAN PIERRE CHANGEUX

Institut Pasteur, FRANCE
The neuroscience of art: a research program for the next decade?
Abstract / Paper

FERNANDO VIDAL

Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, GERMANY

HORACIO REGGINI

National Academy of Exact Physical and Natural Sciences, ARGENTINA
Put a brain in your camera: non-standard computer images
Abstract / Paper / Paper 2

JAMES CATTERALL

UCLA, USA
Artistic youth, the genesis of empathy, and a right hemispheric development hypothesis suggested by the recent work of Ian McGilchrist
Abstract

ED CONNOR

Johns Hopkins University – Mind, Brain Institute, USA
Neural basis of sculptural aesthetics
Abstract

FRANCISCO ORTEGA

Institute for Social Medicine - State University of Rio de Janeiro, BRAZIL
An axiomatic truth? Varieties of neuroesthetic experience
Abstract

KIM SHERIDAN

George Mason University - College of Education and Human Development, USA
Learning in the Arts: the studio thinking framework
Abstract / Paper

JAMES CROFT

Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA
An epistemological critique of Neuroesthetics
Abstract / Paper

THALIA GOLDSTEIN

Boston College, USA
Acting Classes Enhance Social Cognitive Skills
Abstract / Paper

MARIALE HARDIMAN

John Hopkins University, USA
Paper

KYLIE PEPPLER

Indiana University School of Education, USA
In dialogue: links between drama and the academic English language development of at-risk-youth
Abstract

CLARE GRIZZARD

Roland Park Middle School, USA
The Arts as a portal to creativity in teaching and learning. Clare Grizzard, Mariale Hardiman and Susan Rome.
Abstract

SUSAN ROME

Lab School, USA

SORAYA UMEWAKA

Princeton University, USA
Brain education art
Abstract / Presentation / Paper

FUMITAKA HOMAE

Tokyo Metropolitan University, JAPAN
From sounds to language: the auditory world in the infant brain
Abstract

HIROKAZU TANAKA

Hitachi, JAPAN
Shedding light on hidden yourself; Optical-Topography decoding of higher cognitive functions
Abstract

CHRISTINA HINTON

Harvard University, USA
Babies, books and Bellini
Abstract

GIUSEPPE LONGO

University of Venice, ITALY
Cognitive neuroscience, reading literary texts, and emotional education
Abstract

CATHERINE GLENNON

Ross School, USA