California Educator

September 2013

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FEATURE 1 The arts Make you smarter arts education engages students in learning, improves achievement, and reduces truancy and dropout rates. It also helps prepare students for the 21st century workforce, increasing the ability to innovate, communicate and collaborate. A recent Harris poll shows 93 percent of Americans consider the arts vital to providing a well-rounded education and a critical link to learning and success. Johns Hopkins researchers reported that arts education can help "rewire" the brain in positive ways. The scientists found that practicing a specific art form increased the efficiency of students' attention network as a whole — even when working in other areas of study. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH SHOWS 2 arts Enhance The the educational experience I want students to understand the characters, social hierarchy, and how to navigate the intricacies of Shakespearean syntax. So they perform a dance where Romeo meets Juliet. They see how Elizabethans moved, what they listened to and what they were like. They were proud, dignified and very much aware of being upper-class. Students remember that. They get Shakespeare. During the rest of the play, I ask them to remember how the dancing and music made them feel. Integrating the arts with core curriculum can be summed up in one word. That word is joy. KIMBERLEY GILES English teacher at Monte Vista High School San Ramon Valley Education Association 10 Educator 09 Sep 2013 v3.6 int.indd 10 S E P T E M B E R 2013 9/3/13 2:25 PM

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