Over the years, I have been very impressed by what Sir Ken Robinson has to say about creativity in our schools. It explains the problem of rote memorization and seems to speak to the dislike most Americans have of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Some of my friends have called NCLB Legislation; the directive Children are not allowed in advance. I suppose that in some respects I agree with that observation. In one of Sir Ken Robinson’s most famous TED talks, he suggests that we should teach dance in our schools, yes, dance.
Why do you ask? Well, it is a creative exercise and it helps your brain develop and think. He’s right, and now neurologists know why. The nerve endings are attached to the nerves that go up the spinal column and go directly to the brain, it is an extension of that system. In fact, if you want to learn more about all of this, maybe I can save you some trouble in your personal research, as I had recently asked myself some of these questions, trying to confirm what many teachers and educators have speculated. decades. If this topic also intrigues you, there are some very good books that I would like to recommend that you read;
1. “The Artful Mind: Cognitive Science and the Riddle of Human Creativity”, edited by Mark Turner, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2006, 314 pages, ISBN: 978-0-19-530636-1.
This book is a compilation of academically peer-reviewed articles and essays on the subject, many of which have taken all the ancient works of famous dead white male psychologists and merged them with modern neuroscience. Some of which prove what we already inherently know and have easily observed in case studies, other essays challenge the status quo and the knowledge that we think we believed turns everything upside down. A very important set of readings for anyone researching this topic.
2. “Dance / Movement Therapists in Action: A Job Guide to Research Options,” edited by Robyn Flaum Cruz, Cynthia Florence Berrol, Charles Thomas Publishers, Springfield, IL, 233 pages, ISBN: 978-0-39 -80750-40.
Edited in a similar format, but the trials focus on what to do with all this new information and how best to use it for therapy. Not only does it do tremendous physical good, but it can be used creatively in therapy and to learn to work wonders on cognitive ability, helping the student overcome challenges and increase their ability to think. It all starts with a little dance. I hope that when you have a change, you choose to dance. Consider all of this and think about it.
