Extraordinary Experiences:

2011 Knowledge Exchange

It's clear from the discussion at our recent Knowledge Exchange wrap-up meeting that our brains are still buzzing with new ideas generated by the excellent keynotes, panelists, presenters and attendees who created the core of Art , Science & the Brain: New Models of Learning for the 21st Century. They clearly sparked our synapses with their stimulating, innovative ideas. 

We know we're not alone in our heightened mental state - the feedback we've received to date has been overwhelmingly positive and equally energizing: 

Overall, I think this was the best conference I have ever been to - and I've been around the block!

I really had a great time, and as one of the smallest start-ups there I was so very appreciative of all the mentor and peers who gave their time and insight into our project. The panels were amazing and expanded my knowledge of the status of the education market.

I teach elementary science and technology and this was the highest quality conference that I have attended since I became a teacher six years ago. It was an extraordinary experience to be with so many innovators from so many different areas of education, mental health, business, the arts, technology, etc. It was an amazing experience all around.

It felt like the audience was ready for more...

We also collected a great number of excellent pointers that will only help us to improve the experience for future editions of the Knowledge Exchange. Based on what we've learned from our delegates, we're already in the process of planning our next events. So be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for future announcements. Better yet, sign up to ArtsSmarts' Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as to the MaRS Discovery District mailing list to keep up to date.

While this was ArtsSmarts' fourth Knowledge Exchange, it was the first offered in official partnership with Social Innovation Generation at MaRS (SiG@MaRS). If there was one lesson we could all take away from the two days together, it's that collaboration and co-creation are powerful tools for generating important innovations. This was the kernel of our collective idea to use collaborative, arts-infused learning as a basis for the planning and execution of the Knowledge Exchange itself. Through our united planning process, we thought carefully about how to design a conference experience that was interactive, artistic and inspiring rather than just a means to transmit information about ArtsSmarts projects and SiG@MaRS clients.

We lived in this state of co-creation constantly over the six months leading up to October 31. Our organizations are richer for the experience, not only in the strength of our partnership but even more so in the reach of our networks and in the enormous wealth of ideas that were generated and shared at MaRS during the Knowledge Exchange.

But this unique partnership wasn't the only first for Art, Science and the Brain. Many delegates attended this year's Knowledge Exchange for the first time, and a vast majority plan to attend again in the future. We look forward to seeing you all in 2012! Until then, we're keen to learn about how you're answering our two key questions: 
 

What does what I've learned mean for my own work?

What is the one thing I'll do with what I've learned when I get back to the classroom / office / studio / lab?

Send us an e-mail (click on our names!), post on Facebook and Twitter, or give us a call. We're always happy to hear from you!    

Jason van Eyk, Executive Director, ArtsSmarts

Joseph Wilson, Education Specialist, SiG@MaRS 

Photos: © 2011 Connie Tsang

Stories from the Classroom:

Focus on Newfoundland and Labrador

In late October, the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council awarded $150,000 in grants to thirty-seven schools for their ArtsSmarts projects. Here are just four of the innovative projects that are running throughout the region:

 

Holy Trinity Elementary, Torbay

September 15, 2011 to May 12, 2012

The Gully Revisited

350 students and 14 teachers will explore the Torbay Gully wetlands (left) and use their exploration of the local habitat to complete visual art activities that connect with the school curriculum in science, language arts and math. Kindergarten students will work with Isabella St. John to paint local wildflowers in acrylic on wood. Margaret Best will work with the Grade 3 students to create watercolour paintings of wildflowers. Marlene Creates will work with the Grade 6 students to create handmade books that explore the Torbay Gully in photography, drawings and writing. All students will also create a mural of the gully wetland with visual artist Nancy Squires.

 

Holy Cross Elementary, St. John's

October 1, 2011 to May 1, 2012

Crusaders Remember Significant Events in the West End

160 students in Grades K to 6 and seven teachers will take part in a project that will explore traditions and historically significant events that have occurred in the West End of St. John's. Grades 5 and 6 will work with playwright and actor Chuck Herriott to write and perform a play as part of their language arts classes. As part of their social studies, Grades 3 and 4 will research topics including Shanawdithit's burial site (left), the Newfoundland Railway, the history of Vimy Avenue, Thomas Rickett's memorial, and statues and memorials in Bowring Park. Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 2 will draw, paint and create set pieces and props to be used in the play created by the older students. The project will be documented and developed into a DVD and digital booklet for students to keep.

 

Morris Academy, Mount Pearl

May 1 to June 15, 2012

Felted Butterfly Artwork

Under the guidance of artist Susan Furneaux (left), 52 Grade 1 students and their teachers will make felt from dyed sheep's wool which they will use to make felt butterflies. Students will make one piece to take home, and work on another larger piece to be displayed in the classroom. The project will connect with the Grade 1 science, language arts and social studies programs.

 

Paradise Elementary, Paradise

September 30, 2011 to May 1, 2012

Leaving a Mark...Not a Carbon Footprint

At Paradise Elementary (left), a newly built and eco-friendly school, this project will allow students to make a mark artistically in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible way. 239 students in Grades 3, 4, and 6 will be completing projects including murals, clay work, felted books, and fabric art with artists Stephy Stoker and Melanie Francis. Projects will explore science concepts including soil composition and healthy habitats, as well as personal investment in society and our responsibility to others and the planet.

 

Visit the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council to find out more.

 

Are you running an ArtsSmarts project? How's it coming along? If you have insights and learnings from your projects-in-progress that you would like to share in our e-Newsletter, please send them to us via email - photographs and videos also welcome.

Blogs & Books

On the blogs

On the opening day of the 2011 Knowledge Exchange, ArtsSmarts Executive Director Jason van Eyk  and SiG@MaRs Education Specialist Joe Wilson co-authored an article on the role of ArtsSmarts in engaging student in learning through the creative process. It's a nice encapsulation of the philosophy and rationale behind the ArtsSmarts approach, with some important examples of the impacts it can make. Give the article a read at the MaRS blog and let us know what you think.

Circulating throughout the blogosphere are photographs of Israeli artist Yaron Steinberg 's giant installation, The Brain/City Project, a highly unique and personal piece of art that depicts his mind/world. Made from cardboard with windows and lights, we see that Steinberg imagines his brain and thoughts as a tightly packed neighbourhood of hundreds of tiny houses, each containing a memory and thought.

In the books

Continuing our obsession with the brain, we came across the new and fourth edition of How the Brain Learns by the international education consultant David A. Sousa (Paperback, Corwin Press, 2011). With the hope that educators will experience the joy of seeing more students reach their full potential, Sousa has included a pleasing mix of theoretical brain stuff and practical classroom applications; updated information on memory systems, especially the changes in working memory capacity; new research findings on how the explosion of technology may be affecting the brain; how learning the arts enhances cognitive processing and creativity; and a comprehensive resource section that includes Internet sites that were selected for their reliable information on the brain. 

Nous avons ainsi vécu constamment dans cet état de création conjointe au cours des six mois précédant le 31 octobre. Nos organisations ressortent enrichies de cette expérience, non seulement en raison de la force émanant de notre partenariat, mais encore bien plus dans l'activité qui consiste à rejoindre nos réseaux et dans la multitude d'idées qui ont su être générées et partagées au MaRS au cours de l'événement échange de connaissances.

Toutefois, ce partenariat unique n'était pas le tout premier pour Les arts, la science et le cerveau. De nombreux participants ont assisté à l'événement de cette année pour la première fois, et une vaste majorité prévoit y revenir. Nous espérons que vous serez tous au rendez-vous en 2012! En attendant, nous aimerions savoir comment vous répondriez à ces deux questions fondamentales :  

Bloques et Livres