Digital Natives: Connections in the Art Studio
Facebook. Twitter. Pintrest. Tumblr. Angry Birds. Candy Crush. How often do you see people multitasking? Today’s society is virtually connected. How much time is spent on smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, or gaming consoles?
Students today have grown up in a digital age and where the world is virtually in their pockets. They shift attention from one social media to another filtering information in a flash deciding what is important or not based on their own developed system of hierarchy. Its quite remarkable how the brain can process and organize the information when motivated and how quickly that attention can shift when a student does not see the value in their hierarchy. Research is becoming more prevalent on the effects of technology and social media on society. For many teachers it is becoming a growing concern in the classroom. Research by Common Sense Media in 2012 found that attention was the largest concern among Teachers surveyed. Most teachers believed that the continuous stimulation of media was contributing to short attention spans and lack of motivation. (Rideout, 2012) Constant shifting in attention from one media to another is conditioning student behavior and dividing their attention. Other studies have show that divided attention leads to mental fatigue because the brain is fighting for resources. When a learner takes on two complex tasks at the same time, the neurological pathways are not dedicated to attention and the learner fails to encode the information. They remember and understand less as there is a zero transfer rate to the long-term memory. (Paul, 2013)
The brain continues to develop it’s neural pathways well into a person’s 20s. The Dana foundation found that one of the mental costs associated with this rapid shift of attention is training of the neural pathways in the brain. This results in shallow non-deliberate thinking, decrease performance, and lower reactions times. (Pantoine, 2008) I am certain that with the growing need, psychologist will continue researching the effects of technology on today’s visual culture, until then it is important that educators develop pedagogy to sustain attention and motivation in the classroom. It is the instructor’s duty to build a students self-regulation through the perceived value of education so that students will be intrinsically motivated, countering the effects of multitasking and aid in the development of neurological connections for deliberate thinking and behavior conditioning. Learning in the art studio can be designed to improve attention cognition and effectance motivation.
Dr. Michael Posner, psychologist at the University of Oregon, studies neurological pathways through neural imaging. In 2009 he did a series of studies connecting these neurological connections with the arts. Posner states “Art forms distinct brain circuits, including…sensory networks.” (The Dana Foundation, 2009, p. 15) Posner further postulates that when a student is personal involvemed with their art of choice, the student is fully engaged and has the ability to loose oneself in the experience. (The Dana Foundation, 2009) In this moment of passion the student detaches from the multitude of stimulus and focuses on the task of creativity. This trains the neural pathways in sustained attention and motivation. It is the ability to loose oneself in the experience, have longer periods of engagement, and practice in the arts.
Environmental factors in the studio can also be positive reinforcers. The main focus in the classroom is the teacher. The teacher acts as a stimulus to keep the student engaged through choices of subject matter, pace, and environment. Student and teacher interaction should be fun and create a positive environment for learning. In the art classroom there are many standards that we want to cover, but there are opportunities to find a hook! Choose subjects and present materials in a manner that make deep personal connections. This will increase their interest and they will be more motivated to learn and be active in the classroom.
Environmental factors can arouse and maintain peoples attention. (Schunk, 2012) Action at the beginning of a lesson engages student’s attention, keep the energy up and flowing and they will remain engaged. Just as the students connect with their virtual world they selectively filter their attention. The student has developed discriminative reinforcers to identify and select their filters. The teacher can also use this behavioral modification technique to develop creativity in their studio by making the activity important; by emphasizing its perceived value. Another way to keep them engaged is through continued variety. Mix it up and keep things new, find unusual ways to present a variety of material. (Schunk,. 2012) This is the visual arts, there is a plethora of works out there that can be revolved to keep eye-catching displays. Give them a variety of things around the room that can catch their eye and inspire creativity. Think of ways to display standards for each lesson that catches their attention. Who knows they might be caught reading them as if they were a tweet!
In-progress critiques allow students to move around the room during studio time. Allow the students to circle the room and see what other students are doing. This inspires creativity and builds the student relationships and gives the student time to stretch their legs. If a student is having a difficult time, allow them to work with another student who has a better grasp on the skill. This movement and peer interaction helps sustain a student’s attention to the task. Moving around the room while students are engaged in art making is another way to keep students on task. It also provides time to work with each student individually enhancing the student-teacher relationship. It’s an opportune time to assess the student’s needs, goals, and personal motivators and keep the classroom energy flowing. Understanding a student’s needs, goals, and personal motivators help develop the student’s thoughts and behaviors toward a personal responsibility of learning through motivation training. (Schunk, 2012) Helping students develop and achieve goals is another way to teach motivation through self-efficacy and perceive positive outcomes. Repeated success builds perceptions of competence and task value for learning.
As an art educator the student is the canvas, creativity is the medium, and the curriculum the tool! Curriculum can be designed to reduce the rapid attention span and extend focus for facing the challenging tasks. Motivation training an effective way to build a students self-motivation and reduce perceived helplessness. Schunk (2012) offers a three-fold model of curriculum that can also be used to build student motivation and sustained attention through self-efficacy. Lesson plans that are well organized and designed for transfer help build a student’s efficacy and perceived control. This can be accomplished by organizing the information in levels that are challenging but attainable. Tools like mnemonics and mental imagery help to organize information from transfer. In color theory we use ROY G BIV to discuss the color wheel, this is a great mnemonic that is fun for young students and the information is easily retrieved when it comes time to use it again. The art teacher can elaborate on this prior knowledge for positive transfer as the high school student begins discussion color theories such as analogous or complementary color schemes. The brain is like a computer and these schemas can be used to nurture the neural pathways required by the executive attention network.
We all have an executive attention networks, but the way it is developed is differentiated. (The Dana Foundation, 2009) However Posner discovered that practicing art actually produces changes in our cognition. (The Dana Foundation, 2009) He discovered that two important facts; “First, there are several neural networks for each specific art form. Second, there is a general factor of interest in the arts due to creativity, [and] openness to that art form.” (The Dana Foundation, Neuroeducation: Learning, Arts, and the Brian, p. 15) Each of the participants exhibited changes in their underlying executive attention networks but also great improvement in their executive attention tasks. (The Dana Foundation, 2009) Therefore it can be inferred that when the art student is fully engaged in practice on a regular basis they are actively engaged in training their attention network, increasing their efficiency.
In the art studio it is easy to design collaborative projects and games to increase student interest and motivation. The use of problem-based learning is a good application in the art studio to authenticate tasks within the standards. At the same time it allows for student interaction and movement in the classroom. It’s also a great way to introduce technology. Incorporating technology is another way that we can sustain the student’s attention and increase motivation.
Technology is another resource in the classroom; from games, to historical & contemporary research. It can have a positive effect on research skills once the student has been trained to identify credible resources.
Computer based games are effective ways to reinforce the fundamentals of art in a fun and enjoyable way by linking it contextually with visual culture. The computer based learning environment improves achievement and helps develop critical thinking and problem solving. (Schunk, 2012) Theories in Visual Culture Art Education (VCAE) are aligned with the world of multimedia. Teaching students discernment about hypermedia, what they see and how it affects them is a way to infuse the technology into discussions on artistic theory and make the information entertaining and relevant to their lives and interests. Music videos, YouTube, television shows, movies, and music can all be integrated into the study of VCAE.
Computer-based instruction (CBI) in the past was mainly used for Drill and tutorial (Schunk, 2012). However today it is used to construct individualized knowledge for today’s diversified student. CBI is a tool that can provide immediate response feedback and the operator can control the rate of presentation. (Schunk, 2012) This may make some introverted students comfortable however development of human interaction is also important and a vital part of the Arts.
Reverse instruction can be extremely useful in the art studio. The Art Studio is typically a blended classroom with focus on study of art and art making practices. We spend time studying the disciplines such as art history and the foundation standards, but also research on contemporary artists. Students could have access to the lectures to review as often as needed and move at their own pace. Returning to the studio where the instructor can assist with the practice.
It is recommended that further research be made on how technology is affecting our society from attention to cognitive development and information processing. Yet in the art studio there are several ways we can use behavioral modifications to increase attention and motivation and embrace the new way that young minds are learning to information processing. The first place we can begin making a difference is in the classroom environment. Create a fun and entertaining environment that is conducive to an active learning classroom. Use classroom management skills to get the students attention and maintain motivation. Design curriculum that builds a students self-efficacy and perceived control to increase the intrinsic value of learning. Use games and technology to construct knowledge and reinforce encoding for transfer.
Art making is the greatest tool we have in the studio to develop students. It instills passion and creativity, it teaches students how to problem solve and read the visual world. At the same time it develops the executive attention networks for social and academic success. When was the last time you lost yourself in the experience of the Arts?
References
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