User:Emilycicio/sandbox/Math Dance

= STEAM- Learning Science and Math Through Movement = Art is a powerful tool that can transform the minds of students and communities. Their desire to move, touch, and be active is not something that should be taken away from them when they enter the education system. The body is the first way that children discover the world and through their kinetics they gain knowledge and a desire to learn more. A continuation of this bodily discovery can be brought through the inclusion of movement and the arts into subjects such as Math and Science to allow for students to combine their critical and creative minds to master a subject in a new light.

= The Science Behind Math Dance =

Scientific evidence shows that there is a connection between movement and learning that will benefit the learning outcomes for students. The cerebellum is the location in the brain where movement is processed. It also happens to send out bound signals to the cortex; the part of the brain involved in memory, attention, and spatial perception. Researches have come to find, “We learn to predict (think about) our movements before we execute them (move) so that we control them better (Flanagan, Vetter, Johansson, & Wolpert, 2003). This ability suggests that all motor activity is preceded by quick thought processes that set goals, analyze variables, predict outcomes, and execute movements”. Although it may seem obvious, an additional connection between movement and cognitive thinking is oxygen. Oxygen is essential for the brain to function which can be increased by physical activity due to the increase in blood during activity. In William Greenough's experiments at the University of Illinois, rats that exercised in enriched environments had a greater number of connections among neurons than those that didn't. They also had more capillaries around the brain's neurons than sedentary rats (Greenough & Anderson, 1991). Teachers that incorporate movement into learning are essentially providing oxygen to the students brain to aid them in the cognitive process. Not only will the movement provide students with more oxygen to the brain it will also feed it neurotrophins (high-nutrient chemical “packages”) to increase the number of connections between neurons.

= STEM to STEAM› = there has been controversy in the education systems between STEM and the addition of the arts to create STEAM. Instead of just science, technology, engineering, and math the core curriculum would also contain art. The inclusion of art into the core subjects is not something that comes from an uncalculated place. Actually art is naturally associated with these subjects without most of us even realizing. There is not an engineer or scientist that isn’t able to think creatively and “choreograph” ideas that other people have yet to come up with. In fact it is believed that Leonardo Di Vinci drew one of the first engineering plans to create a helicopter (Flying Machine). Engineers have to be able to problem solve and come up with ideas when something goes wrong which directly aligns with the way that a dancer or choreographer works within their art form. The goal of STEM is to create students who can think critically, creatively, and are able to problem solve. All of the aspirations of the STEM system can be strengthened with the addition of arts into the equation equaling STEAM.

= Math Dance =

The First Foragers
The dance world has taken a large step in the process towards melding dance and core curriculums. Math Dance, a company founded in 1987, is co-directed by Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern, and tours internationally. Their collaborators have included Gregg Lizenbery, Scott Kim, and Chris Jones, along with long-time performer Saki. Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern have received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, and the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County. As both teachers and choreographers, the company founders have created a company that excites students to learn about math. They have created movement practices that both movement and mathematic teachers can bring into their classroom with the purpose to treat math and dance as a single entity rather than two different subjects. As said from Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern, “When we choreograph a new dance or investigate a mathematical problem we are doing much the same thing: creatively exploring patterns in space and time with an eye toward aesthetic potential” (Shaffner). Their aim is to be able to reach the students that have different learning styles than others, and need a different solution to solve problems and equations. Although the Math Dance Company’s goal is not to replace the way that math is taught in schools, it is a positive step forward for schools to take a second look at their curriculums to see what works for students. Karl and Erik have worked hard over the years to create a “textbook” for teachers to pull activities from for their math classes. Originating as a show for outside audiences, the Math Dance company was then asked by many educators to bring what was on stage to their students. Many schools have seen that students are responding well to this introduction of kinesthetic learning and many students that previously had not been succeeding in math were now shining in the subject. In changing the way that the subject is taught students are able to communicate more, know their bodies, become critical thinkers, and be well rounded students in their other subjects. All of which encompass the standards that are set out by the National Core Standards for schools.

Math in Your Feet
Math Dance is not the only program that aims to combine dance and math. Malke Rosenfeld, a percussive dance teaching artist, Heinemann author, TEDx presenter, and editor, created Math in Your Feet for students. This program integrates percussive movement and leads students through the problem solving process of creating their own percussive dance patterns. Founder Malke Rosenfeld says, “Along the way, they increase their understanding of mathematical topics such as congruence, symmetry, transformation, angles and degrees, attributes, categorical variables, manipulation and analysis of complex patterns, mapping on a coordinate grid, as well as deep experience with mathematical practices and problem solving” (Math in Your Feet for Students). The Math in Your Feet program follows the common core curriculum for math but allows for students to have a new bodily way of thinking about the subject. The program encourages students to use their feet and create rhythms that will in turn translate to mathematical problems. For many students this translates better in their brain than the traditional teaching method because they are able to get their entire bodies involved in the learning process. Instead of sitting in a chair to learn they are able to “touch” their mathematical problems and physically manipulate them. This mind body connection incorporates movement, creative thinking, and teaches students that there are infinite ways to solve a problem if they do not understand something. Her program is generally focused for elementary school students but she also is publishing a book called “Meaning in the Making: Embodied Mathematics in the Classroom” which will allow for teachers to bring her lessons to their classrooms.