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Your generous donations help fund Special Projects and Field Trips to enhance and enrich the learning of students in the iD.R.E.A.M. program.
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Welcome to Joan MacQueen Middle School's innovative program, iD.R.E.A.M. (Dedicated to Rediscovering Expressive Arts via Multi-Media). Our performance/project-based approach is a rigorous program (including an accelerated math component of Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and/or Geometry) designed to promote global learning through the arts. As a 21st century learning environment, our program encourages and challenges students at every level to be a part of an innovative learning ensemble, and ultimately inspires student interest, engagement, creativity, and mastery. Extensive research and writing projects across the curriculum challenge students to inquire and connect with world around them. The arts are integrated across Common Core standards-based curriculum and are enhanced through digital media, allowing us to broaden our audience and overall global perspective. "The power of the arts to touch the whole human - mind, body, spirit - makes it the most powerful tool we have for reaching children during the most important years of their learning lives. That makes arts integration a powerful tool for teaching students in the curricular areas that are tested." ("Opening Minds Through the Arts Model, 2008)
Extensive research has been done over the years reflecting the value of arts education on cognitive brain development. This is the foundation of our program. Using brain imaging studies and behavioral assessment, researchers from the Dana Foundation identified several key points on the arts and brain development in a three-year study across seven major universities. Relevant points include the following:
We believe every student has intelligence and creativity waiting to be discovered, valued, and applauded. The Visual and Performing Arts (V.A.P.A.) strands (often put aside due to budget/time constraints) are the avenue that create meaning, purpose, and a passion for learning. We understand student creativity requires an accepting, safe environment where confidence can grow and success can thrive. Therefore, our classroom vision is an environment where we "see the comedy and drama of life," where everyone supports everyone, where students with "buoyant spirits" feel confident to take on challenging tasks and risks, where growth comes from both successes and failures of ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
Arts = Creativity = Competitive Edge
(National Arts Policy Roundtable Final Report, 2010)
Extensive research has been done over the years reflecting the value of arts education on cognitive brain development. This is the foundation of our program. Using brain imaging studies and behavioral assessment, researchers from the Dana Foundation identified several key points on the arts and brain development in a three-year study across seven major universities. Relevant points include the following:
- An interest in a performing art leads to a high state of motivation that produces the sustained attention necessary to improve performance and the training of attention that leads to improvement in other domains of cognition.
- Training in acting appears to lead to memory improvement through the learning of general skills for manipulating semantic information.
- Learning to dance by effective observation is closely related to learning by physical practice. Effective observational learning may transfer to other cognitive skills. (Dana Foundation Report on the Arts and Cognition, 2008)
We believe every student has intelligence and creativity waiting to be discovered, valued, and applauded. The Visual and Performing Arts (V.A.P.A.) strands (often put aside due to budget/time constraints) are the avenue that create meaning, purpose, and a passion for learning. We understand student creativity requires an accepting, safe environment where confidence can grow and success can thrive. Therefore, our classroom vision is an environment where we "see the comedy and drama of life," where everyone supports everyone, where students with "buoyant spirits" feel confident to take on challenging tasks and risks, where growth comes from both successes and failures of ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
Arts = Creativity = Competitive Edge
(National Arts Policy Roundtable Final Report, 2010)
With optimism, acceptance, teamwork, and dedication, WE dare to dream!
For further research on brain development and the value of arts education please visit the following links:
http://www.artsusa.org/information_services/research/policy_roundtable/default.asp
http://www.hepg.org/her/booknote/61
http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development
http://www.dana.org/events/detail.aspx?id=11516
http://artsintegration.com/resource-center/arts-integration-tenets/
http://www.pz.harvard.edu/tc/overview.cfm
http://www.edutopia.org/stw-arts-integration-reform-overview?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=enews%20042413%20%28new%20mobile%20first%29%20remainder&utm_content=&spMailingID=6018863&spUserID=MjcyNDk4MTIwMjUS1&spJobID=71932935&spReportId=NzE5MzI5MzUS1
http://www.artsusa.org/information_services/research/policy_roundtable/default.asp
http://www.hepg.org/her/booknote/61
http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development
http://www.dana.org/events/detail.aspx?id=11516
http://artsintegration.com/resource-center/arts-integration-tenets/
http://www.pz.harvard.edu/tc/overview.cfm
http://www.edutopia.org/stw-arts-integration-reform-overview?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=enews%20042413%20%28new%20mobile%20first%29%20remainder&utm_content=&spMailingID=6018863&spUserID=MjcyNDk4MTIwMjUS1&spJobID=71932935&spReportId=NzE5MzI5MzUS1