You know those things that somehow you just inherently know that you did not necessarily know that you knew until someone explained just that in a concise way?
For years, I have been promoting learning through the arts because I understood that we learn better and store information more easily when the new information was connected to something we already knew. While I was taking an online course, Dr. Bruce Perry of the Child Trauma Academy discussed how the brain learns through association and suddenly UREKA! I went from knowing something to understanding something.
So to truly understand something, it helps if new information is somehow associated with previously stored information. This concept is what makes inquiry-based learning so successful. Inquiry based learning could be defined nearly synonymously to the creative process. It takes things that already exist (information or materials) and synthesizes them to develop new meaning and understanding.
The Guggenheim has perfected the art (pun intended) of inquiry based learning. They use visual art works to introduce subject matter, but in a way that asks students to draw their own connections to the art work and therefore the subject matter. I highly recommend visiting their website to learn more about this teaching approach and check out sample lesson plans.
Learning new things can be scary and create anxiety. Inquiry-based learning not only develops deeper understanding by creating associations, but can relieve anxiety by starting comfortably with information commonly held by all students participating.
I believe this is a great way to integrate art into learning without actually moving through the creative process, however, I also like to kick it up a notch by ordering my questions to reflect a bottom-up, brain based approach. In this way, I am inviting all students in the classroom, regardless of brain state, to join in the conversation from the beginning. As the questions progress, the next level of the brain becomes activated, priming for higher level thinking without causing anxiety or distress.
This painting was done by an artist in early 15th century Iran titled, Wine Drinking in a Spring Garden. I recently used it to demonstrate how trading along the Silk Road influenced Middle Eastern artists. Below I give sample questions and explanations to accompany this painting.
Questions for investigation
“What do you notice in this painting?”
This question speaks to all areas of the brain, but is a great starting point for students operating out of their brain stem. It is broad enough that even the answer, “the people are wearing blue” is correct. It asks for sensory information and allows everyone to feel confident in their answer.
“What might these people be doing?”
We move into the midbrain as we begin to explore what activities are occurring in the picture.
“How do you think the people in the painting feel about one another”?
Here we activate our limbic part of the brain as we discuss relationships and feelings toward one another. This invites students to attach feeling and personal meaning to the subject being explored.
“What does the way the people are dressed tell us about them?” And then, “if you were to guess the country of origin for this painting, what would you guess and why?”
Finally, we begin to activate the cortex, pulling out already stored information that may provide clues to new information.
What I appreciate about this approach is that it allows students at all levels to experience learning together. Students who are operating from a higher brain state will answer the questions at the state from which they are in, so they are not bored or unchallenged during the lesson. Simultaneously, students who are operating from a lower brain state can engage from the beginning and will hopefully remain in a lower stress state because they are not feeling overwhelmed by the questions. Like the creative process, this inquiry-based learning method allows students to come to a deeper understanding using tools already at their disposal while providing a safe and regulating environment.
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