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Brain Food: Music for the MindBy KRISTEN STERNBERG If some people think classical music is boring and useless, maybe they need to "think again." A respected American scientist believes that listening to classical music and taking lessons on a musical instrument can have a positive effect on infants and small children. Through studies, the scientist showed that kids who had exposure to music later performed better in math than those who didn't.
Other recent studies have shown that experiences that can enhance learning capabilities are not limited to music. The brain is a complex organ, and it is the subject of much research as people work to increase understanding of how it processes information. Such studies indicate that language also plays an important role in learning. For example, kids who are bilingual (can use two languages fluently) may have an advantage over those who have only been exposed to one language during their early years. Experiences of all kinds have an effect upon learning. Exposing infants and small children to music, colors, conversation and play creates important learning "experiences." Babies who play with brightly colored toys seem to outperform those who don't. Strategies learned through games such as chess can be used to process new information as children grow older. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers need simple, daily physical activities that are crucial building blocks in connecting the brain to muscles. Those connections eventually produce the coordinated movements that result in the complex processes of such activities as walking and running. More and more, research indicates that our brains, from birth through our first few years of life, are influenced by every experience we have. The more unusual an experience, the harder the brain is made to work, which in turn makes it easier for even more new experiences to be processed. When babies are exposed to music, for example, their brain circuits connect in ways that affect intelligence, psychological health and a host of other capabilities throughout their lives. Some experts believe the connections in our brains become more powerful through exposure to new and unusual experiences. Currently, scholars who study learning and the brain are leaning toward a theory that there are many kinds of intelligence. Developed by Dr. Gardner at Harvard University, the theory of "multiple intelligences" may have a bearing on how-and even what-kids are taught in school. To date, Dr. Gardner has identified a number of areas in which kids can develop (and show off) their intelligences. The areas include linguistic (reading, writing, speaking and listening), logical/mathematical (numbers, abstract patterns), visual/spatial (images, visualizing, drawing), musical (rhythm, melody, sound, dance) and bodily/kinesthetic intelligence (touch, movement, dramatics). Dr. Gardner has also explored the areas of interpersonal (sharing, cooperating, interviewing), intrapersonal (individualized projects, self-paced instruction) and naturalist/ecological intelligence (awareness of the natural world and our relationship to it). With this theory comes the idea that people have different strengths in different areas. In other words, everyone has some level of each of the intelligences identified so far. Many think of them as "strengths:" For example, a person may be skilled in sports and dance, but not as strong in math or writing. Most importantly, it means that people have multiple skills and that everyone has the potential to develop talent in any of these areas. Although not everyone agrees with the theory of multiple intelligences, most will agree that kids benefit from stimulating experiences. In at least one Central Florida child care program, for instance, caregivers have made some important changes in the way babies are cared for. You may find some teachers offering activities or assigning schoolwork that stimulate different areas of the brain. We know that there are numerous types of learning styles, and that successful learners use a variety of strategies. We also know that learning doesn't (or at least shouldn't) ever stop. Learning takes place when the brain uses knowledge already acquired to process the new experience. With every new experience, then, the brain searches for ways to understand. Why not put yours to work right now? Check out the newspaper activities and web links provided below. They're designed to exercise many different aspects of your intelligence. Try these interesting activities using The Daytona Beach News-Journal 1. Get ready for some creative writing! Set a timer for 15 minutes and see how many verbs you can cut out of the newspaper. When time is up, arrange your clippings on a piece of construction paper but do not glue them down. Can you think of a topic you could write a paragraph on that would use all of these verbs? After some brainstorming, write your paragraph on the construction paper, gluing the verbs into the proper places as you go along. Ask someone near you to listen as you read your paragraph out loud. Does it make sense? (Sunshine State Standards LA.A.1.2.2, LA.A.1.2.3, LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B.1.2.2, LA.B.2.2.5)
2. The News-Journal routinely publishes graphics (pictures) to illustrate advances in scientific fields like medicine, technology, space exploration, etc. Search recent issues of the newspaper for one or more graphics on this topic. If possible, build a three-dimensional, small-scale model based upon one of the illustrations. Arrange to display your model in a public space such as your media center or local library. (Sunshine State Standards MA.C.3.2.1, MA.D.1.2.1, MA.D.2.2.1, SC.H.3.2.1, SC.H.3.2.2, SC.H.3.2.3, SC.H.3.2.4) 3. Let the newspaper help you review your math skills. Clip numbers from the News-Journal to make flash cards to practice multiplication tables, formulas for geometry or whatever else you are studying. Then, use the news to make up a word problem to challenge your friends. Stories on budgets and taxes, movie earnings, house and car sales often contain interesting facts and figures to use. Have fun! (Sunshine State Standards LA.A.2.2.5, LA.B2.2.3, MA.A.1.2.3, MA.A.3.2.1, MA.A.3.2.2, MA.A.3.2.3, MA.A.5.2.1, MA.B.3.2.1, MA.B.4.2.1) 4. The News-Journal routinely publishes a listing of musical offerings in the community. Check the Go-Do" section of the newspaper or the "Oh, Zone!" in the student's section of www.nieworld.com, to see what's going on near you. If possible, plan to attend a concert or other musical event. Afterwards, tell a friend as much about the performance as you can remember. (Sunshine State Standards MU.D.1.2.3, MU..E.2.2.2, MU.E.2.2.4) 5. Select an interesting photograph from the sports pages in The News-Journal and write a story based upon that photo. Develop the story into a short skit and perform your work for family members or friends. (Sunshine State Standards TH.A.1.2.1, TH.A.3.2.2, TH.B.1.2.1, TH.C.1.2.2) 6. Put your naturalist/ecological intelligence to work by visiting www.nieworld.com (look for the "Read and Recycle" section) and checking out some of the fun activities you can do while "recycling" used newspaper. (Sunshine State Standards SC..D.2.2.1) A copy of Florida's Sunshine State Standards can be found at intech2000.miamisci.org/. Check out these links to learn more
You'll get plenty of mental exercise by following this link to "Brain," offered by The Yuckiest Site on the Web. yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/body/pg000135.html Check out the collection of games and optical illusions this popular brainteaser resource. The site is updated regularly and has five new teasers added each week. http://www.brainbashers.com/ Meet Tim, an animated teenager and Moby, his robot sidekick as you explore "The Mysteries of Life" at this site that offers fun and educational cartoons and movies on science, health and technology topics. www.BrainPOP.com Beginning in the 1940s, Canadian brain surgeon Wilder Penfield mapped the brain's motor cortex (the area that controls movement of your body's muscles). He did this by applying mild electric currents to the exposed brains of patients while they were in surgery. Now you can relive his exploration of the brain. At this site you are given an electric probe and an exposed brain. All you need to do is shock and observe. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/brain/ You'll discover games and activities for the "multiple intelligences" at this site from Discovery School Online. http://school.discovery.com/brainboosters/ Explore your earliest memories, play brain games and check out a sheep brain dissection at the Memory Exploratorium. (If you're squeamish, you can skip the link to the sheep's brain.) http://www.exploratorium.edu/memory/index.html The Newspaper Association of America's web site contains links to many newspapers in the U.S. and around the world, which may contain additional news stories about this topic. To access the newspapers at the site, select a state. Click on the "Internationals" button to view choices from other countries. The Daytona Beach News-Journal NIE Program, published June 17, 2002 |
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