Arts With the Brain in Mind (Paperback)

by Eric Jensen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
How do the arts stack up as a major discipline? What is their effect on the brain, learning, and human development? How might schools best implement and assess an arts program?? Eric Jensen answers these questions C and more C in this book. To push for higher standards of learning, many policymakers are eliminating arts programs. To Jensen, that's a mistake.

This book presents the definitive case, based on what we know about the brain and learning, for making arts a core part of the basic curriculum and thoughtfully integrating them into every subject. Separate chapters address musical, visual, and kinesthetic arts in ways that reveal their influence on learning.

What are the effects of a fully implemented arts program? The evidence points to the following:

$ Fewer dropouts $ Higher attendance $ Better team players $ An increased love of learning $ Greater student dignity $ Enhanced creativity $ A more prepared citizen for the workplace of tomorrow $ Greater cultural awareness as a bonus

To Jensen, it's not a matter of choosing, say, the musical arts over the kinesthetic. Rather, ask what kind of art makes sense for what purposes. How much time per day? What kind of music? Should the arts be required? How do we assess arts programs? In answering these real-world questions, Jensen provides dozens of practical, detailed suggestions for incorporating the arts into every classroom.

Product Details

• Paperback: 139 pages
• Publisher: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Deve; illustrated edition edition (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871205149
• ISBN-13: 978-0871205148
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #133,121 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If Think the Arts don't matter in school? You better think again!, May 27, 2006

By	L. Green - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you think the Arts don't matter anymore, I'm here to tell you to THINK again.

As a second grade teacher I find Jensen's work a must-read for every parent and educator. The Arts really do play an important part in education; whether the Arts fall under musical, visual, or in kinesthetic. The Arts will enhances the neurobiological system (Jensen, 2001, p. 116) or the brain, increasing a healthy responsive learning environment to other disciplines/subjects that are outside of the Arts.

Jenson discussed in-depth how each of the three Arts are important and why they should be part of every school's curriculum.

Simply a great book!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A leading path, October 22, 2005

By	Edilberto Torres Santos (PR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With a sometimes harsh style sometimes subjective, Mr. Jensen provides us with a leading path to make a coherent relation between the brain an it's development and the education in arts. Not very detailed with the ideas and paradigms but effective to motivate our curiosity in the field. With the arts education in the middle of a crucial crisis in the U.S., the "new idea" (for the positivist people) of a direct effect of the arts education in the development of high cognitive skills, provide a solid fundamental for the importance of this matter. At least, is a very serious proposal, well supported by researchers in the field.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Arts With the Brain in Mind, October 8, 2008

By	R. L. Smith - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jensen delivers an excellent case for increasing the arts offerings in our schools with compelling research and interesting neurological evidence. Not much is new here, if you read other books on the subject of the brain by Jensen.