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Blue Ribbon Committee: Remarks

 Burton, J.M. (2015-16). Blue Ribbon Committee: Remarks delivered to the Chancellors Panel.

Profound Statements: 

"Digging deeper, the arts provide young people with languages of expression and communication and function much like verbal languages." 

"While the arts are languages ...empowering important perceptions, thoughts, feelings and ways of critical thinking, that are not available within the everyday lexicon of words."

"Researchers in the discipline of cognitive neuro science, offer a vision of cognition in which motor action, activity of the senses and feeling states inform the shaping of complex thought, giving it power, flexibility and rich meaning."

"Such research underscores critical actions of the mind and gives value to the arts as disciplines of meaning making, of deep learning and of diverse personal accomplishment."

"...it is through the arts that we create and are shaped by culture...languages that both respect yet transcend cultural boundaries are powerful tools of civilization..."

"...we need to engage the Schools of Education in at least three ways:  in providing richly informed initial teacher education, offering on-going professional development for teachers in the field, and calling upon faculty expertise in research and assessment calibrated to the expectations and guardianship of the new proposed arts pathway. "

Application:

Heightened understanding of the arts as an integrative tool because its premise is on the human experience. This area needs to be further explored from this viewpoint. (Arts Integration)

I need to spotlight more of the advances of the Arts, Music and Physical Education in our network.

One of the things I love about the new Arts "standards" is the flexibility of the "tasks" or "frames." Creating, Responding, Connecting, and Presenting are the frameworks for deeper thinking, imaginative play, and inquiry-based education. I am able to keep my students at the center while pushing us all to perform in artistic language.  

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