Family Medicine residency programs in the United States are required to promote resident well-being. This article describes how one residency does this by teaching the concepts of Positive Psychology and Authentic Happiness developed by Dr. Martin Seligman utilizing a multi-media curriculum. As part of this curriculum, residents listen to the song “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” watch selected scenes from the movies Mary Poppins and The Lion King, and see a performance of the song and dance Electricity from the show Billy Elliot, the Musical. Research showing that happiness is contagious is also discussed. Finally, residents learn how to increase their own happiness by completing three exercises shown by Dr. Seligman to promote happiness.

This paper shares a story of community, vulnerability, art-making and possibility that arose within the context of a Social Foundations of Education course. Drawing on arts-informed epistemologies, the authors began the semester by inviting students to critically engage with the central ideas of the course through the process of creating a mandala. At the end of the semester, students were once again invited to (re)create their mandalas as they reflected on how their understandings had evolved over the course of the semester. Within what was initially a very uncomfortable act, a community emerged as students sought to support and encourage one another. This sense of community remained consistent across the course of the semester and students regularly returned to the initial activity as a starting point during class discussions. Using this particular classroom experience as an illustration, this paper posits that it is important for educators to engage their students in centered, aesthetic and communal acts of reflexivity as a means to facilitate the development of fluid pedagogies and ways of being in the world that are informed, critical, and transformative.

This collaborative action research study of pedagogy examines an introductory high school visual arts curriculum that includes artworks pertinent to labor studies, and their impact on students’ understanding of the power of art for social commentary. Urban students with multicultural backgrounds study social realism as an historical artistic movement, consider the value of collective activism for social justice, and learn modes of artistic expression that meet state standards in visual arts. The powerful realistic and fantastical images the students produced express their consciousness of impending workforce participation; images communicate their inner voices and provide insights into their perceptions of working in today’s global environment. The art teacher’s reflections include recognition of the unique literacy demands of subject area textbooks, the necessity of schema-building to understand social studies content, the accommodation of the special academic needs of English language learners, and the importance of professional development for educators. Outcomes of the study find value in incorporating labor studies content into the visual art curriculum as an engaging and worthwhile avenue toward meeting visual arts standards and promoting social justice awareness among students.

Author(s): Brouillette, Liane | Abstract: Brouillette provides overview of new Opinion section.

This essay discusses two sets of creative teaching methods: live singing and dancing. The performance by an instructor can set a mode for students to achieve intellectual transformation by exploring issues of identity. The role of music, especially folk singing and dancing, is specifically examined within the intercultural context of communication. Performative dialogue can be used as an effective, novel technique to initiate and develop cultural connections and discussions of culture and identity in the classroom. The author shares her experience of performing folk dancing and singing as examples of Russian cultural musical heritage to illustrate how singing and dancing can help students to learn about themselves and others, about culture, identity, and communication at large.

Drama has been effectively used in many learning contexts including English as a second language classes. However, it has received less attention in foreign/second contexts. This article explores how drama for learning can impact upon the relationships among attitudes, motivation and learning in French second language (FSL) classrooms. The authors describe a second language research project done in grade 9 and 10 classrooms based on the principles of drama for learning including play and make believe, learning in context, and ownership of learning. Global simulation, the particular form of drama for learning used in the project, involves a voyage of discovery undertaken by a group involving a final destination and an itinerary. During this second language journey, students act, react and interact to create meaningful individual and group experiences and incorporate cooperative learning principles. The approach also allows the facilitators to draw on Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory in order to structure activities that maximize students’ individual strengths. The research project included development and piloting of the global simulation module, assessment of the pilot as well as assessment of implications for its future use. Data gathered for assessment included student questionnaires and teacher interviews. Results of the project indicated that there were improvements in the learning environments, including an increased level of motivation on the part of the learners involved. The teachers also expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the approach, especially because of their involvement in the development and implementation of the material from the beginning, which appeared to give them a sense of ownership and empowered them in their professional growth. Students also appeared to become more active and engaged in their learning as a result of a sense of ownership over their drama productions. In general, the results suggest that drama for learning and specifically global simulation are viable approaches for grade 9 and 10 FSL classes. This research lays the groundwork and provides direction and concrete resource materials for those who would like to experiment with global simulation in enhancing motivation among students in second language classrooms.

Ecological teaching models and evidence of success in public schools may be lacking. We created a constructivist ecological model using the anime Nausiscaa with fourth graders in a Scottsdale, Arizona school. The anime involves the epic adventure, good and evil battle to affect the future of the human race. We documented results using questionnaires, photographs, and students’ written final statements. An art teacher introduced the anime, followed with students’ analysis of action sequences, demonstrated how to make three-dimensional super bugs, and questioned students about ecological concerns. Our major research question was how did discussing the anime Nausicaa and making super bugs empower children to reinterpret bug powers and learn about ecology. We offer explanations of surface and deeper influences. While most responses regarding bug powers were bad--offensive and defensive, two emerging good categories related to ecology were recycling and pollinating. Students showed some empathetic understanding and constructed a few ecological connections between their inner and outer worlds.

Students from three schools responded very enthusiastically to community design projects. Participants in a summer course on design education created interdisciplinary projects that were taught to their K-12 students during the following academic year. This article highlights three of the many successful projects, offering suggestions for other teachers to consider.

The focus on academic performance testing in elementary schools has caused a decrease in student experience in the arts. Visual arts (drawing, painting, sculpture, and collage) have been minimized in elementary schools. Without exposure to the special avenues of cognitive development and personal expression nurtured by visual arts, students are not able to meet their full potential. This action research examined the role of visual arts in elementary schools in a rural area of California. Teachers, parents, and students were surveyed, interviewed, and observed; and artifacts were collected to determine whether visual arts were valued for intrinsic or instrumental contributions. Findings suggest visual arts are highly valued by the elementary school community and are well integrated by some teachers. Importantly, if classroom teachers are expected to integrate art effectively, meet the California Visual Art Standards, and help children grow in this domain then there must be either explicit training in the visual arts for elementary classroom teachers or a requirement for providing art specialists.

Singers appear to experience health benefits from singing, but their art makes physical demands that may leave them prone to health problems. The study sought to measure singers’ immunocompetence under practice and performance conditions. Salivary IgA and cortisol measurements were assayed from multiple pre-post saliva samples obtained from 10 solo singers as they rehearsed and performed repertory in a college conservatory during a 10-week period. Confirming previous research on choirs, there was a significant increase in S-IgA after singing, and the effect was mediated by positive emotions of well being and feeling “high.” The extent to which singers reported that they were usually stressed while singing was significantly correlated with decreases in S-IgA. Satisfaction with performance correlated significantly with a decrease of cortisol after singing. In a regression analysis, the best predictive model for upward change in S-IgA included two significant variables from the questionnaire: feelings of well being and relative lack of concern with artistic identity (p < .018). These findings suggest that preserving solo singers’ positive emotions during singing may not only maintain their enjoyment of singing, but may also improve their immunocompetence in response to health risks.