Research shows that activities associated with the arts can enhance creativity, problem-solving, memory systems, motor coordination, and analytical skills. Best-selling author David A. Sousa and veteran arts educator Thomas J. Pilecki demonstrate how arts education is integral to the development of the brain and to students' overall academic achievement. This book provides:
" Classroom-tested strategies and techniques for both integrating the arts in STEM instruction
" Data from schools that have already integrated the arts into STEM subjects, plus anecdotes and student success stories
" How-to's for organizing curriculum and instructional strategies to allow for the integration of STEM subjects and the arts
" Strategies for getting the entire staff and community involved in STEAM initiatives
Author Biography
David A. Sousa, EdD, an international consultant in educational neuroscience, has written 16 books for educators and parents on ways of using brain research to improve teaching and learning. He has conducted workshops for more than two hundred thousand educators in hundreds of school districts on brain research and science education at the pre-K to Grade 12 and university levels. He has presented at national conventions of educational organizations and to regional and local school districts across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Dr. Sousa has a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Bridgewater (Massachusetts) State University, a master of arts degree in teaching science from Harvard University, and a doctorate from Rutgers University. His teaching experience covers all levels. He has taught high school science and has served as a K-12 director of science, a supervisor of instruction, and a district superintendent in New Jersey schools. He has been an adjunct professor of education at Seton Hall University and at Rutgers University. A past president of the National Staff Development Council (now called Learning Forward), Dr. Sousa has edited science books and published numerous articles in leading educational journals on staff development, science education, and brain research. He has received awards from professional associations, school districts, and Bridgewater State University (Distinguished Alumni Award), and several honorary doctorates for his commitment and contributions to research, staff development, and science education. He has been interviewed on the NBC Today show and on National Public Radio about his work with schools using brain research. He makes his home in south Florida. Tom Pilecki, MA, is the former executive director of the Center for Creative Education (CCE) in West Palm Beach, Florida, where, for twelve years, he provided professional development to over one hundred teaching artists, preparing them to teach collaboratively with elementary and middle school teachers in all curriculum content areas. With an MA in educational administration, Tom is a former elementary school teacher as well as a choral and instrumental music teacher. His forty-plus years in education include being founder and principal of St. Augustine School of the Arts in the South Bronx, New York, the subject of the Sundance Film Festival Award-Winning documentary Something Within Me as well as feature segments on 60 Minutes, World News Tonight, and The McNeil-Lehrer Report. His expertise in curriculum writing, implementation, and arts integration brought him to Chicago as curriculum director for six West Side schools before going to Florida. He continues to consult with schools and communities on a national basis.
