In a brand new, interdisciplinary approach for The Scroll, I got the opportunity to see Elon’s innovative education at work in one of my very own classes. Approaches to Arts Administration, taught by new professor Dr. David McGraw, I have been exposed to the inner workings of various arts organizations, how they are created, and what they do to help their community.
To facilitate this discussion, we were asked to give group presentations based on case studies of different art organizations. The most interesting presentation, in my opinion, was about an organization called Art Feeds. Art Feeds is designed to provide therapeutic aid to children- especially those affected by recent tragedies or natural disasters- through multiple forms of artistic expression. The group of girls presenting the case where well prepared, but that was not the interesting part. What I found fascinating was that the group handed the rest of the class coloring pages and crayons, and instructed us to color while they gave their presentation.
Shockingly enough, this made it easier for the class to focus on the presentation.
I know that this may not seem directly related to the English department, but it poses an interesting discussion. Are there other ways in which we as students can “occupy our minds” while in the classroom in order to focus on the content of the class? For example, doodling in our notebooks, or absentmindedly coloring can potentially increase our focus. The conflict, however, comes from finding the line. It is *probably* unreasonable to break out a coloring book, but a simple distraction to focus your mind could be seen as reasonable by most professors.
If you want more information about the therapeutic nature of art, or about Art Feeds, visit their website www.artfeeds.org Or, if you have had a similar experience in the classroom, share with us on Twitter and Facebook @ElonENG !