One of the influences on Brick Scholars’ pedagogy is Constructionism, which is when the
hands create knowledge, so does the mind. Literature and language back up this idea, as does neuroscience. A look at mythology allows us to see that the Ancient Greeks believed in the power of hand-mind connection [1]. Athena was born straight from Zeus’ head, fully formed. As a product of his brain, she became the goddess of wisdom and knowledge, but she is also the goddess of weaving and handiwork. Clearly even thousands of years ago, ancient peoples understood the power of this connection. Etymology can also give us a look at this partnership. Brain cells are also called “neurons,” and the roots for that word come from Ancient Greek roots for the words “fiber,” “cord,” or “thread.” Brain cells, then, are thought to be connected to something else. One of those things is the hand, which helps us to understand the world around us. Babies as young as two weeks old start reaching out for things in front of them; it’s an instinct to learn through touch. With a touch, those neurons start making connections in the brain. From a neuroscience standpoint, this connection is integral to learning, especially to what Brick Scholars does. The corpus callosum is the part of the brain that links the two halves of the brain together [2]. The left side of the brain is what performs the logical tasks, such as science or math. The right side of the brain is associated more with creativity. So the corpus callosum is what gets the brain from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) to STEAM (Arts), which is what Brick Scholars offers. Children can make connections between STEM and the Arts, putting them together for creativity, imagination, and voice, all the while using their hands, which affects the pathways and neurons in the brain. When the brain changes due to experiences, behavior, and thoughts, this is called neuroplasticity [3]. While most people associate this term with the brain having to “rewire” after an injury, it also explains why musicians have more “space” in their brains dedicated to hand motions and why taxi drivers have more “space” for spatial reasoning. The more people do with their hands, the more pathways the brain makes; it’s like a workout for your brain. Brick Scholars can help create more pathways through the power of your hands. And you might be surprised what you find out! 95% of what underlies our actions and behaviors are unconscious [4], and working with your hands is a great way to unleash knowledge you didn’t know you had. References: [1] Auer, Arthur. “Hand Movements Sculpt Intelligence.” Learning About the World Through Modeling—Sculptural Ideas for School and Home. Association of Waldorf Schools of North America. [2] Lynch, Matthew. “From STEM to STEAM: More Than Just a Good Idea.” The Tech Edvocate. 2016. [3] Liou, Stephanie. “Neuroplasticity.” Huntington’s Outreach Project for Education, at Stanford. 2010. [4] Szegedy-Maszak, Marianne. “Mysteries of the Mind.” US News and World Report.
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