For IDS Sem we are doing a Research project related to our majors, and with this being a major topic right now as well as throughout my life I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
I want to study the effects of theatre and dance on the brain because I want to prove the positive effects of performing arts on students in order to help my reader understand the importance of keeping the performing arts in schools
I have been absorbed in the performing arts world for my entire life, and over that time I have watched the back and fourth schools go through debating whether to cut the theatre programs. But at the same time I've watched theatre programs change lives. I have watched kids with a rough home life, bad grades, and just on a bad path in life turn their entire life around by finding a theatre company. And they go from not caring about what happens to them to getting into colleges.
A lot of theatre troupes in schools require students to keep their grades up to be apart of the show, and education gets put first to keep the kids in the program. This causes students to work harder in school because they're enjoying doing theatre, and don't want to have to stop because of their grades. And yet, despite the changes in students as a result of theatre and dance, theatre and dance are the first programs schools cut. I am writing to those board members and administrators in schools who don't understand the value of theatre in education. I want to use studies of the brain as a scientific basis for an argument to save theatre programs in schools. Schools have an obvious appreciation for science and other educational resources, and if I can prove the positive effects through that lens then maybe I can save some educational theatre departments as a result of my research.
Here are some of the questions I would like to explore for my research
How theatre effects the brain?
How dance effects the brain?
Importance of theatre and dance for mental health
Importance of theatre and dance for physical health
Stress relief and other mental changes as a result of dance and theatre
I would like to expand my research questions however I believe that most of that will happen as I start to research.
Some of my key terms I know I'll be using:
Theatre
Dance
Brain
Mental health
Physical health
Stress relief
I will also be expanding this list when I meet with Christine.
Timeline:
This is a rough timeline of my research and rough drafts based on my schedule and deadlines of the assignment:
I am planning to..
Make sure my plan is fully flushed out by the end of the show
Start research in the week after my show
Start a draft of my essay the week after that
And edit and finalize it by the week after
This is a great start! Two things to keep in mind as you move forward:
1.) Confirmation bias. We'll talk about this a little bit in class, but you should be aware of it beforehand, because you're setting yourself up to fall right straight into it if you're not careful. Basically, confirmation bias means you do research and find the results you're looking for ... because that's what you're looking for. It's common to human brains: we're good at seeing what we expect to see. The best research remains open to the unexpected, and even to what contradicts your assumptions. The way to adjust for confirmation bias is to look for material that challenges or even contradicts your own assumptions…