We literally are wired to learn. When Stuart began working on the I See I Learn series, we talked a lot about the importance of embedding visual learning strategies. From years of field research, we knew they worked, but why? My background includes a lot of writing about science and technology, so I began to dig in and research.
The short answer is mirror neurons. Scientists are still working out the details, but basically these are specialized nerve cells that are triggered by watching the actions of others. To a large extent, the response is instinctual: If you stick out your tongue at a new born baby, she will stick out her tongue right back. She sees. She learns.
The discovery of mirror neurons was serendipitous, first observed in an Italian lab where macaques had been wired with electrodes to measure neuronal response to various movements—e.g., what goes on in a macaque's brain when it picks up a peanut? The surprise was the discovery that watching a human pick up a peanut would also trigger a brain response.
In the decades since, mirror neurons have been linked to everything from the development of empathy and theory of mind to self-awareness and the development of language.
In the case of the Port River dolphins in Australia, mirror neurons very likely played a role in their learning to tail-walk. When a young, wild dolphin named Billie spent a few weeks in captivity recovering from exposure to water pollution, she paid close attention to her dolphin companions who had been trained to tail-walk for a "dolphinarium" show. It must have looked like fun because as soon as she returned to her home harbor, she started tail-walking herself. Just like the young tap-dancing penguin Mumbles in the movie Happy Feet who sparked a dancing craze among among his feathered friends, Billie's example inspired other dolphins to try tail-walking, too (see videos embedded above).
“...We know that dolphins are social learners,” says Diana Reiss, a dolphin expert at Hunter College. “There have been past reports of captive cetaceans imitating the behavior and vocalizations of other dolphins, and even other species, with which they are housed. In doing so, perhaps they’re trying to fit in or bond with the others.”
Rendell agrees with that idea, and notes that humans do something similar. “Human children copy irrelevant actions as part of belonging,” he says... (emphasis added; read full article in The Atlantic.)
This is why it is so important to model positive behavior for young children!
•••••••••••••••••••
No one really knows why Billie and her friends took up dancing. In the parlance of science, it "seems to carry no benefit." Unless, of course, there is benefit to be had from fun, movement, practice, competition and, of course, the process of learning itself.
There is.
That said, after several years tail-walking seems to have gone the way of the Macarena for the Port River dolphins. Nobody's doing it any more, but it sure was fun while it lasted.
Sometimes, though, what starts as a quirky behavior without obvious purpose can become hard-wired over generations and critical for a species' survival. Who knows what inspired the first male bird of paradise to dance for a would-be mate? Clearly it worked and over time the birds' dances have became more and more elaborate, with plumage evolved for extra dramatic flourish (see David Attenborough video embedded above).
••••••••••••••••••••
Back to humans, dancing is a wonderful way to learn, and one that spans all four domains, too.
Social: Follow my lead and let's dance together! (see "100 People of Dance" video embedded above).
Emotional: It takes practice — you have to be able to work through frustration.
Health & Safety: Best. Exercise. Ever. But be careful that you don't hurt yourself or others!
Cognitive: Dancing requires learning a sequence: What comes first? Next? After that?
••••••••••••••••••••
Dancing can even be used to teach introductory computer coding. This year the famous "Kindercoders" of Goodnoe Elementary School in Newtown, Pennsylvania are taking their "Bee-Bot Bug Dance" district-wide! Using Stuart's Mathstart story Bug Dance (directions), the kindergarteners first learn the steps themselves, then they learn to translate the dance into code so that little bots that look like bees can dance, too (see Bee Bots video embedded above).
Two steps to the right. Two steps to the left. Everybody dance!
•••••••••••••••••••
The short answer is mirror neurons. Scientists are still working out the details, but basically these are specialized nerve cells that are triggered by watching the actions of others. To a large extent, the response is instinctual: If you stick out your tongue at a new born baby, she will stick out her tongue right back. She sees. She learns.
The discovery of mirror neurons was serendipitous, first observed in an Italian lab where macaques had been wired with electrodes to measure neuronal response to various movements—e.g., what goes on in a macaque's brain when it picks up a peanut? The surprise was the discovery that watching a human pick up a peanut would also trigger a brain response.
In the decades since, mirror neurons have been linked to everything from the development of empathy and theory of mind to self-awareness and the development of language.
In the case of the Port River dolphins in Australia, mirror neurons very likely played a role in their learning to tail-walk. When a young, wild dolphin named Billie spent a few weeks in captivity recovering from exposure to water pollution, she paid close attention to her dolphin companions who had been trained to tail-walk for a "dolphinarium" show. It must have looked like fun because as soon as she returned to her home harbor, she started tail-walking herself. Just like the young tap-dancing penguin Mumbles in the movie Happy Feet who sparked a dancing craze among among his feathered friends, Billie's example inspired other dolphins to try tail-walking, too (see videos embedded above).
“...We know that dolphins are social learners,” says Diana Reiss, a dolphin expert at Hunter College. “There have been past reports of captive cetaceans imitating the behavior and vocalizations of other dolphins, and even other species, with which they are housed. In doing so, perhaps they’re trying to fit in or bond with the others.”
Rendell agrees with that idea, and notes that humans do something similar. “Human children copy irrelevant actions as part of belonging,” he says... (emphasis added; read full article in The Atlantic.)
This is why it is so important to model positive behavior for young children!
•••••••••••••••••••
No one really knows why Billie and her friends took up dancing. In the parlance of science, it "seems to carry no benefit." Unless, of course, there is benefit to be had from fun, movement, practice, competition and, of course, the process of learning itself.
There is.
That said, after several years tail-walking seems to have gone the way of the Macarena for the Port River dolphins. Nobody's doing it any more, but it sure was fun while it lasted.
Sometimes, though, what starts as a quirky behavior without obvious purpose can become hard-wired over generations and critical for a species' survival. Who knows what inspired the first male bird of paradise to dance for a would-be mate? Clearly it worked and over time the birds' dances have became more and more elaborate, with plumage evolved for extra dramatic flourish (see David Attenborough video embedded above).
••••••••••••••••••••
Back to humans, dancing is a wonderful way to learn, and one that spans all four domains, too.
Social: Follow my lead and let's dance together! (see "100 People of Dance" video embedded above).
Emotional: It takes practice — you have to be able to work through frustration.
Health & Safety: Best. Exercise. Ever. But be careful that you don't hurt yourself or others!
Cognitive: Dancing requires learning a sequence: What comes first? Next? After that?
••••••••••••••••••••
Dancing can even be used to teach introductory computer coding. This year the famous "Kindercoders" of Goodnoe Elementary School in Newtown, Pennsylvania are taking their "Bee-Bot Bug Dance" district-wide! Using Stuart's Mathstart story Bug Dance (directions), the kindergarteners first learn the steps themselves, then they learn to translate the dance into code so that little bots that look like bees can dance, too (see Bee Bots video embedded above).
Two steps to the right. Two steps to the left. Everybody dance!
•••••••••••••••••••