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Daydreaming should be an integral part of every scholastic curriculum. A minimum of 10% of every class instructional time should be spent in ‘free thought’. This is how I feel and I believe additional student sanctioned daydreaming will increase student performance and help lower the incidence of ‘problem children’ in the educational setting.
I will try not to get too technical but feel a few references to set the stage are mandatory…
Daydreaming research cited at http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/05/daydreams_1.php -
“...In addition to default network activation, mind wandering was associated with executive network recruitment, a finding predicted by behavioral theories of off-task thought and its relation to executive resources. Finally, neural recruitment in both default and executive network regions was strongest when subjects were unaware of their own mind wandering, suggesting that mind wandering is most pronounced when it lacks meta-awareness. The observed parallel recruitment of executive and default network regions--two brain systems that so far have been assumed to work in opposition--suggests that mind wandering may evoke a unique mental state that may allow otherwise opposing networks to work in cooperation.”
And: “In recent years, however, scientists have begun to see the act of daydreaming very differently. They've demonstrated that daydreaming is a fundamental feature of the human mind - so fundamental, in fact, that it's often referred to as our "default" mode of thought. Many scientists argue that daydreaming is a crucial tool for creativity, a thought process that allows the brain to make new associations and connections. Instead of focusing on our immediate surroundings - such as the message of a church sermon - the daydreaming mind is free to engage in abstract thought and imaginative ramblings. As a result, we're able to imagine things that don't actually exist.
‘If your mind didn't wander, then you'd be largely shackled to whatever you are doing right now," says Jonathan Schooler, a psychologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. But instead you can engage in mental time travel and other kinds of simulation. During a daydream, your thoughts are really unbounded.’
The ability to think abstractly that flourishes during daydreams also has important social benefits. Mostly, what we daydream about is each other, as the mind retrieves memories, contemplates "what if" scenarios, and thinks about how it should behave in the future. In this sense, the content of daydreams often resembles a soap opera, with people reflecting on social interactions both real and make-believe. We can leave behind the world as it is and start imagining the world as it might be, if only we hadn't lost our temper, or had superpowers, or were sipping a daiquiri on a Caribbean beach. It is this ability to tune out the present moment and contemplate the make-believe that separates the human mind from every other.
… A daydream is that "fountain spurting," as the brain mixes together ideas, memories and concepts that are normally filed away in discrete mental folders.”
From http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/124858/daydreaming_a_good_tool_for_life.html:
“From the time we were young children we've been told that we should stay on task rather than daydream. However, recent research has suggested that there may be some benefits in daydreaming. These benefits include greater concentration, greater stress management, and greater motivation for taking on all those insurmountable jobs and goals that we sometimes set for ourselves. This article highlights four ways in which daydreaming can actually help you.
Daydreaming has been shown to be a great way to stay calm in an intense situation. Experts suggest taking a five minute breather from stressful situations and picture yourself relaxing or picture an event in your life that was particularly positive or enjoyable. Doing this and then coming back to the reality of the situation can help you to better confront and deal with the situation head on.
Earlier I said that we've all been told not to daydream. From the time we all started school, we were told that by daydreaming, we weren't staying on task and weren't using our time wisely. Statistics have shown that becoming side-tracked with your favorite daydream can greatly improve your productivity. As we become involved in difficult tasks, our brain loses some of its reasoning and concentrating abilities. Daydreaming is a great way to mentally recharge so that we can focus on tasks and get them done in a timely manner.
Daydreaming is shown to build determination. Often when we daydream, we daydream of becoming a singer or entertainer, of re-designing our house, or taking on some other seemingly insurmountable task. Sometimes in our daydreams we begin to visualize how we should go about doing all those things we always talked about doing but never followed through. We may consult with a local band or community theater group or we may consult with local construction workers or interior decorators about re-designing our house. All of this happened because we had a little daydream.”
At least one invention that is now an integral part of almost every office in America can be attributed to daydreaming in church instead of listening to the sermon. Granted it is not the most important invention ever but the 3M Post-It Note was thought up by Arthur Fry, a 3M engineer, when he thought about how to temporarily mark his hymnal rater than attend to his pastor. 3M has made a lot of money on this daydreamer. Einstein, renowned for his wandering mind, Newton and Leonardo probably spent a lot of time daydreaming between spurts of on task behavior.
In The Coincidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Creativity - Bonnie Cramond, Ph.D., The University of Georgia, March 1995: “…we can see how the concentration, high energy, and unique ways of thinking and behaving that were exemplified by Robert Frost, Frank Lloyd Wright, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla resulted in school problems, dark diagnoses, or worse. These are examples of creative individuals whose behavior could also be interpreted as the inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
… In some cases the very qualities that cause creative individuals to have problems are the same ones that may facilitate in their creative accomplishments. Edison's energy, the vivid imagery in the daydreams of Frost and Wright, and Einstein's alternative mode of thinking created problems for them in school, but were undoubtedly invaluable in their creative endeavors.
… The issue of the relationship of creativity to psychopathology is a mare's-nest of cases and attributions. It is not the purpose of this work to attempt to resolve these issues. Rather, it is to look at the particular problems that can beset creative children in today's schools when their behaviors are mistaken for one of the most frequently diagnosed psychoeducational conditions, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
This is not only possible, but likely, because ADHD has been listed as the most common reason for referral and diagnosis in children seen in psychological clinics (Frick & Lahey, 1991). Yet, few schools, psychologists, or pediatricians test or diagnose creativity in children who are having problems in school, in spite of the fact that Wallach and Kogan (1965) found that highly creative children engage in "disruptive, attention-seeking behavior" in the classroom (p. 294-295). Similarly, Getzels and Jackson (1962) found that they are not valued by their teachers as much as more conforming, less creative students.”
Much of this thinking is anecdotal but more and more researchers are coming onboard. Possibly a lot of ADHD cases are kids who just don’t have enough time to dream. More research needs to be done on providing children designated time slots in each class to let their mind run free and their developing brains start hitting on all cylinders. If daydreaming is indeed the "default" mode of thought (as noted by much current scientific research) why is education trying so hard to keep it from happening? Students should be encouraged to use both halves of their brain AT THE SAME TIME and to document for themselves and others what they are thinking about while this is happening. It could be the subject for essays and even help English Composition. It probably will never to be able to be measured on a multiple choice test.
Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.
Oh, what can it mean
To a daydream believer
And a homecoming queen.
Did the nerd get the homecoming queen? Maybe he or she was too ADHD to realize they even had a chance.
Thanx to encouragement from my friends I will continue to try to nourish the creative sides of my brain. Now what was I thinking a minute ago… Oh yes, some research tends to indicate that too much daydreaming can contribute to Alzheimer’s… better start cleaning the house or something.
© 08.14.2010 steven d philbrick SR+ DakotaDawg
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