I taught The Biology of Perception and Illusion to a group of high school students in Baltimore last Friday. The teacher was very supportive, my co-teacher Sophie Petersen was amazing and is an amazing artist, and the students were engaged. This class is part of my collaboration with Art. Play. Learn., of Laurel, Maryland.
The class
In the Biology of Perception and Illusion workshop, we investigated conscious perception, unconscious perception, and the role of the mind in both perception and illusion. The students compared observations of an object viewed from different angles (conscious perception). They then discussed the possible causes of unconscious perception with the famous dress that broke the internet. If you would like, add what colors you think are in the dress in the comments! After a discussion of how and why the brain fills in missing information, the students examined examples of use of negative space and optical illusions. As a culminating art project, Sophie led the students in an art project to draw a 3-D version of their own hands.
The school
I taught this class at the Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy in Baltimore. I think it’s really cool that such a high school exists to help students as they consider careers in medicine. Since my exposure to this school is limited to last Friday, I’ll just tell you what they are about through the mission and vision on their website:
The Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy learning community develops and engages students with a passion for the healthcare professions. By exposing students to high quality instruction, rigorous programming, and health career related internships, Vivien T. Thomas prepares students to make informed post-secondary education and career choices.
What I can say from my experience is that the faculty and staff I encountered were friendly, helpful, and supportive of my co-teacher and I. The teacher I worked with most closely showed genuine care for her students.
The students
My own kids are grown, so it’s been a while since I regularly spent time with high school students. And to be honest, I’m a bit nervous any time I step in front of any audience, and particularly with which I am not familiar. The students in this class asked questions and engaged in the activities. They seemed interested and even excited at times. I truly appreciated the gift of their engagement.
Collaboration with Art. Play. Learn.
Meredith Kaunitz, the founder and lead teacher at Art. Play. Learn. established the contract with the Baltimore City Public Schools that allowed me, as her collaborator, to teach this class. I’ve mentioned Art. Play. Learn. in the blog before, as I could not ask for a more generous and supportive partner. Her view of education is that you can learn anything you want through art and play. Art. Play. Learn will be offering numerous summer camps, and I will be teaching three of them.
