ABSTRACT
More often than educators might think possible, findings from basic research fields distant from schools and schooling come along to help us as teachers think in new ways about a daily issue or problem. Such research can be especially helpful when thinking about future directions for the curriculum. Current work in neurobiology and physics brings new understanding of just how important engaging with the visual arts can be for broadening neural circuitry involvement in the brain. This research makes sense to us because of our growing awareness of the ubiquitous power of visual images, moving and still. We have also become aware of the special demands that reading hypertext brings and of the need to grasp information that comes to us through multiple media. We somehow know schooling has to enable students to process and produce information more rapidly than ever and through simultaneous use of new forms and means. But what are reasonable ways to do so, and what can research tell us about how to go about making these decisions?
