About the Author

Susan Rich Sheridan, Ed. D is an artist, writer, teacher, mother of three and grandmother of five. She received her undergraduate degree in Classics and English from Harvard College and her MAT and her doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. For the past thirty years, Sheridan has taught English and Art at the middle school level, studio arts, and art history at the college level, and after-school Maine public school programs, promoting what she calls a Neuroconstructivist theory of education with the cross-modal practice Drawing/Writing.

Her approach rests on the fact that the brain constructs itself in response not only to genetic blueprints but to environmental influences, including the influence of parents and teachers. This brain has two hemispheres, a right and a left, a visual and a verbal, a spatial and a linguistic mode. These two sides, these two modes work separately and together in special ways in humans who speak and write. Susan Rich Sheridan, Ed. D is especially interested in the effects of writing as a range of meaningful marks - scribbles, drawings, writing, mathematical notation, musical notation - on the evolution of the human brain, as well as on the development of modern children's brains in connection with their abilities to think as artists, writers, mathematicians, and musicians, as well as speakers. Research suggests that the work of the hands and the mouth evolved together. Scribbling and drawing influence children's speech.

Susan Rich Sheridan, Ed. D believes that the best brains for children to develop are balanced, or bi-lateral brains, at ease with drawing and writing, art and English, mathematics and music, and able to speak comfortably about these multiple literacies. Her research and practice point the way toward multiple literacies at home, and at school, as well as in the workplace where technology requires brains equally adept at text and image.

Susan Rich Sheridan, Ed. D lives in Addison, Maine, and in East Orange, New Jersey. She has three adult children and five grandchildren.

Education

DOCTORATE IN EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, Amherst, MA

MASTER OF ARTS AND TEACHING.

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, Amherst, MA

* Massachusetts state certification, #254606, K-12, English, Latin and Art.

B.A. CLASSICS AND ENGLISH

HARVARD COLLEGE, Cambridge, Mass.

Professional Writing

Teaching/Professional Employment

  • 2004-2010: after school drawing and writing programs for Maine elementary school children, Addison, Maine.

  • 2004-1985: Consultant, lecturer, workshop provider in Neuroconstructive theory and the practice Drawing/Writing through the following venues: Continuing Education and Professional Development accredited courses, graduate and undergraduate levels at UMASS, Amherst, Westfield State College, Holyoke Community College, Worcester Art Museum, Merrimac Education Center (thru Fitchburg State College), Cambridge College,Cambridge, MA (Saturday courses 1999, 2000, 2001), The Northeast Consortium for Teacher Education, Salem State College, Salem, MA.

  • 2002: Spring Semester, adjunct professor, Secondary English Methods, School of Education, University of Maine, Machias, Maine

  • 2002: Winter Cont. Ed., UMASS, Amherst, week workshop, Drawing/Writing and Brain Compatible Literacy

  • 1992-1999: Adjunct professor, Westfield State College, Art Survey I and II, painting, drawing, anatomy, design fundamentals.

  • 1999: Instructor, grant-funded 3-way learning community for freshmen combining mathematics education, English writing and literature education, and art survey II using the Drawing/Writing as method of delivery,Westfield State College

  • l997-1999: Instructor, Continuing Education, "Neuroconstructivism" (Sheridan, 1990): "Applications of Drawing and Writing," Westfield State College, pilot courses through the departments of Art and Education.

  • l997: Visiting Prof. Cont. Ed., Drawing/Writing, Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA

  • l996: Visiting Prof. Art Survey with Drawing/Writing, Jan. term, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA

  • l995: Adjunct Professor, modern art with Drawing/Writing, Anna Maria College, Paxton, MA

  • l992: Designed a model for contemporary middle school , community-based education with an emphasis on broad- based literacy and self-sufficiency - with some fail-safe economic considerations. The model, called "The Thinking Child," received number 2009 from the New American Schools Development Corp.

  • 1992: Volunteer mini-course teaching, K-12, with a focus on elementary schools, in Drawing/Writing, and architecture. Worked with Gill elementary students on designing a house for Gaia, Mother Earth. Idea of affordable, environmentally sound, humane, community-based cluster dwelling, urban or rural.

  • 1992: State-wide independent research into what seems to be working, especially in connection with a broad- based approach to literacy, in both public and private schools, with a focus on the middle school level. Developed the idea of project-based technical literacy, where writing, reading, math, science, history and the arts are built into a hands-on project. The approach is radically constructivist where students actively incorporate understanding and knowledge.

  • 1992: The founding of the educational think-tank called "The Thinking Child, " Amherst1991-

  • 1995: Appointed by Governor William Weld to two committees:

    • Advisory Committee on Women's Issues

    • Higher Education Nomianting Committee, Office of Education

  • 1991-1992: Chair, Deerfield Republican Town CommitteeApril,

  • 1991: Drawing/Writing is taught in another language for the first time; I conducted an 8- day session of Drawing/Writing in Spanish to 3rd year Spanish students, sophomore grade, at Deerfield Academy. The teacher, John Taylor, learned to teach Drawing/Writing with these students, and then taught Drawing/Writing to two other sections of 3rd year Spanish students. The data is being evaluated. Did the same at Eaglebrook School, with Spanish teacher, Sally Spencer and her eighth grade students.Summer,

  • 1991: Enrolled in 6-week Middlebury College Bread Loaf School of Writing Program at Lincoln College, Oxford, to study culture, writing and discourse with Tony Burgess. Wrote handbook, DRAWING AND WRITING: THE MAGIC MIRROR. A HANDBOOK FOR TEACHERS. Alternative title: DRAWING/WRITING; TWO STEPS TOWARD LITERACY. RESTRUCTURING THE 3 R'S.Summer,

  • 1990-1991: Chair, Cushing Academy's Expository Writing Program for The Native American Preparatory School, Las Cruces, New Mexico

  • 1988- 2002: Drawing/Writing workshops in Gill, Hadley, Greenfield, Chicopee, Amherst (Pelham, Fort River, Crocker Farm schools), Ashburnham (Cushing Academy); Bangor, Maine; Barre, Vt.(Orange Elementary) ; Hartford, Ct., (Critical and Creative Thinking Center); Warwick, R.I. (Warwick Elementary Schools).1980-

  • 1990: Middle School Art Teacher and English teacher, Eaglebrook School, Deerfield, Mass.l987,

  • 1988- l989: Interdisciplinary course "Styles of Thinking" based on Douglas Hofstadter's book Godel, Escher, Bach, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MAl988 &

  • 1989: Summer teacher, Elderhostel, Drawing/Writing, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield MA1980-82 Teaching Assistant, Basic Design amd Basic Drawing courses, MAT Program, U. Mass., Amherst., MA

Conferences, Lectures, Workshops, 1972 to present

  • “Art and Women,” personal interview, T.V. talk show “The Now Women,”Washington, D.C., l972

  • “Integrating the Arts,” interview with Robert Merriam, host, radio talk show, Greenfield Community College, 1985

  • “Grading and the Arts,” and “Art as a Paralinguistic Bridge,” Independent Secondary and Middle Schools Association, ISAM Conference, l985, Southshore, MA.

  • "Teaching Art in a Boys' School in New England." Presenter, ISAM conference, Sturbridge Village. Emphasis on art as a para-linguistic bridge into literacy for the ESL student who is not yet fluent in English, as well as for the language- or attention-troubled student (ADD, LD, ADHD) who may have more facility with non-verbal, visual forms of expression, 1985.

  • “Training to Transfer,” New England League of Middle Schools, NELMS, l987.

  • Five Colleges Writing Workshop, Drawing/Writing, Mt. Holyoke College, l990.

  • “ Drawing/Writing: Scope of a Brain Research-based Writing Program. Developing Thinking Skills in an Age of Cognitive Pluralism.,” National Orton Society Conference, Washinton, D.C., l990

  • “Drawing/Writing and the Native American Middle School Student: Multi-Cultural Applications of a Brain Research-Based Writing Program,” New England Educational Research Organization, Portsmouth, RI., l991.

  • “Drawing and Writing: Connections and Implications,” College Art Association, Session Chair and Presenter, San Antonio, Texas, January, l995.

  • "Why Art? The Missing Piece of the Educational Puzzle. What it means to be literate in the 21st century," lecturer/presenter, Westfield State College, l995 - l996. Discussants, Math Prof. Julian Fleron, English Prof. Gregg Neikirk.

  • Springfield School System, Arts and Technology faculty workshops, l997-98. Drawing/Writing in one and two-day workshops for art teachers and technology teachers.

  • Fall l998 workshop, Drawing/Writing, for the full faculty of the Montessori Community School, Scituate.

  • Session Presenter, Drawing/Writing, New England League of Middle Schools, NELMS, 1997.

  • Session Presenter, Drawing/Writing, New England Art Educators, NAEA, l997 and l998,

  • Session Presenter, Drawing/Writing, National Conference Teachers of English, NCTE, l998 .

  • Workshop, "Neuroconstructivism * (Sheridan, 1990): Educational applications of drawing and writing," School of Education Hillocks

  • Conference, University of Chicago, NCTE, "Re-imagining English instruction," June 17-19, l999.

  • Westfield, MA school system, Drawing/Writing workshop, April 9, 2000.

  • “A New Theory of Multiple Literacies,” lecture, Westfield State College, March, 2000.

  • Lecture/Workshop, Drawing/Writing, School of Design, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, March, 23, 2000.

  • Lecture/Workshop, Drawing/Writing, School of Education, Southern Connecticut State University, April 5, 2000.

  • May 2000 Conference,” Mind, Brain and Spirituality.” Lesley College, Boston. Lecture: “The Magic Mirror: A Brain-based, Self-Reflectvie Drawing and Writing Program.” Jon Kabat-Zinn also presenting at this conference.

  • April 8, 2000, Lecture/Workshop, 4 hours, Drawing/Writing, Cambridge College, Cambridge, MA.

  • June 2000, weeklong intensive, graduate credit course, Drawing/Writing and the New Literacy, Merrimac Educ. Ctr., Chelmsford, MA. through Fitchburg State College, MA.

  • July 2000, weeklong intensive, graduate credit course, Drawing/Writing and the New Literacy, UMASS, Amherst, Cont. Ed.

  • October 11-14, 2000, presenter, Drawing/Writing, 32nd International Visual Literacy Conference, Univ. of Iowa, Ames, Iowa.

  • November, Basic, Intermediate Dr/Wr workshops, 8 hours, Cambridge College, Cambridge, MA.

  • Feb. 2001, weeklong, 3-credit Basic, Drawing/Writing course thru Cont. Ed., UMASS, Amherst.

  • March, April, 2001, 8-hour workshops, PDO credit, Drawing/Writing, Cambridge College, Cambridge,MA.

  • May, 2001, two-hour talk, Dr/Wr, Massachusetts Art Education Association, Worcester Art Museum.

  • July, 2001, 4 courses in Dr/Wr offered through UMASS Cont. Ed and Fitchburg State College via Merrimac Education Center, Drawing/Writing Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.

  • August, 2001, “Toward a Science of Consciousness,” poster presentation, “The Scribble Hypothesis,” Skovde, Sweden

  • November, 2001, International Visual Literacy Conference, poster session, “Very Young Children’s Drawings and Human Consciousness: The Scribble Hypothesis,” Skvode, Sweden.

  • October, 2001, “ Brain Compatible Literacy, Brain Compatible Tests,” New England Association of Teachers of English conference presentation, Nashua, NH.

  • November, 2001, “Drawing/Writing and Human Consciousnessness: Neuroconstructivism * (Sheridan, 1990) and Human Mark-Making,” New England Art Education Conference, Hyannis, MA.

  • March, 2002, presenter, “Drawing/Writing and the new literacy: new standards,” New England League of Middle Schools Conference, Providence, RI.

  • April, 2002, presenter, “Multiple Literacies and “Signing across Systems,” Carmbridge College New Literacy Paradigm, Springfield, MA.

  • July, 2002, presenter, “The Scribble Hypothesis,: International Reading Conference, Edinburgh, Scotland.

  • April, 2004, poster session: "Scribbles: The missing link in a bio- evolutionary theory of language with implications for human consciousness," Toward a Science of Consciousness 2004 conference, University of Arizona, Tucson.

  • November 2004, keynote speaker, "The Scribble Hypothesis," California Association of Art Educators, Riverside,CA.

  • 2004-2007, free afterschool play/literacy program using Drawing/Writing, elementary school children, offered from the Art Barn, Basin Road, Addison, Maine.

  • 2005-7, writer/co-designer with researcher Deborah Wasserman of the ArtSafe, "Side by Side" program, aimed at building self- esteem and critical thinking skills as well as parenting skills in truant teenage mothers, using the Drawing/Writing method.

  • 2008, forming non-profit organization, "Saving Literacy," a start-up cottage industry to publish the preschool literacy workbook, and to provide free literacy classes for adults and preschool children with a caregiver, as well as farming, marine, and woodlands education with am emphasis on mutual community support.

Memberships and Associations

National Council of Teachers of English

National Council of Art Educators

American Association of Science

International Reading Association

International Visual Literacy Association

Art Exhibits

One-person show:

  • Nacul Gallery, Amherst, June, l998

  • Greenfield Community TV, mini series on Drawing/Writing, l996

  • Nada/Mason Gallery, Northfield Mount Hermon School, l995

  • ACTV Amherst Community Television mini series, Drawing/Writing, Amherst. Spring, l995

  • The Emerson Umbrella, Concord, MA, l993.

  • NACUL Gallery, Amherst, MA, l993

  • Hilson Gallery, A Retrospective, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA, l985

Group show:

  • Arno Maris Gallery, Westfield State College, Faculty Show, Fall, l998

  • Arno Maris Gallery, Westfield State College Faculty Show, Spring, l997

  • Arno Maris Gallery, Westfield State College, Faculty Show, Spring, l995.

  • NACUL Gallery, juried show, “Nature and Culture,” Jan, ‘95

  • NACUL Gallery, Solstice Show, Winter, l994

  • Student Union Art Gallery, Valley Women artists, U. Mass. Fall, l994

  • NACUL Gallery, Amherst, MA., Spring, l994.

  • Arno Maris Gallery, Westfield State College, Westfield, MA, l993.

  • Hilson Gallery, Die Brucke, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA l980, 83, 84, 85

  • Town Square Art Show, Washington, D.C., l969

  • “Art Exposure ‘69,” Washington, D.C. Area group show. First prize, water colors. President’s Park Open Air Exhibit, Washington, D.C., l969.

  • Artists Mart, Georgetown Gallery, l969-70.