Speaker
Description
The body is the container of our lived experiences. Much of modern life and learning triggers self-protective reactions that inhibit health, relationships, learning, and creativity. The arts, nature, and technology provide opportunities for our nervous systems to repattern emotional reactivity into regulation and eventually into resilience. Regulation and resilience allow us to traverse rigorous life and learning experiences with curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, courage, and compassion.
CV
Heather Vaughan-Southard, MFA, is an arts education consultant specializing in social-emotional learning (SEL) and nervous system regulation in education. She is the Professional Learning Director for the Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment project (MAEIA), developed by the Michigan Assessment Consortium, supported by the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. She served as a member of Deb Dana’s polyvagal training team for courses offered through the Polyvagal Institute. She has presented nationally and internationally on the topics of arts education and the social-emotional learning in culturally responsible teaching.
