An aesthetic experience? Looking afresh at STEM learning
What do we want visitors to experience when they engage with our exhibitions and programmes? Most would agree that we want them to feel excitement, wonder, and a passion for ‘more!’ But how can we support such emotion-filled experiences?
Our session will begin with some brief presentations to introduce you to the idea of aesthetic experiences. Heather King will discuss John Dewey’s ideas about learning through experience and the application of this thinking to STEM. Maria Xanthoudaki will share an example of the ways in which the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci has placed the aesthetic experience at the heart of a new education initiative to engage young learners. And Andrew Newman will discuss ways in which Ars Electronica is working with artists to develop programmes building on a foundation of aesthetic experience to foster digital literary and new perspectives on STEM learning.
Then, we will divide into smaller, facilitated groups to reflect on the ways in which aesthetic experiences might be incorporated into our educational programming and exhibitions around STEM. We are looking forward to some rich and reflective conversations that will prompt participants to look afresh at their practices!
Facilitator
Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci di Milano
Session speakers
Director of Education and of the Centre of Research in Informal Learning
Future Inventors, an education project of the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, is exploring ways of ‘restoring’ qualities of STEM experiences that have been forgotten in many learning processes. These include the importance of bodily engagement, the appreciation of beauty, and the foregrounding of emotions and imagination. Maria will share her experiences with Future Inventors and discuss ways of bringing the arts into STEM and inviting learners to engage in experiences that initially ‘do not look like STEM'.
Maria will also be joined by her colleague Matteo Villa to help with the facilitation of the small group discussions.
Producer European Projects
In 2020 a generation of Europeans born during the dawn of social networking graduated into an era of social distancing and isolation. If humanity is to face the challenges of this world, it is clear that there must be an informed and empowered citizenry that has a critical and adaptive knowledge of digital technologies. Andrew will explain how together with European projects Open Science Hub and Creative School, Ars Electronica is working with artists to develop workshops that use a foundation of aesthetic experience to foster a digital literacy and introduce new perspectives on STEM learning.
Reader in Science Education
It is suggested that education should leave the learner somehow different: understanding more, seeing differently, and willing to act accordingly. Dewey describes effective learning encounters as aesthetic experiences. These provide a sense of wholeness and understanding that is not static but has a sense of forward motion that fosters further learning. Heather will unpack these ideas further and reflect on ways in which educators and developers can best provide aesthetic experiences.
