ARTS 23
STEAM Sandboxes: Public Pedagogy and Transformative Learning Winter 2020

Cross-listed ARTH 23 / PSYC 23
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

Where, when, and how do children learn outside of school? What is STEAM education, and who has access to it? Why does creative youth development matter in our society? Creative problem solving–the flexibility, persistence, and openness to generate and apply novel solutions to problems–is essential for success in school, the workplace, and beyond. The Bay Area Discovery Museum (BADM) has developed a pedagogical framework for educators to build children’s creative problem-solving skills through intentional experiences. We will use this framework to guide our exploration of informal learning environments, including museums, libraries, and other out-of-school places, investigating how children–and adults in their lives–access learning in STEAM content areas, especially the sciences and the arts. In addition to class meeting time, we plan to take two or three day-long field trips to local and regional museums and other educational sites. Alongside our research in the field and discussions in class, students will create a journal in the medium of their choice (written, visual, aural) to document and reflect on their learning. Students will also work individually or collaboratively to design a prototype for a STEAM exhibition, event, song, podcast, video, or project of their choosing that they will present at the end of the session. We welcome anyone with an interest in contributing to the field of education, making, creating, and innovating! This course is not limited to students with backgrounds in psychology, the sciences, or art. Class is scheduled for M and W afternoons with mandatory all- and partial-day field trips scheduled during Weeks 1-3. Dates of the field trips are TBD, and may fall either on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. Helen Hadani, Director of Research at BADM, and Molly Polk, from the Center for Learning in Action, will co-teach this course. Adjunct Instructor Bio: Molly was the founding education coordinator and curator for Kidspace at MASS MoCA and has taught children of all ages in informal learning environments, including museum galleries and dance studios, ski trails and forest floors, food pantries and assisted living centers. She works with Williams students who teach and mentor K-6 students at Brayton and Greylock Schools in North Adams. Her research areas of interest include student-driven learning and equity of access in K-12 public education. Adjunct Instructor Bio: Helen Hadani is the Director of Research at the Center for Childhood Creativity (CCC)–the research and advisory division of the Bay Area Discovery Museum (BADM)-and authors publications that synthesize scientific findings on children’s learning and cognition for parents and educators.
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 10
Grading: pass/fail only
Requirements/Evaluation: final project (individual or collaborative) in a medium of choice, accompanied by an informal presentation; as part of the process in developing their final projects, students will work together to provide feedback to each other prior to presenting their work; a rubric based on the CREATE framework will be available for students to use as a guideline for their projects as they consider pedagogical approaches, design features, and the learning outcomes for young people
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: students who have relevant experience through course- or fieldwork in Psychology and/or education will be given priority
Materials/Lab Fee: $35
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
ARTH 23 PSYC 23 ARTS 23

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