yasminers
an interesting white paper is being developed for SEAD
http://seadnetwork.wordpress.com/about/
on
THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY AND PERSISTENT ARTS AND CRAFTS
EDUCATION FOR FUTURE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS
which i hope will also explain why the vitality of the hacker and make
communities offers interesting pluses for science and engineering,
and why for instance the explosion of fablabs offers new mechanisms
for cross linking science and engineering to arts and design.
their abstracts concludes with:
The fact is that Innovators in science and engineering are artists and
craftsmen as well,
and there are practical reasons that this is so. Only when we
understand the many ways
in which arts and crafts make possible innovation in sciences and
engineering will we be
able to develop the full potential of our students.
any comments ?
the position paper is being developed by
Robert Root-Bernstein*, Ph.D., Professor of Physiology
Rex LaMore, Ph.D., Director Center for Community and Economic Development
James Lawton, MFA, Professor and Studio Artist, College of Arts & Letters
John Schweitzer, Ph.D., Professor, Center for Community and Economic Development
Michele Root-Bernstein, Ph.D., Adjunct Faculty, College of Arts and Letters
Eileen Roraback, Ph.D., College of Arts and Letters
Amber Peruski, MSU Honors College
Megan VanDyke , MSU Honors College
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA 48824
*email: rootbern@msu.edu;
K-12 curricula at in most school systems focus on mathematical and
verbal skills, but the ability to succeed in science and engineering
requires a broader range of skills that include observation,
visualization, dimensional thinking, modeling, manual dexterity,
familiarity with tools, transforming data into visual or graphical
forms, converting theories into mechanical procedures, and even
understanding data and experiments kinesthetically (Wilson, 1972;
Ferguson, 1977; Ferguson, 1992; Root-Bernstein and Root-Bernstein,
1999; Root-Bernstein and Root-Bernstein, 2005; Root-Bernstein, et al.
2008;). All of these skills can be learned through arts and crafts
experiences (e.g., Hindle, 1981; Ferguson, 1992; Deno, 1995; Sorby and
Bartmanns, 1996; Alias, et al., 2002; Root-Bernstein and
Root-Bernstein, 2005; Root-Bernstein, et al., 2008; Sorby, 2009;). As
a result, we have found through a series of studies of scientists and
engineers that significant arts and crafts experience is highly
correlated with success in science and engineering as measured by
outcomes such as major prizes and honors, patents, or the founding of
new high tech companies (Root-Bernstein, et al., 1995; Root-Bernstein
and Root-Bernstein, 2004; Root-Bernstein, et al., 2008; Lamore, et
al., 2010; Root-Bernstein, et al., in press). One of the most notable
results of our ongoing studies is that no particular art or craft
confers any particular advantage over any other: dance, music, drama,
painting, sculpting, printmaking, photography, making and composing
music, metal- and woodwork are all correlated with increased
probability of success. The operant factor is not the type of art or
craft, but early introduction to arts and crafts in elementary and
middle school years followed by persistent practice of that art or
craft into adulthood. We also found that while exposure to arts and
crafts can occur in a school setting, formal education is not a
requirement for the observed correlation to success: arts and crafts
classes in school were often supplemented or replaced by private
lessons, informal mentoring at home or in community centers, or even
by self-teaching. Again, the key element was not how an art or craft
was learned, but the persistence with which it was pursued.
Given that most states within the United States, and most countries
around the world, marginalize arts and crafts education to the extent
that many students get no more than an hour of such education per
week, and most are not introduced to more than one or two arts or
crafts during their entire schooling, our findings have clear policy
implications for a wide range of parties (Lamore, et al., 2010).
Students interested in pursuing a science or engineering career must
recognized that their formal K-12 schooling is unlikely to prepare
them adequately in the range of skills they will need to reach the top
of their field: they and their parents will need to supplement the
standard K-12 curriculum. Educators and those setting educational
policy must recognize that there is a robust literature linking
success in science and engineering to skills such as observing,
visualization, and modeling that are developed by arts and crafts
training: arts and crafts are not, therefore dispensable frills that
can be eliminated from curricula whenever budgets need to be cut, but
essential elements of science and engineering education. Finally,
legislators need to understand the practical value that lies in the
skills taught through arts and crafts so that they are willing to
provide robust funding not only for formal K-12 arts and crafts
curricula, but also for community centers, after-school programs
associated with arts and crafts centers, museum- and concert
hall-based educational programs, and other forms of informal arts and
crafts education. The fact is that Innovators in science and
engineering are artists and craftsmen as well, and there are practical
reasons that this is so. Only when we understand the many ways in
which arts and crafts make possible innovation in sciences and
engineering will we be able to develop the full potential of our
students.
http://seadnetwork.wordpress.com/about/
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