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Should we be more creative when teaching

science?

16th May18

Professor Mark ClementsDirector of Learning, Teaching & Student Experience

Middlesex UniversityEmail: m.clements@mdx.ac.uk

Overview

How we learnTraditional way science is taught Drivers for changeWays of embedding creativity within the curriculumChallenges

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Shouldweredesignthecurriculumtoprovide

studentswithmoretimeandspacetobecreative?

“Thegreatengineofacademiccreativityisintellectualcuriosity

- thedesiretofindout,understand,explain,proveor

disprovesomethingorsimplytoimaginesomethingdifferent”

Jackson et al, 2006

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http://naturalstart.org/

https://performanceandlearning.ca

Sugata Mitra, 2016

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Tom Woodward @ bionic teaching

http://www.mountainhome.af.mil/ Sugata Mitra, 2016

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“Schoolsteachhowtoanswer,nottoquestion”

Csikszentmihali, 2006

https://www.scienceabc.com/

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Intheearlystageofscienceeducationweunconsciouslydiscouragestudentsfromquestioningbyindoctrinatethemwithfactsandcertainty

Jenny Waller, 2016

“Forstudentsofparticulardisciplines,theinvisible,taken-for-grantednatureofparadigms

hasobviousfunctionaladvantagessinceitmeanstheycanworkwithintheirchosenfieldwithoutwastingtime

attemptingtoredefineordefectthe'hypotheticalrulesofthe

game’.”

Kuhn, 1974

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http://www.learnnc.org/

1st Year Certainty

2nd Year Complexity

3rd Year CreativeScience

“Untiltheverylaststagesintheeducationofascientist,

textbooksaresystematicallysubstitutedforthecreativescientificliteraturethatmade

thempossible”

Kuhn, 1974

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“Creativityisinhibitedbypredictiveoutcome-basedcoursedesigns,whichsetsoutwhat

studentswillbeexpectedtohavelearnedwithnoroomforunanticipatedorstudent-determinedoutcomes”

Jackson, 2006

https://www.scienceabc.com/

“Thereisageneral

disengagementfromscience

throughtedium”

Brooks, 2011

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Wehavebeenteachingsciencethiswayforcenturiessowhyshouldwe

changethisapproachnow?

https://jamesaltucher.com/

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https://media.licdn.com/

http://www.tomdoctoroff.com/

“social and creative skills; decision-making under pressure and the development of novel

ideas”

Klaus SchwabWorld Economic Forum

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Judgement and Decision MakingFluency of ideasActive learningSystems evaluationOriginalityLearning StrategiesDeductive reasoningComplex problem solvingSystems analysisMonitoring

https://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/future-skills-employment-2030

Judgement and Decision MakingFluency of ideasActive learningSystems evaluationOriginalityLearning StrategiesDeductive reasoningComplex problem solvingSystems analysisMonitoring

https://www.nesta.org.uk/publications/future-skills-employment-2030

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“Interdisciplinary view -original thinkers and problem

solvers”

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Canwelearnfromthewaydesign based art disciplinesare

taught?

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Teachmethod,notcontent

Principles of practice based arts teaching

Encouragesexplorationandexperimentation

Principles of practice based arts teaching

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Providesasafespacetofail

Principles of practice based arts teaching

Assessmentsfocusedonprocessnotoutcome

Principles of practice based arts teaching

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Educatorsaretutors;roleisasafacilitatorratherthanteacher

Principles of practice based arts teaching

Can we adopt similar approaches within the

sciences?

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Traditional Practical Session

Barnett, 2014

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Each group provided with:10 ml 3% Hydrogen Peroxide Solution10 ml 1% Potassium Iodide Solution5 ml 50 mM Ascorbic Acid5 ml Starch WaterDistilled Water

20 Test Tubes A StopwatchA P1000 Micropipette and blue tipsA P200 Micropipette and yellow tipsGraph Paper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqSfpOuDsiY

Design Based Practical

S.Thompson, J. Vernon & J. Murray (University of Westminster)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqSfpOuDsiY

Recall, Adapt & Apply

“Provide all equipment and reagents - but

limited instruction so they need to recall prior knowledge &

experience”

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What happens if you allow students become teachers?

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“It’sreallyvaluabletohavetheopportunitytotryandteachotherswhatyouhave

beentaught,helpstocondenseandrevise”

Student Quote

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School Outreach Activities

STEM Festival

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Students as teachersInitiative

Lifelong Learning

IT Skills

Creativity

Resourcefulness

Mathematical Skills

Teamwork

Enterprise

Communication

Organisation Skills

Can we rethink the way we assess skills?

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Derek Scott & Alison Jenkinson

Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE)

Based on approach commonly used in medical and pharmacy education

ECG Measurement

Serial Dilutions

Respiratory Testing (calculations)

Solution making

Urine analysis

Phlebotomy

Professor Tony ClarkHead of Computer Science

Student Observable BehaviorsLearning Design

Practical problem-led holistic workshops

Challenges, mini-projects and case studies

Assessment Competency based (Pass/Fail)

Stretch and Challenge(Threshold, Typical or Excellent)

Assessed Labs, group sessions, presentations or one-to-one tutorials

Self-pacedStudents dictate pace and

order of which learning outcomes are demonstrated

SOB Online tool

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What happens if you give students the choice to learn

through creativity?

Mark Feltham

Research Methods Module

Students can chose traditional lectures or a ’creative’ alternative

THINK MAKE LEARN SHARE

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Ambitious when given their freedom

Take ownership of the learning process

Willing to take risks and try things out

Learning through the doing - learning from their mistakes

Motivated by being able to share what they had created

MarkFelthamonWho-topia

Mark Feltham

Research Methods Module

Students can chose traditional lectures or a ’creative’ alternative

THINK MAKE LEARN SHARE

What happens you allow students to collaborate

across disciplines?

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Interdisciplinary Art/Science Module12 weeks

Heather Barnett, Mark Clements, Silke Lange & John Smith (2010 - 2015)

Mell Fisher, Kitti Edwards & Freddie

Bell

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Judd Welland, Malgorzata Stasiewicz & JJ Hastings

Idea Translation Lab

Dublin

2015 - Future Farm

2014 - Strange Weather

2013 - Synthetic Biology

2012 - Hack the City

2011 - The Future of Water

1 theme

12 weeks

1 lecture + 1 ‘lab’ per week

A final pitch

Public output -cultural/social/scientific

value

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Extracurricular team competitions

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International competition

8 weeks

Open community for synthetic biology collaboration

Fundraising and Sponsorship

Public engagement

http://2015.igem.org/Team:Westminster

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http://wholenewengineer.org/

New model for engineering education

Curriculum built around designed based projects

Shouldweredesignthesciencecurriculumtoprovidestudentswithmoretimeandspaceto

becreative?

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“Youneedtimeandspaceinyourmindtobecreativeandifyourmindisfullofstudyingthisthatandtheotherthen

there'snospaceforit”

Student quote in Jackson, 2006

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Gettingthebalanceright

Learning by doingContent

Challenges

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Setting Expectations

Teamwork & Project Management

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Creating a safe space to fail

http://nelsonscolumn.co/

AssessmentResearch Journal

Critical Evaluation

Focus on process not output

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SummaryTraditional teaching approaches often provide limited opportunities for creativityRedesign of the curriculum can reawaken curiosity and tap into intrinsic motivation to learnExpand opportunities for original thinking and problem-solvingRequires time and space in the curriculum as well as a safe environment to fail

Mellissa Fisher, 2015

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