The Leonardo Effect

Leonardo Da Vinci was well known for being ahead of his time for combining the logical thinking of science and the abstract insight from an artists point of view, which created deep meaningful theories and powerful concepts about the world that we live in (Pedretti, 2005). Leonardo Da Vinvi had a mind full of wonder and curiosity he would always questioned the facts and challenge the minds that surround him with the use of science and art which would encourage learners to think differently (The Leonardo Effect, 2011).

Teaching Methodology
Within The Leonardo Effect children are giving the freedom to explore difference ways of engaging with their thinking, the methods allows teachers to deliver a diverse learning experience for children to enjoy and become productive learners (Hickey and Robson, 2013). The method of teaching this effect consists of four stages to create that efficient learner:

Stage One: - The teacher must capture the learners imagination by the use of first-hand                                           experiences which will stimulate the learner to question the context and                                                  help the learner to produce a curious mind.

Stage Two: - Development stage where the teacher need to help the learner to gain skills in a                                variety of learning area which facilitate to think more in-depth of the matter.

Stage Three: - the teacher needs to challenge the learner to help them think more creatively                                   which will encourage them to think at a highly level and create something                                                beyond their imagination.

Stage Four: - Reflect and communicate, meaning that teachers allow the learners to evaluate                                 their own work and transmit what they have just learnt to other students.                                        this a way for them to teach and have a better understand of what they have learnt.

By teaching through these four stage the teacher can see that the learners are beginning to become powerful thinkers and this then enlightens the teacher to feel dignified to learn with them.

References

Image 1. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2125571/Leonardo-da-Vincis-list-offers-odd-insight-mind-genius.html

Hickey, I. Robson, D. (2013) The Leonardo Effect: Motivating Children to Achieve Through Interdisciplinary Learning. Abingdon: Routledge 

Pedretti, C. (2005) Leonardo da Vinci: The Complete Works. Devon: David & Charles 

The Leonardo Effect (2011) Retrieved 25th February 2014 from http://www.leonardoeffect.com/connecting_learning_to_hard_to_reach_children.html  

The Arts Vs Science Debate

The relationship between Art and Science has always been a debatable one to the fact that they are known to be so different but yet so similar that they both play a powerful impact on the education of children today.

The Power of Art

Art within education can be seen as a way of communicating ones feelings or expressing ones creative individual mind which offers opportunity to excel within life by creating skills such as problem solving and critical thinking (Hodge, 2010; Golomb, 2011). It has also been known that art within education can help children gain confidence which can then reflect on them to have better behavioral attitude towards other subjects (Atkinson, 2002). As children's cultural attitudes change with welcoming of new social technologies such as the internet and television, their thinking requires different needs and ways to help them learn more efficiently (Hickman, 2004).

 The Power of Science

Science would probably be the most influential and powerful aspect to the way children learn and think today. Science has given humanity the ability to expand their reach to develop new technologies within their way of life. According to Abell and Lederman (2007) Science within education allows learners to be able to measure accurately the world around them and allow them to think logically about major phenomena's which will give them the ability to predict such occurrences in future.  

Art or Science?

I believe that art has the ability to open children's minds and allows them to be free to explore different cultural aspects and movements to form new ideas. While Science supplies new learners with facts about the world which can support their thinking to achieve spectacular results and  be able to evolve humanity as one. However by understanding the importance of both elements, it is difficult to extinguish whether or not one is more superior than the other due to the paradox of them being unable to grow without each other. The way I see it is that science is inspired by new and critical thinking which is reflected from art, and art is only breaking the barriers with the influences of science. Both areas have the ability to develop creative minds and produce a future for the way we live within society. 

Exploring more about how creative approaches with the combination of art and science can be adapted within education leads onto my next post about the Leonardo Effect which explores the stages and ways of creating an effect curriculum.

References 

Image 1. http://enableeducation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/shutterstock_13468741.jpg
Image 2. http://ehstoday.com/safety/don-t-be-shocked-static-electricity-q

Abell, S. K. and Lederman, N. G. (2007) Handbook of Research on Science Education. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaun Associates.

Atkinson, D. (2002) Art in Education: Identity and Practice. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publisher.

Golomb, C. (2011) The Creation of Imaginary Worlds: The Role of Art, magic & Dreams in Child Development. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Hickman, R. (2004) Art Education 11-18: Meaning, Purpose and Direction. London: Continuum

Hodge, S. (2010) The Art and Design Teacher's Handbook. London: Continuum International Publishing Group

Does Education Kill Creativity?

As discussed from last weeks lecture, creativity is a complex and unique process that needs to be nurtured and developed within children today. According to Noddings (2003) one of the aims of education  is to develop and enlighten children's minds to help them become creative and independent learners for the future however in Sir Ken Robinsons point of view, education is simply doing the opposite. He believes that every individual child is born with a unique way of thinking, but unfortunately within a school environment this individuality is not praised or valued by many teachers resulting to children thinking negative about being creative and making them believe that they are incorrect in doing so (Robinson, 2011).

To looking back at my own experience of education, I have noticed that throughout my time in primary and secondary school there were a set of rules and formats to follow for answering curtain questions and it was believed that there was one and only correct answer. For example within the subject of science, typically known to be about experimenting with different elements, had been simply stylized to following instructions to all create that same outcome, this eliminating that creative experimental part of the lesson and letting children learn about the different elements through their own pathways. The only lessons that were seen to be a way of expressing my creativity was in the area of art and drama where the teachers would encourage me to think outside of the box, but even within those lessons there was a set of guys lines of what was acceptable, thus limiting my thinking to become simple and not complex.
It was not till I came to university that I noticed this attribute towards my passed education, due to having the ability to critically evaluate education and understand the views of others, for example Sir Ken Robinson's theory on how education can kill creativity does have a strong debatable view point and does raise a query on the format of the educational system.

The educational system of today lies heavily in the hands of politicians, one such as Michael Gove who is the secretary of state education, many view Gove to be destroying the future of children's education by changing the format and deciding to go back to basic 'traditional' values where children are only taught 'rigorous subjects' (Richardson, 2010). However by doing so this may limit the freedom that children have of choosing what they desire to study and condemn them of that ability to think uniquely.
Below is a speech by Robinson (2010) who believes that the key element of education which needs to be evaluated before changing education is to discuss the purposes of specif subjects to help develop a childs understanding and way of thinking for the future.




References
Noddings, N. (2003) Happiness and Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Richardson, H. (2010) Retrieved on 22nd Feburary 2014 from Gove Puts Focus on Traditional Values http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11822208  

Robinson, K. (2011) Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative. West Sussex: Capstone Publishing Ltd.

Introduction to creativity

Lets begin by asking what is meant by the word Creativity? 

As you are able to see,from the mind map created by another educational studies student, there are a range of ideas to what is meant by creativity. However when researching for a more academic meaning to the word creativity there are challenges to understand one true meaning of the word. According to Robinson (2006), who did a talk on how education is killing creativity, believes that creativity is the greatest endowment of human intelligence and should be as important as literacy in the world of education. Agreeing with Robinson's theory is Duffy (2006) who believes that creativity is a vital and important function in education, 'it is the representation of one's own image', suggesting that each child needs to have a creative mind to be able to absorb the context and adapt their own thoughts to be able to move forward in life.
Following on from that, creativity can be seen as original however Csikszentmihalyi & Wolfe (2000) believe that to be able to labeled a product as 'creative' there needs to be acknowledgment of the General Model of Creativity (as seen to the right).
Three objectives to gain a creative status for the new object; the first is the Originality of the new object which has not been copied, second the Value of the object does it have any meaning to anyone, and last the Implementation which is when something is noticed and is set into society.

EDUCATION
Children from a very young age can experience creativity on such a large level and a key feature of education is to be able to teach the creative minds to develop their minds further and be able to establish their own understanding on the world. Cropley (2001) identified that there needs to be the correct education to allow young creative minds to flourish, without it there will be no economic or social progress. Therefore creativity is undoubtedly an important feature to the educational environment, to help the future of our society to expand and reach further than the limits. More about creativity within an educational environment will be further discussed on the next post Does Education Kill Creativity

References
Cropley, A. J. (2004) Creativity in Education & Learning: A Guide for Teachers and Educators. Abingdon: RoutledgeFalmer.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. & Wolfe, R. (2000) New Conceptions and Research Approaches to Creativity: Implications of a Systems Perspective for Creativity in Education, in Heller, K., Monks, F., Sternberg, R. & Subotnik (Eds.) International Handbook of Giftedness & talent (pp.81-93). Oxford: Elsevier Science LTD.

Duffy, B (2006) Supporting Creativity and Imagination In the Early Years. Berkshire: Open University Press.

Robinson, K (2006) http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity