The Art of Science Learning: Shaping the 21st-Century Workforce
The Art of Science Learning, a project of The Learning Worlds Institute, explores ways in which the arts can help improve how people of all ages learn the sciences. Hands-on, imaginative approaches to science education, using many of the methods used in the creative arts, have been shown to attract and retain young people in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (sometimes known as the STEM disciplines).Responding to concerns that the U.S. risks lagging behind other nations (See "Bridging the Innovation Gap") in both the scientific literacy and the innovative capacity of its workforce, the Art of Science Learning convened scientists, artists, educators, business leaders, researchers and policymakers in three conferences in Spring 2011 to explore how the arts can be engaged to strengthen STEM skills and spark creativity in the 21st-Century American workforce.
We launched the project with a series of Conferences which were hands-on, workshop-oriented events that showcased interdisciplinary methods and techniques used by educators and artists, shared the results of current research into the impact of arts-based approaches to science education, and explored the connection between the arts and American economic competitiveness.
The conferences formed the basis for developing three key deliverables of the initiative: an online knowledge base for science educators working in all forums and media, a research agenda for future quantitative studies, and a workforce development report connecting the arts education and corporate perspectives in making actionable policy recommendations on the use of arts-based learning for a competitive 21st-Century STEM workforce.
The Learning Worlds Institute acknowledges major funding for The Art of Science Learning from The National Science Foundation
In addition, the Learning Worlds Institute thanks the sponsors and national partners of The Art of Science Learning for their contributions.
Sponsors of The Art of Science Learning include:
The American Association for the Advancement of Science
The Seed Media Group.
National Partners include:
American Association of Museums
Americans for the Arts
The Association of Science-Technology Centers
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0943769. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
