Write a science opera - Is there a motivational boost in multidisciplinarity and creativity?

Author(s):

Andreia Volta e Sousa(presenting / submitting)Oded Ben-Horin Alvaro Teixeira Lopes Andre Ramos

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

29. Research on Arts Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

29 SES 06 A, Music and Creative Writing

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-03

15:30-17:00

Room:

B120 Sala de Aulas

Chair:

Contribution

Developed originally by Oded Ben-Horin from Stord Haugesund University College in Norway, WASO – Write A Science Opera – is an established creative process for academic proficiency in sciences, using research in music teaching and music pedagogy to empower students, teachers, opera artists, scientists and musicians. Built on a contributive process from the single idea to the final stageing of an opera, WASO tries to enlighten creativity as a common impulse between sciences and arts, so that the path to knowledge is similar in both areas.

The Opera’s theme will focus on the scientific subject in question (to be chosen from the science curriculum of each class), and the libretto will narrate the characters’ discover and description of the learning process and the underlying scientific concepts. The trainers of the involved areas will have to define a teaching/learning process which adopts a methodology that embraces the full understanding of the scientific matters as a result of both scientific and artistic fruition, being each process an end in itself.

Besides the artistic-scientific fruition, it’s intended to create a work of art – an Opera – gathering the following elements: musical performance, mastering the scientific areas involved, control of classical musical instruments, innovative techonolgy and motivation within the learning process. Opera or education through Art may lead to master both scientific and musical languages.

The students will access custom workshops related to opera work, such as drama, vocal coaching, scenic art, costume and prop making. Science related activities to discover and explore the Science academic programme are to be held by the students involved. In addition, a cycle of recitals is to be organized for teachers and students to attend so that one can benefit from knowing other composer’s approaches to science related themes.

Currently there are more WASO projects in north America, following a presentation at the Norwegian Embassy in Washington DC (Jan 17th). The implementation of WASO is groundbreaking in southern Europe, so we can have a faithful scenario of the project’s scope in a different culture from that where it has been designed.

This WASO project has applied for financial support by a portuguese programme called "Cultural Footprint - Arts and Education", a consequence of a Cooperation Memorandum between Portugal and three state donors: Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. This programme is intended to promote and to build partnerships between portuguese schools or art institutions and those from the donor countries, aiming to stimulate and search for new artistic and educational projects. That financial support will help funding the development itself of the project, as well as workshops, exhibitions, recitals, conferences and seminaries - every activity linked to the completion of those selected projects.

This programme is intended to give children and young students the access to artistic fruition, by the same time those institutions involved in every stage of the project can build any kind of cooperation and mutual work, later extended to any school, institution or patron which can guarantee its sustainable maintenance through time, never losing the focus on children and young students that benefit from it.

Sustained development, equal rights on gender, environmental concern and good governing practice are set to be the master objectives for this Cultural Footprint, which is coordinated in Portugal by DGArtes, in cooperation with Norwegian Art council, and under the European Financial Mechanism 2009-2014. Final results to be known April 2014.

Method

The implementation of WASO will be generically accessed with a specific instrument of data collection, to be built later-2014. Students, teachers, trainers, musicians, actors and all other professionals participating this portuguese WASO will answer a questionnaire where expectations concerning the project and its outcomes, as well as its motivational dimension, will be measured both by statistical and qualitative analysis. This will take place in two moments: before the implementation of the process, without any knowledge at all about the WASO dynamic; after the final stageing of the Operas, a moment where the participants can recall and evaluate all the work done in their WASO. This enable us to perceive which dimensions are valued the more within this new path to knowledge as well as we can access the participant’s point of view about any possible changes due to the WASO Project. Our preview of the instrument of data collection will have a section of answers measured in a continuous scale, and another with open questions so that we can process them differently one from another. The first will focus mainly on motivational dimension, the second concerns the perceived changes of the subjects; the first will be subject to statistical analysis in order to see the differences in motivation before and after the project, trying to establish a paired t-test between the expected motivational boost and enrolling this project; the second will consist of classical data analysis, trying to enlighten the major perceived changes due to these WASO, in a perspective of considering the subject’s valuable inputs so that further studies can involve a review of our data collection method, a revision of the dimensions to analyse, or even show unknown or unpredicted paths to evaluate the urgency of a project of this kind. This latter can be replaced by an interview, relieving the subject to write every single answer which can be frustrating and time wasting. Nevertheless, we shall consider if the presence of an interviewer can modify the subject’s answers, especially those younger involved – the students.

Expected Outcomes

- motivational boost due to WASO projects for all involved. Students are expected to increase motivation going through this project, as well as science teachers (who can regard this WASO as an opportunity for a new strategy on pedagogical issues); all the WASO done so far haven’t had a statistical approach, but merely an empirical analysis which has revealed a solid tendency on motivational gain. The Opera as a means of reaching a certain corpus of concepts rises the question of motivational approach to knowledge. It is expected that students enroling this project show higher levels of perceived motivation than those exposed to standard classroom procedures, although we cannot predict any significant gain in academic achievment for the first ones. Mr Ben-Horin himself considers that preliminary exploration of these activities have provided motivation to conduct a larger study mainly in the qualitative area, with regard to student motivation in science and science teaching. Indeed, WASO is built on motivation boost and medium/long follow up results concerning academic grades are in the forge of a new PhD from its pioneer.

References

Bammer, G. (2013) - Disciplining Interdisciplinarity: Integration and Implementation Sciences for Researching Complex Real-World Problems. ANU E Press, January 2013. Baltzer, S. - A Validation Study of a Measure of Musical Creativity. Journal of Research in Music Education, Winter 1988; vol 36, 4: pp. 232 - 249. Halam, S. - The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. Journal of Research in Music Education, August 2010; vol 28, 3: pp. 269 - 289. Schellenberg, E. G. - Music and Cognitive Abilities Current Directions in Psychological Science, December 2005; vol. 14, 6: pp. 317 - 320. Lock, G. - Musical creativity in the mirror of Glaveanu's five principles of cultural psychology. Culture and psychology, March 2011; vol. 17, 1: pp. 121 - 136. Abdullin, E. - The Teacher of Music in the World of Art and Science. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, No. 119, The 14th International Society for Music Education: ISME Research Seminar ( Winter, 1993/1994), pp. 157 - 160.

Author Information

Andreia Volta e Sousa (presenting / submitting)

Curso de Musica Silva Monteiro

vila nova de Gaia

Oded Ben-Horin

Stord Haugesund University College

ALK

Bergen

Alvaro Teixeira Lopes

Curso de Musica Silva Monteiro, Portugal; Universidade de Aveiro – Departamento de Comunicação e Arte, Portugal

Andre Ramos

Curso Musica Silva Monteiro

Vila Nova de Gaia

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