An Aesthetic Experience? Looking Afresh at STEM Learning

What do we want visitors to experience when they engage with our exhibitions and programmes? Most would agree that we want them to feel excitement, wonder, and a passion for 'more!' But how can we support such emotion-filled experiences? Our session will begin with some brief presentations to introduce you to the idea of aesthetic experiences. Heather King will discuss John Dewey's ideas about learning through experience and the application of this thinking to STEM. Maria Xanthoudaki will share an example of the ways in which the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci has placed the aesthetic experience at the heart of a new education initiative to engage young learners. And Andrew Newman will discuss ways in which Ars Electronica is working with artists to develop programmes building on a foundation of aesthetic experience to foster digital literary and new perspectives on STEM learning. Then, we will divide into smaller, facilitated groups to reflect on the ways in which aesthetic experiences might be incorporated into our educational programming and exhibitions around STEM. We are looking forward to some rich and reflective conversations that will prompt participants to look afresh at their practices! Outcomes: what will participants get from this session? Skills, knowledge, experience etc. Participants will have the chance to engage more deeply with the ideas of aesthetic experiences, and to work with colleagues and peers to interpret these ideas for their own practice.