Creation as a desiring process in Science Education

• Grant number: 24/16953-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Educational Teaching and Learning
• Principal Investigator: Carolina Rodrigues de Souza
• Grantee: Carolina Rodrigues de Souza
• Host Investigator: Stuart Campbell Aitken
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: San Diego State University, United States

Abstract

This research internship abroad proposal is based on the research project, "New Approaches to Science and Mathematics at School: Itineraries in Art Education," which is funded under the Public Education modality (Fapesp/SEDUC 15317). Among the research actions, elective subjects were devised and incorporated into the curriculum of select basic education schools. This was done in collaboration with scholarship teachers in the "Public Education" modality. In these subjects, connections were established between the content of traditional science, mathematics, arts and philosophy subjects, among others. The objective was to examine artistic and cultural experiences with the intention of providing students with an alternative form of education, one that is centered on the process of creation. We were interested in investing in creation as a means of conceptualising learning, given that from the perspective of the philosophy of difference, thought and creation are mutually constitutive. In continuation with the research programme initiated within this Public Teaching Project, I have been engaged in a postdoctoral programme at UNICAMP since March of this year, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Antônio Carlos Amorin. The initial phase, which is currently nearing completion, comprises a comprehensive bibliographical survey on the interdisciplinary field of art and education. This will facilitate further investigation into the nexus between science and art, encompassing such nomenclatures as Science and Art, Education in Science and Art, Art-Science, and other contemporary conceptualisations that bring these two domains together. The objective of this movement is to gain insight into the manner in which science education has approached the field of art. The second axis, which is aligned with the first, is to be developed in collaboration with Prof. Aitken Stuart's research group in the Department of Geography and Letters at San Diego State University. The objective of this internship is to deepen the theoretical understanding and develop actions in the direction of learning involving signs related to science education and learning as an experience of displacement, using cartography as a research methodology. It would be beneficial to create, develop and map workshops with the objective of maintaining relationships with the signs of Science Education, as well as the signs of Art, Philosophy and the lives that make up basic education. The workshops are designed to facilitate the attainment of pre-determined objectives, yet the specific objectives themselves are not fixed and may be subject to change. The concept of desiring learning that takes place between the learner's body and the sign is informed by an ethical framework that prioritises practice and eschews the traditional lecture format, wherein the teacher occupies a central role and the students are passive. We are seeking an innovative approach to education that engages with life, rather than merely perpetuating the status quo and the products of a bygone era. An education that affirms the value of life. The concept of 'learning' that underpins this project is one that emphasises experience and meaning, rather than learning through the recognition, interpretation and representation of subjects as proposed by Gilles Deleuze (1925-1995). It is inaccurate to state that the philosopher wrote about a philosophy of education. Nevertheless, learning is a pervasive theme in his philosophy, most notably in two of his works, which serve as the focal point of the postdoctoral study: Proust and the Signs (2022), published in 1964, and Difference and Repetition (2006), the fruit of his doctoral thesis produced in 1968. In addition to the conceptual and methodological gains, the internship will facilitate closer collaboration with Prof. Aitkel's research group, with a view to future partnerships and collaborations between our institutions.