The contemporary world is torn between trust in the power of objects, and the everyday reality, where interaction with a touchscreen gives people a sense of agency. Many experiences or experiments, which in the past required physical handling of a telescope, a test-tube or an inclined-plane, nowadays are gained or learned through texts, pictures or via virtual reality. We spend increasingly more time on learning, but gradually less time on engaging with the material world. How does this trend influence learning? The Learning Adventures conference will focus on issues related to the power and powerlessness of objects, such as teaching aids and new technologies, in the learning process.
CONFERENCE
Learning Adventures
Organizers: Copernicus Science Centre, New York Hall of Science and SWPS University
The contemporary world is torn between trust in the power of objects, and the everyday reality, where interaction with a touchscreen gives people a sense of agency. Many experiences or experiments, which in the past required physical handling of a telescope, a test tube or an inclined plane, nowadays are gained or learned through texts, pictures or via virtual reality. We spend increasingly more time on learning, but gradually less time on engaging with the material world. How does this trend influence learning? The Learning Adventures conference will focus on issues related to the power and powerlessness of objects, such as teaching aids and new technologies, in the learning process.
November 21-22
8:30-22:00
Warsaw
The conferenced will be opened by Professor Izabela Grabowska
Director of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral School at SWPS University
The Power and Powerlessness of Objects in the Learning Process
The contemporary world is torn between trust in the power of objects, and the everyday reality, where interaction with a touchscreen gives people a sense of agency. Many experiences or experiments, which in the past required physical handling of a telescope, a test-tube or an inclined-plane, nowadays are gained or learned through texts, pictures or virtual reality. We spend increasingly more time on learning, but gradually less time on engaging with the material world. Yet this material world is facing very real challenges, including destruction of the planet, global warming, and hard to predict outcomes of scientific and techological developments. How can we use the potential of science and technology for the benefit of the society? Will the fluency in programming languages and computer applications be sufficient to solve all contemporary problems? How important is the contact with real matter and actual experiencing of the real world, for the learning process?
Do objects that help children learn new and important skills fulfill their function? Should we worry about the future of today’s students? Are good teaching aids sufficient to conduct excellent lessons? Can chemistry teachers, who only have words, chalk and blackboards at their disposal, ignite students’ interest in the subject they teach?
Human-made objects are not neutral. They carry their maker’s values, goals, presumed concepts of their use as well as pictures of their imagined users, with an imposed set of selected characteristics. What user-related assumptions, such as gender, competencies and usage, influence designers of educational products, i.e. objects meant to support teaching and learning? Does the introduction of new technologies into the teaching process deepen social inequalities or level the playing field?
To sum up: What do we know about the power (or powerlessness) of objects in the learning process?
The conference organized by the Copernicus Science Centre, the New York Hall of Science and SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Warsaw will include lectures and a BADNIGHT! event, where scientists will talk about their inspiring research failures.
Special Guests
Prof. Manu Kapur - ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Expert in learning sciences, Prof. Kapur will talk about productive failure, i.e. the role of mistakes in learning and their impact on design.
Prof. Ricardo Nemirovsky
Designer and author of pioneering research on the embodied nature of cognition and the role of artifacts in the process of learning. Porf. Nemirovsky will talk about the relationship between cognition and emotions.
Dr. Estrid Sørensen - Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
Professor of Cultural Psychology and the Anthropology of Knowled. The author of Materiality of Learning: Technology and Knowledge in Educational Practice. Prof. Sørensen will present her findings included in the book.
Full program »
Keynote Speakers
Margaret Honey
President and CEO of the New York Hall of Science
Robert Firmhofer
Co-founder and CEO of the Copernicus Science Center in Warsaw
International Scientific Committee
Copernicus Science Center »
- Ilona Iłowiecka-Tańska, Ph.D. - Chair of the Conference
- Irena Cieślińska, Ph.D. - Program Director
- Aleksandra Wójcik-Głodowska, Ph.D. - Innovation Director
New York Hall of Science »
- Harouna Ba, Ph.D. - Director of SciPlay
- Stephen Uzzo, Ph.D. - Chief Scientist
- James Liu, Ph.D. - Research Associate
- Ms. Dorothy Bennett - Director of Creative Pedagogy
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities »
- Professor Grzegorz Sędek - Vice-Rector for Research
- Dariusz Kowalski, Ph.D. - lecturer at SWPS University
Time and Location
November 21-22, 2019
Copernicus Science Centre, Conference Center
Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 20, 00-390 Warsaw
Contact
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.