Multi-sensory engagement to stimulate curiosity in learning

Abstract

This workshop sets out to explore the potential of wider sensory engagement to stimulate curiosity within the student learning experience, enrich outcomes and expand a potential area for research. It aims to increase understanding of how we can embed and incorporate multi-sensory creative provocations in project/assignment briefs, and to consider how we can develop more measurable indicators of the ‘curiosity bandwidth’.

Project/assignment briefs clearly set out objectives and deliverables, but there is further scope to ensure that students fully realise their creative potential not only through accessing ‘relevant’ research material but also by developing curiosity about their current perceptions and assumptions in their field of knowledge. This workshop explores how students might expand their curiosity bandwidth,transcending their comfort zones to find areas that advance their research, analytical and critical thinking.

The session shares some teaching methods strategies and content from the Academic Support UAL wide workshops on Exploring Curiosity, and builds on a range of teaching activities that have been adopted in MA Applied Imagination at CSM. The ideas and approach have been discussed in the book ‘YOU:Rebranded’ – Manu, R (2014) pg30-31. Other written work on the theme of curiosity includes, ‘Why curiosity didn’t kill the cat Manu, R (2015) – Linkedin.