Presentation at 'Astronomy Education Allicance Meeting' hosted by EPSC and GHOU from 8 to 12 September 2014 in Cascais, Portugal.

1. SkyLight - a Global Science Opera
by Oded Ben-Horin (Stord Haugesund University College, Norway)

2. SkyLight – a Global Science Opera
endorsed by IAU IYL2015
Norway
Portugal
Italy
Greece
USA
China
Chile
Belgium
Palestinian
Territories
Israel
Brazil
Serbia
Canada
TanzaniaKenya
India
Australia
Poland
São Tomé e
Principe
Mozambiqu
e
Angola
Cape Verde
Spain
East-Timor
Sri-Lanka
Indonesia
UK

3. Project Framework
Science
ICT
Education
Arts

4. Write a Science Opera (WASO) is…
• A multi-disciplinaryteaching concept based on the ”professional development” Write an Opera
method. In WASO, scientistsand opera artistswork with teachers/pupilsto create original science
operas: Ownershipof creative science and art output.

5. WASO Portugal EEA Grants

6. SkyLight – a Global Science Opera
Norway
Portugal
Italy
Greece
USA
China
Chile
Belgium
Palestinian
Territories
Israel
Brazil
Serbia
Canada
TanzaniaKenya
India
Australia
Poland
São Tomé e
Principe
Mozambique
Angola
Cape Verde
Spain
East-Timor
Sri-Lanka
Indonesia
UK

7. Collaborative creative science learning on 2 levels:
Preparation & performance

8. Previous iterations
LinkCast by Petros Stergiopoulos
(Ellinogermaniki Agogi, Greece)…
ESA ”Rosetta Wake Up!” winning
video
http://www.yout
ube.com/watc
h?v=Sbx64eRtn
a0

9. In practice….
Who?????
• Master Students PhD
students: ICT, Management,
Arts Education, Design,
Composition, Science
Education, Pedagogics,
International Relations
• Integration with research
institutions
• Sponsorships
• Volunteer work
How????
• Online trainings (3-4
sessions)
• eLEarning units made
available publicly

10. Integration of CREAT-IT pedagogical principles
with theoretical framework -by University of Exeter team

11. Portuguese Experience
• Participants from school Fontes Pereira de
Melo; 5th to 8th grade, ages 10-14/15
• Common topic: Earth, a living planet
• Opera related activities; Science related
activities
• Cycle of recitals
• The outcome...

12. WASO Training Materials
Strengthening/Supporting Creative Activities in an Inquiry-Based
Science Education Model (Cosmos Project, EU)
• Phase 1 - Questions Eliciting Curiosity
• Phase 2 - Active Investigation: Propose preliminary explanations or hypotheses
• Phase 3 - Creation: Gather evidence from observation
• Phase 4 - Discussion: Explanation based on evidence
• Phase 5 - Reflection: Communicate explanation

14. Analysis by Prof. Marianne Ødegaard, Forskningsleder,
Naturfagsenteret, UiO (2)

15. CREAT-IT proposes the following working
definition for creativity in science education:
Generating ideas and strategies as an individual
or community, reasoning critically between
these and producing plausible explanations
and strategies consistent with the available
evidence. Such scientific creativity as fuelled
by ‘little c’ creativity, i.e. purposive and
imaginative activity generating outcomes
that are original and valuable in relation to
the learner. - from the CREAT-IT Pedagogical
Framework Deliverable D2.1

16. Dissemination examples
European Space Agency competition:
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Wake_up_Rosetta
ESA winner (Oda Var Best, Sunnhordaland):
http://www.sunnhordland.no/article/20140206/NYHENDE/140209837
http://www.vilvite.no/nyheter/show/vitenskapsopera-9-mai/

18. Music Cycle:
”Earth, a
Living Planet”
4 school
projects
(Porto)
2 school
projects
(Norway)
Research
Dissemination
/Exploitation
Activities in Porto WASO Project

19. Partners in Portugal WASO Project
Coordinator: CMSM (Portugal) – Management, producer
of 4 WASO school projects in Portugal, musicians.
Escola Básica e Secundária Fontes Pereira de Melo –
students and trainers
Bergen National Opera (Norway) – Quality Manager and
producer of 2 WASO school projects in Norway
University of Stavanger (Norway) – APM for Norway and
musicians
Stord Haugesund University College (Norway) – Concept
developers, Dissemination/Exploitation and musicians

20. WP5: Additional Examples of International
Presentations (Nov. 2013-August 2014)
• Norwegian Embassy, Washington DC
• Alzheimer’s conference at Univ. of Haifa, Israel
• Arts & Sciences Salon, NYC (hosted at Opera
America)
• University of Georgia, USA
• Neurodegenerative Disease conference (Greece)
• International Congress for Qualitative Inquiry
(Univ. of Illinois, USA)