Cog Notes: Baboró’s take on creative science

Placing creativity at the heart of teaching is a holy grail for educators. The conference Opening the Door to Creative Teaching and Learning, hosted by children's arts festival Baboró and NUI Galway on May 28th, presents the results of a three-year project on creativity in the primary science curriculum. Baboró worked closely with artists, teachers and scientists to deliver the programme.

At the conference, NUIG social researchers who followed the project from the start will present their findings, one of which shows a positive change in children's attitudes to science. "The project enabled the children to be reflective in their own activities and to develop critical thinking. It's not just about educating children for a job, it's about developing critical citizens," says Dr Cormac Forkan, who led the research at the Unesco Child and Family Research Centre at NUIG.

One of the speakers at Beast! (Baboró: environment, arts, science and technology) is Paul Collard of UK-based Creativity, Culture and Education, which delivered the British government's creative educational programmes.

• Opening the Door to Creative Teaching and Learning is on Thursday, May 28th, Life Course Building, NUIG, €20. baboro.ie/events

Planning for transition

The first Transition Year Expo takes place in Kilkenny on September 16th-17th. The exhibition will bring together 10,000 transition year students from around Ireland with their teachers and transition year co-ordinators for inspiration about this formative year. Some 100 exhibitors, from fields such as law, entrepreneurship, engineering, fashion design, app development, plus Gaisce, young social innovators, Sci-Fest, Junk Kouture and Youth Connect, will promote programmes, competitions and courses to show the range of what's possible in transition year. "The aim is to put students and teachers face to face with the best opportunities," says Edwin Landzaad of Transition Year Ireland. "Students have a hard time accessing all the information".

• tyireland.com

Artistic exploration

The first ARTiculation Ireland awards were presented at Cork's Crawford Gallery this month, writes Mary Leland. Adjudicator Dorothy Cross said several teenage participants surprised her. ARTiculation Ireland was introduced last year as part of the Lismore Castle Arts education programme in Co Waterford. The scheme, which is supported by the UK's Roche Court Educational Trust, invites students from fourth to sixth year to study and discuss an artwork of their choice and present the result to an audience. First prize went to Sarah Calthrop of Carrigaline Community School, Co Cork, for her presentation of Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi; second was Jack Flynn from Coláiste an Craoibhín, Fermoy, who focused on Paul Fryer's Lucifer (Morning Star). Third was Stephen O'Connell of St Aidan's Community College, Cork, who looked at Marina Abramovic's Rhythm 0.