Urban Ways (of Making)

The power of design and informal learning environments

With Urban Ways (of Making), we are looking at the development of more inclusive music education, in which technology and urban ways of making take a central position. Together with partners SKVR, Quardin, and LKCA, researchers Evert Aalten and Lisanne Vermeulen are working on the ways of making, working methods, and pedagogy of teachers who have been trained in informal learning environments. This will give them insight into the power of design of these teachers and allow them to learn how it can be embedded in arts education in a sustainable way.

Impact on teachers and education

By exploring teachers’ ways of making together, teachers can develop a greater awareness of their own methods and power of design, and of the way in which their ways of making influence their role as teachers. The researchers also investigate how these ways of making relate to education in the broadest sense, in order to build bridges not only with art education, but also with mainstream education. This knowledge provides HKU with starting points for incorporating these informal learning practices into the HKU's teaching methods, curriculum, and community.

Toolbox

Through dialogues, interviews, and inspiration sessions, the researchers will discover which factors play a role in informal learning practices. They will then compile this new knowledge into a toolbox focused on educational development in practice. The toolbox consists of two parts: tools that contribute to an inclusive educational design process, and tools that help embed the research results at the organizational level. This makes the toolbox interesting for multiple groups working in the arts education and music technology sectors.