Art for All Foundation and Center - Chulalongkorn University

The Art for All Foundation and Center is a non-profit Thai organization sponsored by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Thailand's Commission on Higher Education, Chulalongkorn University and independent donations that conducts programs for youths with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups such as indigenous hilltribe children as well as prison inmates. There is also, an international educators and research forum.

History

In 1997, professor Dr. Channarong Pornrungroj, the Dean of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University started an art program for disadvantaged and disabled children. “Art for All” uses art as a vehicle for developing the skills and talents of both the disabled and non-disabled individuals. In 2007, the Art for All Foundation partnered with the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts of Thailand's largest university, Chulalongkorn University creating a campus office known as the Art for All Center.

Program volunteers in conjunction with gifted and average children along with the blind, deaf and physically or mentally impaired all take part in a diverse range of activities. They range from musical, visual and mixed media, dance, drama to literature experiences. It is through these variety of activities that they learn about cooperative teamwork, life skills, the creative process and themselves.

Activities

The Art for All Foundation offers and conducts a diverse array of activities where both mainstream and disadvantage young people learn to work cooperatively together. They range from its weekend art education exchange sessions to the larger annual, regional and indigenous Hilltribe Art for All Camps as well as one for prisoners facing life and death sentences.

Art for All also organizes art exhibitions, workshops, hosts the international art education model group as well as conducting research and publishing an annual that incorporates leading research papers related to art, education and the underprivileged. The Art for All Foundation’s dedicated staff works extremely hard to bring at least 20 activities per year to the people of Thailand and the world community since its inception in 1997.

Objectives

In general, the Art for All Foundation’s core purpose is to assist the underprivileged members of society to overcome their physical, emotional and intellectual limitations while fulfilling one’s creative potential through a process of ethical, cooperative learning and creative problem solving aimed at building a better future society. More specifically its goals are as follows:

Provide an alternative educational model both locally andinternationally of teamwork and cooperation to counterbalance the prevalence of competitiveness found in traditional education.

To increase society's awareness, acceptance and comfort level with the disabled and other segments of society with fewer opportunities.

To develop creative and artistic skills of the underprivileged and disabled members of society. Encourage their development to a level of professional artists.

To be a resource center both metaphorically and physically where the disabled and other underprivileged groups can meet, share knowledge and experiences through the participation in enjoyable creative activities.

The above objectives and the Art for All Foundation’s programs are its direct response to the Thai government’s 1999 national policy on the disabled. This policy was put forth in the 8th National Economic and Social Development Plan where Thailand made an international pledge to work for equality for the disabled.

International Education Model and Research Forum

The Art for All Foundation's international program brings together key researchers and program representatives to present their current papers in an exchange forum about the disabled art education programs in their own country.

The Art for All Foundation is proud to acknowledge the development of an "Art for All 2" in Malaysia that was the direct result of their representatives participating in Thailand's original Art for All program. Malayasia’s Art for All 2 commenced in October 2001.

The United Nations in 2002, selected the Art for All program to be exhibited in both Australia and Japan.

For example, Thailand's 2007 international model Art for All program focused on its ASEAN neighbors and had 40 representatives from Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam participating in the full camp experience over 5 activity-filled days.

Awards

The Art for All Foundation received a national Thai award as the “Outstanding Project in the Field of Social Development for the Underprivileged” in 2002.

Recognitions

Vietnam - Exhibition: Decade of the Disabled of Asia and the Pacific - 2001
Selected by the United Nations to be exhibited in both Australia and Japan - 2002
Japan - Exhibition: Decade of the Disabled of Asia and the Pacific - 2003

Rationale - Statement of the Founder)

If we could choose the circumstances in which we were born, we would all choose to born with both physical and emotional health. But in the real world, none of us have this choice and the advantages with which we would wish to be blessed are denied to many.

Some children with disabilities are born into families of wealth and high social standing. Other children have the misfortune of being born both poor and physically or intellectually disadvantaged. In the most extreme cases, there are children born physically and intellectually challenged.

But whether we do or do not have a disability, we are all citizens of the country into which we are born and the strength of that country depends upon the strength of its population. A society that overlooks its disabled members fails to utilize of all of its resources and places itself at risk from serious social problems. Funds must be set aside and plans made to meet the special needs of those whom are physically and mentally challenged. In Thailand, where the United Nations estimates that up to 10% of the population is disabled to some extent, the government has had to increase its annual budget for assistance programs by an average of 30-40% a year.

The needs of the disabled have also been addressed in the 8th National Social and Economic Development Plan, and in the National Education Act of 1999. In addition, the Thai government has taken steps to guarantee equal right in education for the country's disabled children. Equal access to education and other forms of self-improvement is especially important in a capitalist society where competition is increasingly intense and economic growth is paramount. Everyone, including the disadvantaged/disabled, must be given the opportunity to develop their potential to the fullest extent possible. If the disadvantaged are given access to education and training it will increase their selfreliance and reduce their dependency on their family as well as society in general. The disabled, by learning marketable skills can contribute to the nations economy. However, before that can happen social attitudes must change. Furthermore, each of us needs to ask ourselves, how can we be sure that we will not be disabled tomorrow? We must look for ways to turn disabilities into opportunities by giving greater emphasis to the development of not just our citizen's IQ, but to their emotional and creative intelligence as well.

When disabilities are no longer seen as obstacles to a useful life, we can honestly say that our society has reached another important stage in its development. But when a society has learned to appreciate the differences between its individual members and to utilize these differences for the benefit of all, then that society has taken a major step toward achieving peace, prosperity and happiness.

Organization's Background in Detail

Committed to the belief that no one is born perfect and despite our limitations, we all have a contribution to make, Professor Dr. Channarong Pornrungroj, the Dean of the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts at Chulalongkorn University initiated an art program for disabled children in 1997. It has evolved into the Art for All project. Art for All uses art as a vehicle for developing the skills and talents of both disabled and nondisabled individuals. Teachers with gifted and average children, along with the blind, deaf and physically or mentally impaired all take part in a diverse set of activities. They range from musical, visual and mixed media, dance, drama to literature experiences. It is through this variety of activities that they learn about cooperative teamwork, society, the creative process and themselves. The Art for All program promotes humanitarian values and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race or religion.

The Art for All project began in cooperation with Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts department, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and Thailand's National Culture Commission's Office. As of October 2007 it is now directly under the umbrella of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts Department.

The Art for All program initially sponsored a series of youth camps, educational forums, exhibits and research. In its first year, funding was provided by the Thai National Lottery Office. In its fourth year, the Ministry of University Affairs agreed to contribute two million baht to the project's budget and the Council of University Presidents is lending its support for academic seminars and workshops.

Dr. Channarong Pornrungroj has developed a principle he calls the "Creative Cooperation of Five" as the teamwork metaphor for many of the activities in the Art for All project. The idea is that by bringing together five people with different types of disabilities and talents, a stronger more creative, genius group or “micro-society” of complimentary skills can be formed. For example, in the Art for All's teamwork environment, the blind function as the mouth and ears of the team; the deaf are the eyes. Those with impaired limbs are the brain, while those whom are intellectually challenged can use their strength to mobilize those without arms and legs.

Both the non-disabled and gifted children help to coordinate the gifts of all the other team members. All participants in the Art for All project are encouraged to use their imagination and explore new ideas while they take part in activities designed to stimulate both hemispheres of their brain.

At the Art for All camp in a natural setting of peace and beauty, the staff arranges and brings together dozens of these micro-societies of teamwork and interdependency where the participants learn not only about the many varieties of art, but about how to socially interact as a caring team. In the camp’s warm, friendly cooperative environment the children learn from each other as opposed to competing against each other as in traditional educational settings. The camp’s energetic atmosphere encourages all participants to develop their personal potential through the creation of meaningful works of art.

This creation of artwork becomes a beneficial outlet for self-expression while serving to reduce stress by increasing the participants level of engagement or what psychologist know as state of “Flow”. Artwork can also serve as a discussion opener or channel for sharing thoughts and feelings with others. While at the same time, creating art has the participants exercising the muscles of their bodies that in turn, help improve their hand and eye coordination.

Furthermore, the Art for All Foundation recognizes both the importance of youth and the value of art. Art is the fruit of our creative instincts, while youth represents the nations' future. No effort to develop society can afford to overlook the needs of its youth. All young people must have equal access to opportunities for growth and development. This includes the underprivileged and the disabled. One of the avenues for developing our young people's gifts and abilities is through art. Unfortunately however, 90% of our elementary and secondary art teachers do not have formal training in either art or art education. In many cases, they are not able to convey to their students a deep appreciation or understanding of art. Meanwhile our educational system continues to use the outdated criteria for assessing our children's potential. These criteria may not, however, reflect the true diversity of today's society. For instance, children with a high IQ are valued over children whom are mentally challenged. Our schools often fail to recognize that the disabled may be endowed with rich imaginations and unique creative gifts associated with the brain's right hemisphere.

The Art for All program was created to help raise awareness of the gifts of children who have traditionally been denigrated or ignored. In an atmosphere of mutual support and teamwork, the project seeks to create a better environment for the country's disadvantaged/disabled youth.

Future Directions

Art for All --> All for Art --> Heart for All

The Art for All program plans to continue its program of training and skills development for the disabled and other underprivileged sectors of society. The ultimate goal is to equip them with enhance interpersonal and occupational skills that will enable them to earn an income and make a contribution to society. Art for All has plans to open a permanent gallery(s) and continue to haveperiodic exhibitions where works of the art produced by its participants can be both displayed and made available for purchase.

The Art for All program will continue and broaden its international program by extending invitations to all countries to visit Thailand and participant in its model of cooperative artistic education camps.

The Art for All has also been actively involved in research into the development of the under-privileged populations in Thailand and the formation of tools for measuring the different types of human creativity.

All of these plans lead towards the Art for All's ultimate goal of creating a society free from the many forms of prejudices and where everyone's common humanity is respectively recognized.

The specific long rang goal for the Art for All founder Dr. Channarong Pornrungroj is to realize his dream of an Art for All Village where both participants and educators can come and learn first hand about the Art for All educational model of cooperation and teamwork for dissemination back to their regional or local institutions. The village would be a permanent facility where “training of the trainers” would take place as well as a permanent art exhibition and seminar facility. A generous benefactor has funded advertisements for land donations to the Art for All foundation to help realize this goal, but the village is still on the other side of the horizon.

The Art for All program is committed to building a physical, emotional and spiritual sanctuary called the "Art for All Village" where people learn to have a "Heart for All".

Art for All Foundation 283-9 Chulalongkorn Soi 30 Pathumwan, Bangkok Thailand, 10330

Tel. 02 219 2606 and 2607 Fax. 02 219 2608

External Resources

Art for All Foundation: English: http://www.artforall.or.th/Eng/index.htm Thai: http://www.artforall.or.th/index.htm

Curiosity-based Learning (CBL Program)

Curiosity-based learning is a series of experiential educational exercises that was developed by Dr. Bussakorn Sumrongthong (2008) to better engage and more effectively educate graduate students in the necessary foundation skills that comprise a true scholar. A true scholar needs to be able to:

• Read well & Listen well (Input) - Comprehension & understanding of information from all available sources, not just journals, books & internet, but leaders in the field, industry or market place.

• Think well (Process) - Analysis, problem definition & multiple solution generation.

• Communicate well (Output) - Verbal self-expression, explanatory methods & skills as well as audience awareness.

Curiosity-based Learning consists of a sequence of 6 sessions that focus on experiences to increase the students investigative curiosity, critical thinking and skills of self-expression. Its initial activity draws the students attention to their own baseline of self-limiting preconceptions and then with that motivational awareness, guides them progressively into developing the 3 key skills of a scholar. Curiosity-based learning includes multi-modes of student self-expression and processes. They are expected to represent their ideas orally, in writing and diagrammed visually while learning the effectiveness and appropriateness of each. They also receive practice in explaining and justifying their views/positions as well as fielding questions from the floor in a peer-review forum as a micro-society of real world presentations.

The core objects of Curiosity-based Learning is to increase the student's independent work and responsibility. This is an unstated focal point throughout the 6 sessions. Furthermore, the true objectives of these experiential exercises are only disclosed to the participants and expounded upon after the final presentation.

Background

Dr. Bussakorn Sumrongthong, a professor at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand developed Curiosity-based Learning in response to the atmosphere of her student's initial disengagement in the classroom while at the same time recalling, as a student herself, her own boredom and frustrations with traditional educational methods.

The 6 sessions of Curiosity-based Learning

Students view and examine a selected object then...

1. Observe & Examine the object; then compose a written description

2. Investigate others responses, review the differences and similarities

3. Acquire more knowledge of this object from additional sources

4. Categorize & Visualize create a diagram of knowledge data

5. Communicate - Verbal & visual presentation with peer review

6. Review & Discussion - Instructor discloses the true intent of the exercises

Details of each session and its goals

Initial object selection: Any common object that the student is already familiar with; such as a ruler, tooth pick, candy, pen, mobile phone, etc. is chosen as the focus for the subsequent sessions. The object can be instructor or student selected.

Session 1:

Activity: Observe & Examine - Write a description of the object.

Detail: Students compose a few paragraphs about object they were presented with (15 mins).

Goal: Students become aware of their baseline level of curiosity.

Session 2:

Activity: Investigate Others Responses - Review the differences and similarities. Search for the reasons behind the points made.

Detail: Students exchange the written work with a fellow student and list what they themselves omitted. Students question fellow students about the reasons they included what they did.

Goal: Develop thinking, inquiry & writing skills, while developing an awareness of their own personal habits of omission.

Session 3:

Activity: Acquire More Knowledge - Locate additional information from various sources.

Detail: Students search for additional information from other sources i.e. Books, documents, periodicals, internet sources, leaders in the field and compose a new more inclusive and wider observation paper.

Goal: Students stretch their research range by acquiring more knowledge of this object from other sources.

Session 4:

Activity: Categorize & Visualize - Create theme-based informational diagrams.

Detail: Sample themes to consider: Appearance approach, Philosophical approach, Historical approach, Environmental approach, Usage approach, Economic approach etc.

Goal: Visualization of information & its relatedness

Session 5 part 1:

Activity: Preparation for the final presentation

Detail: Students compare their new article to their original and compose a few self-response paragraphs to internalize for :themselves what is the benefit of a wider awareness (curiosity) and other items they have learned.

Goal: Students functionally acknowledge the benefits of a wider awareness (curiosity).

Session 5 part 2:

Activity: Communication - oral & visual presentation, while the focus is on audience rapport and peer review.

Detail: Students make individual presentation on their "object" research experience.

Each student as well as the instructor asks a minimum of one question of the presenter.

Goal: Students gain experience explaining, persuading as well as defending their research and conclusions.

Session 6:

Activity: Review & Discussion -The program’s true intent is revealed to the students.

Detail: The instructor explains that the program’s real purpose was to increase the student's:

a. Curiosity level

b. Awareness of self-limiting habits of assumptions

c. Gain experience with a model method of investigative research

Goal: Students realize the benefits of curiosity and retain a generalizable research methodology.

Curiosity-based Learning's Presuppositions

Dr. Bussakorn Sumrongthong maintains there are 3 underlying presuppositions for Curiosity-based learning.

1. Curiosity is a leading indicator of intelligence
2. Curiosity is the foundation of the qualities of a scholar
3. Curiosity is the source of internal motivation- Internal motivation avoids the problem of rebellion caused by externally applied motivators. (i.e. Parents, instructors, peer groups and society)

* Therefore, curiosity is the fuel that provides the motivational energy for functional learning and understanding. This energy supports Input (read & listen well), Process (think well) and Output (communicate well)

Benefits of Curiosity-based Learning

1. Student participation changes from passive to active (with increases in personal responsibility).

2. The student changes from being a follower to being a problem solver.

3. Instructor’s role changes from director (dictator) to facilitator. Additionally, the instructor is a co-learner by participating directly in the group's learning processes.

4. The six sessions give the students the opportunity to model, practice and acquire a new mind habit of curiosity and exploration.

5. Students report an increase in 3 areas:

a. Internal motivation

b. Self-awareness

c. Functional understanding

6. Improvements in the qualities of a scholar

a. Read well

b. Listen well

c. Think well

d. Communicate well (speak, write, diagram)

Comparison between Inquiry-based learning and Curiosity-based learning

Inquiry-based learning's characteristics

The teacher does not communicate knowledge, but helps students to learn for themselves

The topic, problem to be studied and methods used to answer this problem are determined by the student and not the teacher

Inquiry-based learning emphasizes the Constructivist ideas of learning. i.e. knowledge is built in a step-wise fashion or assembled from parts.

Learning proceeds best in group situations.

Inquiry-based learning's process

Ask = Finding problems, not just solving them

Investigate = Integration of problem-solving, information seeking and learning

Create = Action and understanding

Discuss = Social and community inquiry

Reflect = Designing tools for further inquiry

Common Elements between Inquiry-based and Curiosity-based learning

Student centered
Instructor as a facilitator
Investigative and explorative
Requires an interactive group

Curiosity-based learning’s unique additions

Activities designed to make the student aware of their initial self-limiting baseline of curiosity.

Activities designed to increase the student’s self awareness of the importance of curiosity.

Activities designed to increase the student’s level of curiosity.

Experience with multimodal methods of representing and defending ones research findings.

Experience with a model method of research that can be generalized for later use with any subject.

External resources

Professional and Organizational Development Network of Thailand's Higher Education (ThaiPOD) Bangkok, Thailand 2008: http://www.thailandpod.net/conf_resource/OralPresentation/o8.pdf

Dr. Bussakorn Sumrongthong, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok, Thailand: http://pioneer.netserv.chula.ac.th/~sbussako/award.htm

References

Bain, K.(2004). What the Best College Teachers Do. Harvard: Harvard Press.

Bruce, B. C., & Davidson, J. (1996). An Inquiry Model for Literacy Across the Curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 28(3), 281-300.

Bruner, J. S. (1961). "The Act of Discovery". Harvard Educational Review 31 (1): 21–32.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

Dewey, J. (1956). The Child and the Curriculum & The school and Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Original works published 1902 and 1915)

Stewart, R. J. (1979) College Teachers Who Stimulate Curiosity - ED223156, Washington DC: "Eric Education Resource Information Center (ERIC)". Available online at http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/recordDetail?accno=ED223156

Sumrongthong, B. (2008) Curiosity Based Learning, International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI) Madrid, Spain. Available online at http://www.iated.org/concrete2/paper_detail.php?paper_id=5293

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