Title: Exploring the integrative nature of STEAM through material objects
STEAM has gained traction across informal and formal educational settings, but the connections between STEAM disciplines are not always obvious to youth. We argue that an explicit focus on how art and STEM overlap in the world, and how these overlaps connect personally to learner’s interests and concerns, is a way to support the development of STEAM-related identities. We developed a “STEAM objects” pedagogical activity aimed at explicitly surfacing the ways that art and STEM are intertwined in everyday objects, as well as the ways that STEAM is connected to learners’ own lives. We piloted the activity with educators, asking what they took up from the experience. Our results show how the educators made connections to land, historicity, their professions, function, aesthetics, and agency of materials during the activity. The STEAM objects served as boundary objects that illustrated the integrative nature of art and STEM in the world, as well as bridging important aspects of their lives and STEAM. We discuss the importance of recognizing and leveraging the multiplicities of meaning and ways of knowing, as well as implications for the classroom. more »« less
Tsurusaki, B.
(, The Interdisciplinarity of the Learning Sciences, 14th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS) 2020)
Gresalfi, M. and
(Ed.)
As STEAM has gained traction in informal education settings, it is important to support educators in learning about and developing STEAM learning experiences. We investigated what STEAM means to informal educators and how it relates to their everyday lives and identities by examining a STEAM objects activity. We found three themes in how the participants talked about the significance of the STEAM objects they shared: connection to land, historicity, and agency of materials. The STEAM objects served as boundary objects that connected communities of practice, showing the integrative nature of art and STEM, as well as bridging important aspects of their lives and STEAM. We discuss the importance of recognizing and leveraging the multiplicities of meaning and ways of knowing.
Arango-Caro, S; Langewisch, T; Ying, K; Arellano_Haberberger, M; Ly, N; Branton, C; Callis-Duehl, K
(, Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research)
STEM education is often disconnected from innovation and design, where students self-identify as solely scientists, artists, or technophiles, but rarely see the connection between the disciplines. The inclusion of arts (A) in STEM education (STEAM) offers an educational approach where students see how subjects are integrated through learning experiences that apply to everyday, developing personal connections and becoming motivated learners who understand how skills from each subject are needed for future careers. This project addresses both the disconnect between science, design, and technology and how high school students can benefit from innovative learning experiences in plant science that integrate these disciplines while gaining invaluable skills for future STEM careers. We used the Science-Art-Design-Technology (SADT) pedagogical approach, characterized by its project-based learning that relies on student teamwork and facilitation by educators. This approach was applied through a STEAM educational 3D plant module where teams: 1) investigated plants under research at a plant science research center, 2) designed and created 3D models of those plants, 3) experienced the application of 3D modeling in augmented and virtual reality platforms, and 4) disseminated project results. We used a mixed-method approach using qualitative and quantitative research methods to assess the impact of the 3D modeling module on students’ understanding of the intersection of art and design with science, learning and skills gains, and interests in STEAM subjects and careers. A total of 160 students from eight educational institutions (schools and informal programs) implemented the module. Student reflection questions revealed that students see art and design playing a role in science mainly by facilitating communication and further understanding and fostering new ideas. They also see science influencing art and design through the artistic creation process. The students acknowledged learning STEAM content and applications associated with plant science, 3D modeling, and augmented and virtual reality. They also acknowledged gaining research skills and soft skills such as collaboration and communication. Students also increased their interest in STEAM subjects and careers, particularly associated with plant science. The SADT approach, exemplified by the 3D plant module, effectively integrates science, art, design, and technology, enhancing student literacy in these fields, and providing students with essential 21st century competencies. The module's flexibility and experiential learning opportunities benefit students and educators, promoting interdisciplinary learning and interest in STEAM subjects and careers. This innovative approach is a valuable tool for educators, inspiring new ways of teaching and learning in STEAM education.
Abstract STEAM education is an educational approach of interdisciplinary teaching of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. STEAM education, however, is often viewed as only including art elements into STEM teaching. Without true integration of the disciplines in STEAM curricula, students rarely are exposed to the connection among disciplines, and self-identify as solely scientists, artists, or technophiles. STEAM curricula also infrequently integrate design, which promotes creativity and innovation. Effective STEAM curriculum and practices are needed to prepare students to face 21st century challenges and work demands. We designed a high school STEAM educational module that integrated plant science, design, and emergent technologies through the creation of 3D models of plants and augmented and virtual reality (AVR) experiences and investigated its impact on students’ understanding of the intersection of art and design with science, learning and skills gains, and interests in STEAM subjects and careers. The module used a project-based learning approach that relied on student teamwork and facilitation by educators. In this 3D plant modeling module, students: (1) investigated plants under research at a plant science research center, (2) designed and created 3D models of those plants, (3) learned about the application of 3D modeling in AVR platforms, and (4) disseminated project results. We used qualitative and quantitative research methods both before and after the implementation of the model to assess the impact of the 3D modeling module. Student responses revealed that approximately half of the students had a good understanding of the intersection of art and design with science prior to the implementation of the module, while the other half gained this understanding after completing their projects. Students saw art and design playing a role in science mainly by facilitating communication and further understanding and fostering new ideas. They also reported that science influenced art and design through the artistic creation process. The most common learning gains were in plant science and 3D modeling, with 35% and 20% of the students reporting these themes only after completing their projects, respectively. The skill gains most cited were research, teamwork, and communication skills. Over 25% of the students reported these skill gains only after the completion of their projects. Paired comparisons of survey responses indicated a significant increase in students’ interest in science, mathematics, and design subjects after they completed their projects. At the end of the module, 40% of the students were more interested in STEAM careers. Another 13% of the students indicated they already had an interest in STEAM careers before beginning the module. Our findings indicate that our STEAM module effectively integrated science, art, design, and technology, enhancing student literacy in these fields, and providing students with essential 21st century skills. The module led to interdisciplinary learning and development of interest in STEAM subjects and careers. The combination of pedagogical strategies used in our module for active, collaborative, authentic, and meaningful learning exemplifies an effective STEAM curriculum with valuable instructional tools for educators, inspiring new ways of teaching and learning, contributing to the practice and applications in STEAM education.
Teachers can play critical roles in challenging or reinscribing dominant narratives about what counts as STEM, who is seen within STEM disciplines, and how these disciplines should be taught. However, teachers have often experienced STEM in limited ways in their own education and are thereby provided with few resources for re-imagining these disciplines. While teacher educators have designed learning environments that engage teachers in new forms of disciplinary activities, there have been few accounts that describe how teachers make connections between these experiences and dominant narratives that impact their own and their students’ learning. In this study, I report on the experiences of Alma, a white, working-class, female elementary teacher in an online graduate certificate program for K-12 engineering educators. Through her engagement in engineering design in the program, Alma appropriated—transformed and made her own—discourse of the engineering design process in ways that trouble some of the narratives that restrict her, her family, and her students in STEM and in school. Alma’s experiences emphasize the need to consider not just what teachers learn about disciplinary tools and discourses, but how they transform these for their own purposes and contexts.
This project addresses the disconnect between science, design, and technology and how high school students can benefit from innovative learning experiences in plant science that integrate these disciplines while gaining interest in and skills for future STEM careers. We created a project-based 3D modeling learning module with educators as facilitators and students working in collaborative teams of self-identified science, technophile, and art students. Students created 3D models of plants under research at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and learned about the applications of 3D modeling in augmented and virtual reality platforms. They also disseminated their project results through handouts and presentations. We used a mixed-methods approach to assess the impact of implementing this module on students’ learning and interests in STEAM subjects and careers. We found that students are more aware of the intersection of art and design with science and gained literacy in plant science, design, and technology. The students also gained 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, creative thinking, and problem-solving and showed more interest in STEAM subjects and careers. This project contributes to the body of knowledge on theory, best practices, and practical technological applications in STEAM education.
Tsurusaki, Blakely K, Tzou, Carrie, and Carsten_Conner, Laura. Exploring the integrative nature of STEAM through material objects. Retrieved from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10521462. Pedagogies: An International Journal . Web. doi:10.1080/1554480X.2023.2282980.
Tsurusaki, Blakely K, Tzou, Carrie, & Carsten_Conner, Laura. Exploring the integrative nature of STEAM through material objects. Pedagogies: An International Journal, (). Retrieved from https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10521462. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2023.2282980
Tsurusaki, Blakely K, Tzou, Carrie, and Carsten_Conner, Laura.
"Exploring the integrative nature of STEAM through material objects". Pedagogies: An International Journal (). Country unknown/Code not available: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2023.2282980.https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10521462.
@article{osti_10521462,
place = {Country unknown/Code not available},
title = {Exploring the integrative nature of STEAM through material objects},
url = {https://par.nsf.gov/biblio/10521462},
DOI = {10.1080/1554480X.2023.2282980},
abstractNote = {STEAM has gained traction across informal and formal educational settings, but the connections between STEAM disciplines are not always obvious to youth. We argue that an explicit focus on how art and STEM overlap in the world, and how these overlaps connect personally to learner’s interests and concerns, is a way to support the development of STEAM-related identities. We developed a “STEAM objects” pedagogical activity aimed at explicitly surfacing the ways that art and STEM are intertwined in everyday objects, as well as the ways that STEAM is connected to learners’ own lives. We piloted the activity with educators, asking what they took up from the experience. Our results show how the educators made connections to land, historicity, their professions, function, aesthetics, and agency of materials during the activity. The STEAM objects served as boundary objects that illustrated the integrative nature of art and STEM in the world, as well as bridging important aspects of their lives and STEAM. We discuss the importance of recognizing and leveraging the multiplicities of meaning and ways of knowing, as well as implications for the classroom.},
journal = {Pedagogies: An International Journal},
publisher = {Routledge Taylor and Francis Group},
author = {Tsurusaki, Blakely K and Tzou, Carrie and Carsten_Conner, Laura},
}
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