This is not a Pipe: Incorporating Art in the Science Curriculum

Abstract

Science courses employ instructional strategies that are based on lecture, drill, and practice to help students memorize collections of facts and procedures of increasing complexity. These strategies emphasize the acquisition of knowledge through the development of logical-mathematical skills employed in problem solving and verbal-linguistic abilities to make sense of the concepts and jargon in the field. Due to its highly abstract character,

Facilitating Systems Thinking Through Arts-Based STEM Integration

“…To increase participation, some authors have called on including art curriculum within STEM programs and curricula (Ainsworth et al, 2011;Forbus and Ainsworth, 2017). STEAM allows students to interact with and create multiple models of complex ideas (Allina, 2018;Lima and Timm-Bottos, 2018). Incorporating art may increase access points for students to engage in STEM by creating environments that are inclusive of and attractive to a greater diversity of learners.…”

“…Some scholars describe STEAM education as a transdisciplinary approach (Marshall, 2010;Guyotte et al, 2014;Peppler and Wohlwend, 2018) -"one that goes beyond, or transcends, the boundaries of particular disciplines" to "inform deliberation on a problem that is relevant to a real-world context" (Costantino, 2018, p. 102). Systems thinking is an example of a transdisciplinary benefit of STEAM education (Liao et al, 2016;Lima and Timm-Bottos, 2018), as art may encourage students to see relationships and adopt multiple perspectives -skills that not only support STEM outcomes but also broader capacities such as creativity, empathy, and critical thinking. In other words, transdisciplinary benefits such as systems thinking point to the potential of STEAM education beyond solely serving STEM to tap into the capacity of the arts to support cross-disciplinary, real-world problem solving.…”