STEAM Education: Theory and Practice

Description

This book looks at the value of integrating the arts and sciences in the school curriculum. It argues that this will help students further their understanding of analytical concepts through the use of creativity. The authors illustrate how schools can work towards presenting common practices, concepts, and content. Coverage features case studies and lessons learned from classrooms across the United States. The notion of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) is an emerging discipline unique in its desire to provide a well-rounded approach to education. The chapters of this volume examine STEAM in a variety of settings, from kindergarten to higher education. Readers will learn about the practical considerations involved when introducing the arts and creativity into traditionally left brain processes. This includes best practices for creating and sustaining successful STEAM initiatives in any school, college, or university. For instance, one chapter discusses novel approaches to teach writing with the scientific method in order to help students better present their ideas. The authors also detail how the arts can engage more diverse learners, including students who are not traditionally interested in STEM subjects. They provide three concrete examples of classroom-tested inquiries: designing a prosthetic arm for a child, making a paleontology investigation, and taking a closer look at the arts within roller coaster engineering. This book is an invaluable resource for teachers and teacher trainers, university faculty, researchers, and school administrators. It will also be of interest to science, mathematics, engineering, computer science, information technology, arts and design and technology teachers. Front Matter ....Pages i-ix Inquiry, Investigative Processes, Art, and Writing in STEAM (Adam Stroud, Lawrence Baines)....Pages 1-18 Structuring STEAM Inquiries: Lessons Learned from Practice (Sarah B. Bush, Kristin L. Cook)....Pages 19-35 Creating a STEAM Map: A Content Analysis of Visual Art Practices in STEAM Education (Christine Liao)....Pages 37-55 Design Thinking Gives STEAM to Teaching: A Framework That Breaks Disciplinary Boundaries (Danah Henriksen, Rohit Mehta, Swati Mehta)....Pages 57-78 Investigating the Impact of a Community Makers’ Guild Training Program on Elementary and Middle School Educator Perceptions of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) (Jennifer Miller-Ray)....Pages 79-100 The Emergence of the Creativity in STEM: Fostering an Alternative Approach for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Instruction Through the Use of the Arts (Michael Marmon)....Pages 101-115 Developing a Rhetoric of Aesthetics: The (Often) Forgotten Link Between Art and STEM (Rohit Mehta, Sarah Keenan, Danah Henriksen, Punya Mishra)....Pages 117-141 Moving Toward Transdisciplinary Instruction: A Longitudinal Examination of STEAM Teaching Practices (Cassie F. Quigley, Dani Herro, Abigail Baker)....Pages 143-164 Multidisciplinary Group Composition in the STEAM Classroom (John D. Sundquist)....Pages 165-188