Post on 14-Feb-2022
CUR113:
STEAM: Enhancing STEM Education with the Arts
Course Description:
This course provides educators with the tools and insights necessary to enhance STEM-related learning outcomes by integrating a wide variety of art activities. Children benefit from a rich curriculum that
supports critical thinking, encourages the use of the scientific method, and integrates mathematical thinking. In early childhood and out-of-school environments, art activities provide an excellent platform for introducing STEM concepts and developing STEM-related skills.
Course Objectives:
By taking notes on the handout provided in this course and successfully answering assessment questions, participants will meet the following objectives as a result of taking this course:
• Define STEM • Identify essential aspects of scientific inquiry, technology, engineering, and math in relation
to early learning • Identify skills and personal characteristics that are important for future success in
STEM-related jobs • Recognize the effects of gender bias in STEM-related professions and ways to discourage
gender bias in the STEM learning environment
• Identify the importance of open-ended and process-focused art experiences • Identify strategies for incorporating STEM learning into a full range of art activities • Identify strategies for incorporating STEM-related language into art activities and daily
routines when providing instructions, information, and feedback to children References:
1. Bongiorno, L. (2014). “How Process-Focused Art Experiences Support Preschoolers.” Retrieved
from http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/process-art-experiences 2. Cole, K., et al. (2019). “Building a Gender-Balanced Workforce: Supporting Male Teachers.”
Retrieved from https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/sept2019/building-gender-balanced-workforce-supporting-male-teachers
3. CR-T. (2020). “Most Wanted IT Traits: 12 Traits of Top IT Professionals.” Retrieved from https://cr-t.com/blog/most-wanted-it-traits-12-traits-of-top-it-professionals/
4. Duncan, G. J., et al. (2007). “School Readiness and Later Achievement.” Developmental
psychology, 43(6), 1428–1446. Retrieved from
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/dev-4361428.pdf 5. Emporia State University. (2021). “Careers Pathways by Major.” Retrieved from
https://www.emporia.edu/alumni-careers/career-services/student-services/career-snapshots/ 6. Funk, C. & Parker, K. (2018). “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace
Equity.” Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/01/09/women-and-men-in-stem-often-at-odds-over-workplace-equity/
7. Geist, E. (2021). “Support Math Readiness through Math Talk.” NAEYC. Retrieved from
https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/support-math-readiness-through-math-talk 8. Herr, J. (2020). Working with Young Children, 9th edition. Goodheart-Willcox. 9. Science Buddies. (2021). “Steps of the Scientific Method.” Retrieved from
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-fair/steps-of-the-scientific-method
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10. Men Teach. (2019). “Data about Men Teachers.” Retrieved from http://www.menteach.org/resources/data_about_men_teachers
11. Morrison, G., Woika, M.J., & Breffni, L. (2020). Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, 9th edition. Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ.
12. Northern Illinois University. (2021). “Math Matters for Careers and Jobs.” Retrieved from https://www.niu.edu/mathmatters/careers-jobs/index.shtml
13. Raupp, A. (2018). “Moving Target: Preparing Today’s Minds for the STEM Jobs of Tomorrow.” Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/11/08/moving-target-preparing-todays-minds-for-the-stem-jobs-of-tomorrow/?sh=a7dc890e1477
14. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2017). “Women in STEM: 2017 Update.” Retrieved from https://www.spglobal.com/_media/documents/women-in-stem-2017-update.pdf
15. Wagner, C. (2011). “70 Jobs for 2030 – World Future Society.” Retrieved from https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/29042355/70-jobs-for-2030-world-future-society
What is STEM?
Use the space provided to record important information.
Science
Define science:
Life Science
Physical Science
Earth Science
Some types of science:
Agricultural science
Archaeology Astronomy Astrophysics Biophysics
Biotechnology Botany Ecology Entomology Evolutionary biology
Genetics Immunology Marine biology Microbiology Mycology
Neuroscience Paleontology Pathology Pharmacology Physiology
Biochemistry Inorganic chemistry
Organic chemistry
Cognitive science
Geology
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Glaciology Hydrology Meteorology Mineralogy Oceanography
Seismology Volcanology Computer science
Medical science Physics
Anthropology Ethnology Criminology Geography Zoology
Scientific method:
Technology
Various personal and professional characteristics are necessary for success in the technology field.
In "Most Wanted IT Traits: 12 Traits of Top IT Professionals" an article published by CR-T, the following skills are described:
1. They think outside-the-box. IT workers are creative problem-solvers. 2. They are adaptable. The IT landscape is ever-changing and evolving. 3. They love to learn. Technology constantly evolves, so IT professionals are continuously
learning. 4. They are team players. Most IT problems require input from people with different skills and
experience.
5. They can speak both techie and non-techie. Successful IT pros can communicate effectively with people who do not share their technical knowledge.
Engineering
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Mathematics
While in school, children build mathematical skills in the following areas:
number concepts:
number operations:
geometry and spatial concepts:
measurement:
patterns:
The Societal Considerations Surrounding STEM
Women in the STEM Fields
Gender bias -
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What is Art?
Define art:
Are Your "Art" Activities Really Art?
Open-ended art experiences:
Process art experiences:
Art as a STEM Teaching Tool
Painting
Children could also:
Create paint using different recipes and decide which paint works best for different purposes.
Paint using the paint program on a computer and compare the process to painting on canvas.
Take paint outdoors to see if there is a difference between painting outdoors and indoors.
Paint with a variety of tools and create a chart of the best and worst painting tools.
Poll the other children in the school about their favorite painting style and then represent their
findings on a graph.
Drawing
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Children can also:
Illustrate books about science themes, such as outer space or recycling.
Create a comic book about a superhero that saves the planet.
Draw chalk circles around puddles on the playground, then observe what happens to the puddle as
evaporation occurs.
Draw maps of their classroom, school, park, town, etc.
Design new products that solve some of their most pressing problems.
Create a unique currency for the dramatic play area. The children can create many similar props.
Make crayons out of broken crayon pieces. This activity can be done on a hot day in the sun or an oven. Children can predict how the experiment will end, then compare the results and the time it took to complete each process.
Drawing as Documentation.
Topics children can document through their drawings or artwork:
Weather concepts such as cloud formations and changes in the seasons.
The life cycle changes that occur in plants (from seed to flower) and classroom pets, such as tadpoles
or butterflies.
Differences in objects either in two different objects or differences that occur from one day to the next,
such as placing a carnation in water with a few drops of food coloring.
Texture rubbings of nature items, such as bark on different trees.
Photography
Children can also:
Explore objects from different perspectives; top-down, from underneath, from the side, from far away,
close-up, etc.
Create games to challenge their peers to guess what objects are captured in a series of close-up pictures. Create graphs to document the results of the guesses.
Look for shapes, patterns, numbers, and quantities in the environment, take pictures of these and
create a math book for younger children to explore.
Plan and set up an art gallery as a fundraiser for a charity of their choice. Invite families to the open house and auction off the pieces.
Ceramics
Children can also:
Make a wide variety of homemade dough recipes, identify each recipe's characteristics, vote for a favorite, and document the results in a visual format.
Use items from the environment (shells, textured blocks, sticks) to create clay pressings. These
pressings can be used to create a matching game requiring children to use their powers of observation to match the object with the pressing.
Make predictions about how long it will take for different sizes and shapes of clay to dry out
completely. Teachers can help children construct this experiment from beginning to end.
Create miniature replicas of their classroom, school, park, or town, using the maps they drew in the previous example.
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Sculpture
Children can also:
Research different types of sculpture online and create descriptions of how each piece makes them feel, or tell how they think each piece was created.
Work together on a class sculpture out of recycled materials collected from home.
Attempt to make carvings (reliefs) out of clay that represent items from nature, such as flowers or
bugs.
Measure the amount of soap shavings that result from their carving projects. Brainstorm ideas for what they could do with the leftover soap shavings. Research ideas on the internet, pick a project to conduct and share the results.
Knitting and Weaving
Sewing and Quilting
Collages and Mosaics
Beadwork
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Performance Arts
There are endless possibilities when it comes to STEM and performance arts. The children could:
Write a play about a scientist who makes amazing discoveries.
Produce and record the weather report each day to share with families and other children.
Compose and perform a song or rap about a science topic.
Put on a puppet show for younger children explaining the life cycle of a butterfly.
Create a cheer that incorporates the steps to a standard math process.
Write a song about the scientific process to help everyone remember the steps.
Culinary Arts
In addition to the clay and paint recipes we have already discussed, children can:
Grow a garden, harvest the fruits and vegetables, and create a healthy salad.
Sell extra fruits and vegetables at a local farmers′ market or set up a market for parents. The
proceeds can be donated or used to improve the garden for next year.
Bake number pretzels.
Make healthy ingredient muffins and decorate the tops.
Bake bread for a community shelter.
Woodworking
Glassblowing
STEM Language Integrated into the Arts
Giving Instructions and Guidance
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STEM-Related Language Charts
Giving Instructions and Guidance:
Instead of saying: Say this:
It is time to clean up your art
materials.
Please sort your art materials into what we will
put in the scrap bin and what needs to go into
the trash.
If your painting is still wet, place it on
the windowsill.
Where do you think we could place your
painting so that it can dry?
Please come see me in the Art
Center.
Take six long steps to get to the Art Center so
you can take your turn.
You need to use two drops of glue
on each piece of paper.
Do you think it is a good idea to use a lot of
glue, a little bit of glue, or a medium amount of
glue? Why?
Stack the blocks so that they line up.
That way they will not fall over.
What do you think will happen if you stack the
blocks unevenly?
Line up in a boy, girl, boy, girl pattern. Today we are going to line up based on height
from tallest to shortest.
Sharing Information:
Instead of saying: Say this:
When you finish placing all of your
mosaic pieces, you will cover the
pieces with grout to keep them in
place.
How do you think mosaic artist make sure that
the pieces do not move when they are finished?
When you mix red and blue paint,
you get purple paint.
I wonder what would happen if we mixed a
squirt of the red paint with a spoonful of blue
paint?
Abstract art is made when the
artist paints something that
doesn’t really look like anything
else.
Tell me what you think about this painting.
The celery stalk turned orange,
which means that the stem has
soaked up the food coloring that
we put in the water.
Take a look at this celery stalk. What can you
tell me about it? Why do you think it looks like
that?
When we follow a recipe, it is
important to carefully measure and
follow all the directions precisely as
they are written. If you do not, the
food will not be delicious.
What do you think would happen if we used
more flour than the recipe called for? Do you
want to find out what would happen if we did not
follow the recipe?
When two male lions are in the same
area, they will fight to see who is the
strongest. The winner will get to stay,
and the other lion will run away.
Lions protect their hunting lands or territories.
What do you think happens when a new lion
tries to hunt in another lion’s territory?
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Providing Feedback:
Instead of saying: Say this:
That is a great castle. Good job
building it!
I notice all of these different areas in your
castle. How did you build them?
You drawing of the playground is
awesome!
Wow, you really captured all of the areas of the
playground! You paid close attention to all of the
details in your work. That is the kind of work that
engineers use when they create blueprints of the
buildings they design.
I am so proud of the work that you did
when you were working on your quilt.
I see that you made sure to measure and line
up all of the quilt squares before you started
assembling them. You are a very precise
quilter.
I love your painting; it is beautiful. You used five different colors in your painting.
What do you like best about your work?
Great work cleaning up all the
sand that was on the floor.
I watched you and Sammy work together to
clean up the sand. You worked as a team, which
is an essential skill you will use when you grow
up and get a job.
Additional STEM language to work into conversations with children:
Bigger/smaller Heavier/lighter Longer/shorter More/fewer/less First, second,
last, etc.
Balance Equal to Position words Add/Take away Closer/farther
Whole/fractions Faster/slower Thicker/thinner Observe/notice Shapes
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General List of STEM Skills
Scientific Thinking skills
Question
Hypothesis - make predictions
Experiment
Observe - use senses to take in information
Analyze results
Make conclusions
Technology skills for the future
Love to learn.
Think outside-the-box.
Be a team player.
Can communicate their ideas to others.
Use components of technology appropriately (mouse, keyboard,
touch screen, etc.).
Skills Engineers possess:
Be precise in their work.
Pay attention to details.
Focus their attention for extended periods.
Identify problems.
Think creatively about solutions.
Mathematical skills in the following areas:
Number concepts: recognizing numbers and counting.
Number operations: combining and taking apart groups of numbers.
Geometry and spatial concepts: shapes and their attributes, maps, and directions.
Measurement: determining length, size, weight, volume, etc., the concept of time.
Patterns: recognizing and creating progressively more challenging patterns.
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