Integration of Art Pedagogy in Engineering Graduate Education

The integration of STEM with the Arts, commonly referred to as STEAM, recognizes the need for human skill, creativity, and imagination in technological innovations and solutions of real-world technical problems. The STEAM paradigm changes the dominant “chalk and talk” lecture and “closed-ended” problem-solving orientation of traditional engineering pedagogy to a hands-on, studio-based, and open-ended creative learning approach, typical in art education. A growing body of literature has provided evidence of the favorable impact of situating STEAM in K-16 education. The long-term objective of this work is to promote creativity in engineering students by integrating learning methods and environments from the Arts into graduate STEM education. To this end, an integrating engineering, technology and art (ETA) educational model is developed and is currently being tested. This ETA educational model systematically merges technical instruction with studio-based pedagogy. The ETA model consists of three courses, which were piloted in the year 2017. In each course, engineering and art instructors and students collaborated for 15 weeks on design projects. These projects ranged from drones to architectural installations

Maker Math: Exploring Mathematics through Digitally Fabricated Tools with K–12 In-Service Teachers

This paper reports on nine elementary, middle, and high school in-service teachers who participated in a series of workshops aimed at exploring the wonder, joy, and beauty of mathematics through the creation and application of digitally fabricated tools (i.e., laser-cut and 3D printed). Using the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to investigate technological, pedagogical, contextual, and content knowledge, researchers applied qualitative methods to uncover the affordances and constraints of teaching and learning math concepts with digitally fabricated tools and examined how the workshops supported broadening participation in mathematics by focusing on the connections between mathematical inquiry, nature, and the arts. Affordances include opportunities for hands-on learning, visual support at the secondary level, and real-world connections that go beyond the state standards. Barriers include purchasing a laser-cutter, ventilation and noise issues, time constraints, misalignment with school and district priorities, and a lack of administrative support. All participants indicated that they were interested in additional workshops focused on designing their own digitally fabricated mathematics tools that better align with their grade level(s) and standards

Integrating the Arts and Sciences in the Museum Setting

The division between the arts and sciences appears to be deepening in America. As political leaders emphasize STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in schools, arts education is diminished to make room for STEM courses. Concerned about this phenomenon, many art educators are working to integrate the arts into STEM education through a variety of arts integration efforts. Arts integration not only helps to preserve a place for the arts in the curriculum, it also has been shown to enhance STEM learning. Arts integration is of special interest to art museum educators who feel that they can provide resources to help teachers integrate the arts into STEM. By offering arts integration curricula, a museum supports its community and maintains its own relevance. Also, while general museum funding is decreasing, grant money is being made available to museums to support the areas of STEM and arts integration. Schools are also more inclined to visit museums when the museum can provide arts integration that ties to STEM learning. This paper explores five efforts by museums to support their communities and retain their relevance through arts integration programs. The case studies include the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California; The National Museum of Math in Manhattan, New York; The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore Maryland; The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge in Washington D.C., and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. These case studies review the development of the arts integration programs at each museum, describe the programming and review lessons plans, and demonstrate how they benefit students and teachers. Evaluations and critiques of each program are included

Integrating the Arts and Sciences in the Museum Setting

The division between the arts and sciences appears to be deepening in America. As political leaders emphasize STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education in schools, arts education is diminished to make room for STEM courses. Concerned about this phenomenon, many art educators are working to integrate the arts into STEM education through a variety of arts integration efforts. Arts integration not only helps to preserve a place for the arts in the curriculum, it also has been shown to enhance STEM learning. Arts integration is of special interest to art museum educators who feel that they can provide resources to help teachers integrate the arts into STEM. By offering arts integration curricula, a museum supports its community and maintains its own relevance. Also, while general museum funding is decreasing, grant money is being made available to museums to support the areas of STEM and arts integration. Schools are also more inclined to visit museums when the museum can provide arts integration that ties to STEM learning. This paper explores five efforts by museums to support their communities and retain their relevance through arts integration programs. The case studies include the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California; The National Museum of Math in Manhattan, New York; The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore Maryland; The Kennedy Center ArtsEdge in Washington D.C., and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Washington. These case studies review the development of the arts integration programs at each museum, describe the programming and review lessons plans, and demonstrate how they benefit students and teachers. Evaluations and critiques of each program are included

STEAM Education in Ontario, Canada: A Case Study on the Curriculum and Instructional Models of Four K-8 STEAM Programs

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning and project-based learning are important educational initiatives in North America. However, it is important to consider whether current STEM educational practices are sufficient to prepare students for the world they are to live and work in. This prompts discussions about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) which is shifting educational paradigms towards art integration in STEM subjects. This study investigates the STEAM education reform movement in Canada to better understand the STEAM curriculum and instructional programs offered by non-profit organizations and publicly funded schools. This research study addresses the following major questions: 1) what curriculum and instruction models of STEAM education are implemented in non-profit and in-school contexts in Ontario, Canada? 2) What do students learn through different models of STEAM education? 3) What types of assessment of student learning is happening in STEAM education? 4) How do classroom teachers view such models of STEAM education in meeting their curriculum and instruction goals? To explore these questions, I took a small sample of four different STEAM programs in Ontario, Canada. I conducted interviews, observations, content analysis of curriculum documents and a focus group interview. At the four research sites, the main pedagogies used are design-based and inquiry-based models which focused on the students’ interests and encourages students to construct their own knowledge. Students learn character-building skills that empower them to solve real-world problems, develop perseverance and grit, engage in their community and develop a global perspective. The instructors/teachers describe the STEAM tasks at each site as rich and authentic experiences. The findings also suggest that sharing the learning in the STEAM program with the community extends the learning experiences to a wider community and contributes to the collective knowledge about how students learn. This study can inform teaching practices for teachers who seek to engage and motivate students by integrating the arts in STEM subjects. This study also promises to deepen the field’s understanding of STEAM education in Canada and to provide new insights into the practicality, affordances, and tensions of designing and implementing a STEAM program

School Personnel Lived Experiences Related to High School Engineering Education and the Covid-19 Pandemic

This study investigated the teaching experiences of three school personnel at a public high school during the 2020–2021 school year as they implemented a unique science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) unit with in-person and virtual students in their engineering classes during the Covid-19 pandemic. A research team interviewed two teachers and one administrator at the school to better understand the nuances of pre-college engineering during a pandemic year and how changes in school and district policy affected the instructional delivery of STEAM projects. Narrative analytic methods were utilized to understand each participant’s experience and an inductive content thematic approach was used to develop the findings. The participants described varied experiences navigating instruction during the pandemic, particularly when adapting hands-on STEAM projects for virtual or hybrid teaching. All three participants thought deeply about how to best meet the needs of students while attempting to support equitable instruction. The findings of this study indicate that pre-college engineering in the pandemic was challenging for the participants, but not impossible, and that this setting was an appropriate context for STEAM projects that provided students with a mechanism for collaboration and engagement

Fossil Mobiles: Exploring the Process of Art as Science Inquiry for Elementary Students through a Grounded Theory Study

Arts integration into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subject areas is currently an important area of investigation. This study developed a grounded theory of how artmaking of a mobile related to fossil life of the Devonian period engendered geoscience inquiry. Data were collected from elementary students entering fourth to sixth grade (7 male, 9 female) attending a week-long summer camp at a Midwestern university. Students engaged in a daily hour-long class creating fossil mobiles and learning geoscience content through illustrated slide shows, form and function sets of materials related to Devonian fossils, fossil books, and a fossil hunter- fossil find matching game. The art fossil mobile was constructed of painted dowel rods suspended from a beaded string with four craft fossils (traced onto clear plastic and back-painted or stenciled onto canvas) attached to the ends of the rods. The grounded theory research design identified seven major repeating interactions among the triad of art, science, and students: (1) art promoting science inquiry, (2) art aspects positively influencing science learning, (3) science learning increasing interest in fossils, (4) science influencing art, (5) student-centered artwork increasing desire for more art knowledge, (6) student-centered art providing connections to science, and (7) student-centered science increasing interest in fossils. Implications for educators include integrating art activities into science lessons, thereby providing engagement and motivation for students, supporting students’ fine motor skills development, and building a community of learners. Geoscience educators should consider the positive cyclical effects of art-science-student interactions identified in this study

Bridging the Digital Divide in Design and Mathematics through an Immersive Maker Program for Underrepresented Students

Maker spaces engage students in learning by empowering them to explore ideas and problem-solving in a hands-on environment using digital and/or physical modalities. Design-based programs like this can increase learning by fostering student autonomy and promoting problem-solving and sensemaking. Our interdisciplinary team of researchers at this Midwest university, in conjunction with community partners, offered a program targeted at underrepresented and minority students in a school zone with an exceptionally high educational achievement gap, one of the worst in the nation. Our state ranks 48th and 50th in the high school graduation rates for African American and Hispanic students, respectively. Our work focused on design and mathematics learning and on using maker spaces to bridge the digital divide to create opportunities for underrepresented students. This chapter describes how we developed a culturally responsive pedagogy for underrepresented K-12 students to learn about design and mathematics. We share some short-term outcomes of providing equal access to immersive curricula to underrepresented students, and describe how we bridged learning losses due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

Makerspace in the Elementary Art Room

This thesis explores how to effectively integrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) concepts in an elementary art classroom by employing 2 different Makerspace areas: 1. A Makerspace table to house engineering based building manipulatives and activities for independent and group exploration. 2. A Makerspace craft area for inventing and creating choice based explorative work. The study documented students Makerspace participation over a period of several months. Data was collected and analyzed to assess the trends and efficacy of the Makerspace classroom activities. The Conclusion of the study showed how students employ creative problem solving techniques and the Engineering Design Process while engaging in self-directed Makerspace activities

Exploring Elementary Teachers', Students' Beliefs and Readiness toward STEAM Education

21st century demands education to promote students with STEAM competencies. Most researches on STEAM are mainly focused on students’ learning outcomes on STEAM, but only few address non-cognitive aspects. It is necessary to examine elementary teachers and students’ beliefs and readiness towards STEAM learning. The purpose of this research is to explore teachers’ and students’ beliefs and readiness towards STEAM learning. The survey-designed method was used in this research. A total of 34 elementary school teachers and 36 elementary school students in the city of Bandung participated in this research. The samples were selected using a random sampling technique. Questionnaires were used to collect research data. The results obtained from this research show that students and teachers have positive perceptions in career and benefit of STEAM learning. Students are actually interested in STEAM learning, but the competencies and factors that support and stimulate STEAM learning in schools are still low. The teacher has low competencies to implement STEAM learning. This is due to the lack of knowledge and understanding of teachers about STEAM. This research is expected to contribute to the novelty of teachers’ readiness and beliefs in STEAM education in the city of Bandun