Going From STEM to STEAM: Understanding the “A” Amy Morris Fine Arts Professional Learning Specialist Amy.morris2@cobbk12.org Laura LaQuaglia Supervisor, learning design & visual arts Laura.laquaglia@cobbk12.org

Why add Art to STEM? Why STEAM? The arts make learning meaningful and relevant!

WE KNOW THIS. Students learn best when they are encouraged to generate their own questions, engage in relevant investigations, and reflect upon their learning process.

Dr. Makola Abdullah The Artificial Line Between STEM & the Arts

What is STEAM? STEAM uses multiple content areas as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking. Grounded in inquiry, problem-solving and process-based learning.

True STEAM learning happens when:  -Arts standards are infused into STEM instruction -Arts modalities are used to interpret, present and share STEM work -The Arts are a valid assessment tool for STEM learning

The Four Art Disciplines: -Dance -Music -Theatre -Visual Arts

STEAM or Arts Enhancement? “We did a STEAM activity in class today! I used the arts by having my students paint the bird houses we bought for the outdoor habitat challenge.” “We did a STEAM activity today! We created a video PSA on water conservation. Students took on roles based on theatre careers (playwright, director, technician, etc.) and it was a successful collaboration!” “We did a STEAM activity today! We sang a song about fractions.”

Singing a song about numbers STEAM IS NOT… STEAM IS… Singing a song about numbers Using the musical call and response technique to practice problem solving using addition and subtraction. Drawing a picture of the various stages of the engineering design process Making connections between the preparation and problem solving steps used by artists and engineers alike before drawing Doing a dance about the planets Using levels and pathways to design choreography Showing the rotation and revolution of the planets Using recycled materials to design a work of art Investigating the “Upcycling” Movement in art before designing a sculpture from recycled materials Dressing up and reading aloud about a scientist Presenting to the class a monologue written from the viewpoint of a famous scientist using voice inflection, pitch and volume. Painting a bird house Examining architectural elements of bird house design – i.e. post and lintel construction, open and closed form, arches Camouflage a turkey Examining how color theory works in nature – i.e. bilateral, monochromatic, etc. Creating a video of a solution to a STEM challenge Addressing the roles and experience of the audience, performer, and participant during the development of the video solution

The Journey to STEAM… -Connect thinking/design processes of STEM and Fine Arts -Learn STEAM Integration strategies using various fine arts modalities (visual art, drama, dance, storytelling and music) -Implement STEAM learning in the classroom setting to increase student engagement and achievement

STEAM Certification STEAM continuums for certification are found at http://stemgeorgia.org/ Things you need to know… Characteristics of the STEAM curriculum: -Should support one of the GaDOE STEAM focus areas: (advanced academics, agriculture, architecture, biotechnology, computer programming, cyber security, energy, engineering, food science and nutrition, forensic science, health care science, and/or information technology plus arts integration.) -Classroom instruction is predominantly student centered.

STEAM Certification Required: Written description of the unique characteristics of the STEAM curriculum. The school’s STEAM focus area is described and explanation of how fine arts are incorporated into all areas.

STEAM Certification Teacher Content Knowledge: Fine Arts Teachers are all content matter experts holding certification in their subject area. STEM teachers are working toward increasing content knowledge in science and math through multiple means

STEAM Certification Teacher Professional Learning: Documentation of method/procedures implemented for increasing fine arts teachers content knowledge and arts integration content knowledge of STEAM teachers. Documentation of the plan for sustaining content knowledge and induction of new STEAM and fine arts teachers. Arts integration training is ongoing throughout the school year.

STEAM Certification Math, Science, and Fine Arts Instruction & STEAM Integration: STEAM students participate in math, science, and fine arts enrichment opportunities and are accelerated through differentiation. Students receive daily-integrated math, science and fine arts instruction. Students receive daily math, science, and fine arts instruction that supports a STEAM project correlated to current math, science, and fine arts standards. Instruction is multidisciplinary including mathematics, technology, arts and the science and engineering practices.

STEAM Certification Fine Art Specific: Community/business partnerships Contests, exhibits, performances, & clubs Space for exhibitions and performances

STEAM Certification Project/Problem-Based Learning and the use of the arts as a presentation tool: Short and long-term projects/problems are implemented throughout the school year incorporating student-generated ideas that are standards-based, multidisciplinary and real world. Students are able to articulate the relationship among the concepts they are learning in math, science, and the arts to their created projects. Students are able to present content learned through an art form as regular practice.

From STEM to STEAM: Brent Bushnell and Eric Gradman

Challenge: Design a visual to help your peers distinguish between STEM and STEAM. Composition: Fill your space Let items run off of the edges of the page Overlap objects in your image Use contrast to make your image stand out Balance empty space