Workshop: Bridging STEM to STEAM: Developing New Frameworks for ART/SCIENCE Pedagogy

Rhode Island School Of Design, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

"Bridging STEM to STE(A)M: Developing New Frameworks for ART/SCIENCE Pedagogy", hosted by the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) will be a two-day workshop aimed to develop an innovative educational agenda that forges relationships between art and design disciplines and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The workshop will bring together leading scientists, IT experts and creative technologists, artists, designers, and education researchers to initiate discussions about how to bridge STEM education practices and creative problem-solving. As this innovative educational approach holds the potential to open new areas of exploration, and provide a platform and network for the further development of STEM to STE(A)M pedagogy. The long-term goals of this initiative are to: (1) Develop strategies for enhancing STEM education through the integration of art and design thinking (STEM + ART = STE(A)M); (2) Invent and share techniques that take advantage of simple, freely available IT systems and applications to support enhanced observation, analysis and understanding of pictorial and numerical data; (3) Build new connections between art and design disciplines and scientific fields to advance understanding of complex systems, e.g., through improved strategies and techniques for the shared perception and visualization of scientific data. Methods and practices that promote shared ideas, insight, and language have the potential to alter STEM education and research practices in formal and informal settings. The diverse mix of disciplines and approaches represented at the workshop will give participants access to shared processes of inquiry into art/science pedagogy with the goal of achieving a high level of comprehensibility and knowledge sharing, broadening the accessibility and appeal of science, and transforming the discourse on STEM discovery and learning. As art thinking influences scientific thinking and vice versa, there is great potential for increased public understanding of science and scientific challenges. Workshop discussions will inform the creation of educational materials that exemplify interdisciplinary couplings between the arts and sciences. To begin to explore this potential, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) will develop prototype STE(A)M classes for high school students through a Pre-College summer program offered through RISD's Continuing Education division. In addition, in connection with the workshop, a new graduate-level course will be developed at RISD to prepare future artists and arts educators to lead successful arts/design/science collaborations. The broader intention of these prototype courses is to provide tangible examples that can prompt parallel developments at other institutions.