A NEW STEAM AGE: TOWARDS ONE CULTURE FOR LEARNING SCIENCE

Year 2015, Volume: 2 , 13 - 17, 30.04.2015

Martin Braund

Abstract

In many cultures learning has been organised around
subject disciplines broadly conceived as the Arts, Humanities and Sciences.
Subject disciplines of the curriculum have evolved structures and
characteristics creating boundaries between them that are counter to the
experiences of many adolescents, who rarely meet such borders in their daily
lives. Disciplinary borders favour a utilitarian
view of knowledge and creativity, often under-valuing some disciplines,
including the creative and performing arts, not directly associated with
primary means of economic production. The borders between self-reinforcing
disciplinary structures result in inadequate attention paid to the potential of
working across, between and beyond disciplines. In this paper I examine how
this schism between the ‘Arts’ and ‘Sciences’ has come about and the potential
harm it continues to do. An example from the history of science, the case of
Darwin’s changing relationship with the two cultures, is used to promote the
benefits of more creative approaches to teaching science in a new project,
‘Darwin Inspired Learning’. The benefits to learning science using methods from
one of the Arts, drama, are shown. The argument is made for ‘STEAM’, showing how education in the 21^st
Century is moving away from a restricted notion of STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics) to one that encompasses the Arts (Science,
Technology, Engineering, ARTS and
Mathematics). STEAM promotes
economic development, encouraging people to work creatively to generate and
communicate ground breaking new ideas. It is argued that teaching methods and
content from arts subjects should be used to promote a more engaging and
cognitively challenging experience of science education at a time when poor
pupil attitudes to studying science subjects continues to be an issue in many
countries.  

Keywords

science education, teaching innovation, drama, curriculum

References

• Abrahams, I. & Braund, M. (2012). Performing science: Teaching physics chemistry and biology through drama (pp. 46-49). London: Continuum. Begoray, D. & Stinner, A. (2005) Representing science through historical drama: Lord Kelvin and the age of the Earth debate, Science and Education, 14, 457-471. Bennett, J., Braund, M., & Sharpe, R. (2014). Vision for science and mathematics research programme: Evidence Report 3, Students’ attitudes, engagement and participation in STEM subjects. London: The Royal Society. Available online: https://royalsociety.org/education/policy/vision/research-programme/ (Accessed, 20th December 2014) Boulter, C.J., Reiss. M.J., & Sanders, D.L. (Eds.). (2015). Darwin-Inspired Learning. Rotterdam/ Boston/Taipei: Sense Publishers. Braund, M. (2015a). Drama and learning science: an empty space, British Educational Research Journal, 41(1), 102-121. Braund, M. (2015b). Darwin-Inspired Drama: Towards One Culture in Teaching and Learning Science, In, C.J Boulter, M.J. Reiss & D.L. Saunders (Eds.), New Directions in Mathematics and Science Education: Darwin-Inspired Learning (Chapter 21, pages 285-299). Rotterdam/Boston/Taipei: Sense Publishers. Braund, M., Ekron, C., & Moodley, T. (2013). Critical episodes in student teachers’ science lessons using drama in grades 6 and 7, African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 17(1-2), 4-13. Darwin, C. (2005). The Autobiography of Chales Darwin, Barnes and Noble Publishing. Desmond, D. & Moore, J. (1992). Darwin, London: Penguin Books Duschl, R. & Osborne, J. (2002). Supporting and promoting argumentation discourse, Studies in Science Education, 38, 39-72. Fleming, D (1961). Charles Darwin, The Anaesthetic Man, Victorian Studies, 4(3), 219-236. Gilbert, J. K., Bulte, A.M.W., & Pilot, A. (2011). Concept development and transfer in context-based science education, International Journal of Science Education, 33(6), 817-837. Morris, A. (2006). The act of the mind: Thought experiments in the poetry of Jorie Graham and Leslie Scalapino, in R. Crawford (Ed.) Contemporary Poetry and Contemporary Science, 146-166. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ødegaard, M. (2003). Dramatic science. A critical review of drama in science education. Studies in Science Education, 39, 75-101. Søberg, S. & Schreiner, C. (2010). The ROSE project: An overview and key findings, Oslo: University of Oslo. Available online: http://roseproject.no/network/countries/norway/eng/nor-Sjoberg-Schreiner-overview-2010.pdf (Accessed, 10th January 2015) Snow, C. P. (1959). Two cultures. Science, 130(3373), 419-419. UNESCO (2005). United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) International Implementation Scheme, Paris: UNESCO education sector, retrieved 23rd February 2015 from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001486/148654e.pdf