Art Completes STEM Learning
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) drives most university curricula. Mainly because of jobs. There are many job positions for those with a good STEM skillset. Know computer science? You’ll find lots of job openings. The question is whether to insert the “A”rt in “STEM,” and how to do it? What does art have to do with STEM anyway?
Examples of STEAM (adding the “A”) abound on the web. The ones I have read about are too complicated, too vague, or too limited. It would be nice to have something more conceptual. What are concepts in art, and can they be leveraged to improve STEM education? I wrote a short article on How Art Changes Math & Computing, and this post is a successor to that earlier one. I’d like to focus on art practice.
Based on my past research and teaching, I’ve come up with a problem statement followed by art practice concepts that I hope will improve STEM education. Since, these concepts also introduce Art into the mix, this document can serve to advance a kind of STEAM.
Trying to convince most people about the “A” in “STEM” requires one to begin with a problem that is partially solved by the “A” insertion. Most will not be convinced of STEAM as a pure ideology, without demonstrating clearly how Art can improve STEM education.
Here is the problem: our educational system is incomplete. While, informal education can occur outside of the classroom, most forms of learning occur mainly in the classroom: formal learning. The classroom is based on a 19th century factory model. The factory does a good job, but it is missing something. What can you learn for the other, enormous, bulk of the day when you are not attending class or doing homework? It is a gigantic hole in our system. Enter the factory, engage and follow the oracle, and then exit.
As an example of the problem, consider that you are learning mathematics, or a mathematical subject such as computer science. You go to class, buy the book, and do the work. But then you leave the classroom. Examples of mathematics are found everywhere. This includes computer science too, since computer science emerged from discrete mathematics. Unless we are talking of childhood education or special instructors, you are unlikely to find mathematical field trips to the park or around your campus.
Mathematics education has introduced ideas such as math treks and math walks, but these ideas are not yet in the mainstream. Projects such as talkSTEM in Dallas are a great new beginning, since one can learn STEM inside buildings and outdoors. If you also do a search for “math trek” or “math walk”, you will find other schools doing something similar.
Some topics are naturally inclined toward real-world experience, such as biology, geology, or physics. But the abstract mathematical sciences (math at the center with data science, information science, and computer science) are in need of experiential learning, as made evident in the math walks. The walks help to complete the existing incomplete educational system.
Here is a solution that is art-inspired. Artists are especially adept at 3 things:
- Observation
- Interpretation
- Representation
When you observe the angel oak pictured at the start of the article, what do you see? A first step is to pay attention using your senses. Like Sherlock Holmes. What does the tree sound like? What kinds of patterns exist in the tree? What about the bark? Unlike in the natural sciences, where the attention is given within the context of a hypothesis or frame of knowledge (e.g., physical law, biological species), the artistic approach to observation is more open ended. Take time to really look at what is around you using different interpretations. Ask lots of questions during the observation: this is fundamental to art education.
For learning math subjects, interpretation means that we can view reality as a reflection of mathematical structure.
Observation is about paying close attention to what you sense and see. We see the angel oak tree. Interpretation, with a mathematics lens, might suggest mapping the tree to a topological tree or even to a number. We might count the number of branches or leaves, or at least approximate. The number is one type of interpretation. In the modeling literature, we say that the number models the tree just like a scale model models the tree.
Representation is what you do with the topological tree or number. Representation is the “doing” part of experiential learning. How can you represent it? If you are steeped in STEM knowledge, this may seem weird, but artists do it all the time. When you represent via a drawing or painting, you are increasing the level of attention to the subject. Drawing is a trick for paying attention, while also yielding a creative product. It doesn’t matter if the world will not use your representation — what matters is that by creating it yourself, you have attended to the interpretation (e.g. math). Creative products enhance attention.
It is the attention which lies at the heart of learning, well before problem solving. One might use Legos or Minecraft to represent. I have had students in classes represent all kinds of formal structures with a diverse set of materials and technologies. It is often best to take the student completely outside the box. You see the angel oak? Represent it using Tinker Toys, or like the artist, invent your own modeling materials. The increased attention will make it more likely that the learning will be successful.
The art practices of observation, interpretation, and representation will be critical to the future of STEM education if we are asking students to think about their subjects all the time, and not just when it is required in class.
To learn math subjects, think like an artist.
