The art of science curriculum
(Book - Regular Print)

Thesis,MSES,Green Mountain College,2015

Includes bibliographical references.

The Art of Science thesis project is a compilation of an interdisciplinary curriculum for an elective science course incorporating the fundamentals of photography with biological and environmental science concepts. The use of digital photography will provide the opportunity for the incorporation of art within the science classroom; an approach based on the fundamental principles outlined in the transition from STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) schools. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Bridging STEM to STEAM (2011) has several case studies researching the positive correlations of STEAM curriculums including: Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), California College of the Arts and Climate Change, and Andover Public Schools. STEM to STEAM is a RISD-led agenda adding art and design to the STEM education. The RISD website (www.risd.edu) provides a section of their site that is devoted to the ongoing efforts and achievements of the STREAM program. The achievements include: Visualizing the Unseen (2013) a creation of Rebecca Kamen where art is used to help scientists make cross-disciplinary connections, The Beauty of Biology (2013) featuring 11 artists work immersed in the biomedical field, and The Art of Play (2013) a program of Cas Holman, assistant professor of Industrial Design, which designs interactive tools and toys that ignite the imagination. (RISD 2014) The Andover Public Schools introduced the STEAM movement into their system-wide educational plan for 2013-2015. This movement has created courses where art is the interdisciplinary tools used to educate students allowing them to better grasp concepts across the curriculum. The high school's math department teaches geometry through the lens of art by examining the work of artists and their use of geometrical shapes. (STEMtoSTEAM.org 2014) The STEM to STEAM movement has recently been seen at the federal government level as well. Research indicates the incorporation of arts and environmental education into the course curricula promotes academic success for learners (Gardner 1990, Perkins 1994, Fiske 1998, Lieberman & Hoody 1998, Catterall et al 1999, and Glenn 2000). Fiske's (1998) study investigated how arts impacted over 2000 students attending public schools grade 4-8 and found that students in high-arts schools were stronger in their abilities to express thoughts and ideas, exercise their imaginations, and take risks in learning compared to that of their low-arts peers. Catterall et al. (1999) reported twenty-four differences that favored art involved students with twenty being favored to the p<0.001 level (indication of less than one in a thousand being associated with pure chance) and four being favored to the p<0.01 level (indication of less than one in a hundred being associated with pure chance). Lieberman & Hoody (1998) published in their report on 14 schools that 36 of the 39 comparisons (92%) researched that students involved in EIC (environmental integrating context) programs academically outperformed their traditional peers. The outlined curriculum is based on these findings. The incorporation of environmental and biological education through the use of photography is designed to create a bridge between arts and science education, particularly environmental education to build upon these results. The ultimate goal is to connect learners to arts and science through nature ultimately improving student achievement. Students who may not thrive in standard science courses could be drawn to this course based on the artistic connection while students who have more interest in science may be exposed to the arts. Through this course students may be exposed to a future career path in environmental or biological photography. Students will develop environmental and biological photography skills by examining the work of professional nature and science photographers while developing and practicing their own photography skills. This approach is taken from content standard 5 of National Art Education Association's National Visual Arts Standards (1994) where students will reflect on assessing the characteristics and merits of personal work and the work of others. The project will produce a cross-curricular course that teaches photography with biological and environmental sciences. The first section of the curriculum will focus on the following elements of photography: rule of thirds, asymmetry, symmetry, diagonal lines, simplicity, depth of field, balance, leading lines, and contrast. Through the introduction and development of these skills students will explore microphotography, macro photography, landscape, wildlife, and nature photography. The development and critiquing of the elements of photography will be essential in the development of the learner's artistic photographic creations. The second section of the curriculum will focus on the biological and environmental science topics and concepts to be investigated through photography. The developed photography skills and techniques will be used to explore the designated biological and environmental concepts in the curriculum. Science concepts to be explored include: cellular life (organelles, activities, reproduction and types), life cycles of plants, insects and their ecological role in the environment, ecological cycles (water, nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur), and weathering and soil composition. Over the past few decades budget cuts in public education have decreased many creative art courses. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), an independent federal agency, which funds and promotes artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation have undergone a $21.5 million decline (13%) in appropriations in the last three federal budgets. (National Assembly of State Arts Agencies 2013) These cuts along with the STEM initiative's emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses have created a gap in arts and the emphasis placed on arts education in public schools. Creative arts courses enhance learner's creativity and performance in the classroom. Research shows students involved in creative arts consistently maintain higher grade point averages. This course would bridge science to the arts and could be a starting point for other cross-curricular courses. The curriculum is designed to incorporate two major educational pushes (incorporation of arts and environmental education) into a single curriculum which will benefit student achievement as suggested by research.