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A Journey From STEM To STEAM A Middle School Case Study
A Journey From STEM To STEAM A Middle School Case Study
To cite this article: Tracey Hunter-Doniger & Lindsey Sydow (2016): A Journey from STEM to
STEAM: A Middle School Case Study, The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies,
Issues and Ideas, DOI: 10.1080/00098655.2016.1170461
Article views: 5
ABSTRACT KEYWORDS
This article examines the initial journey of a middle school in South Carolina from a STEM (science, STEAM; middle school;
technology, engineering, and math) curriculum to a STEAM (STEM + art) curriculum. This is the first of perception
a three-year longitudinal study that investigated the perceptions of the effectiveness, relative impor-
tance, and sustainability of a STEAM curriculum in which the arts animated learning on a daily basis
for both teachers and administrators during the first year of implementation beginning in the fall 2014.
The article also investigates the response that the faculty of a STEM-oriented middle school had to the
induction of STEAM curriculum training.
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CONTACT Tracey Hunter-Doniger hunterdonigertl@cofc.edu Department of Teacher Education, College of Charleston, Charleston, George Street,
Charleston, SC , USA.
Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/vtch.
This manuscript has not been published nor has it been submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere.
© Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
2 T. HUNTER-DONIGER AND L. SYDOW
every student needs to survive successfully as an adult today experience more stimulation than any previous
in an increasingly complex and technologically driven generation (Robinson, 2006). To engage young minds,
world (Sousa and Pilecki 2013). Research continues to teachers must earn the respect of students by provid-
prove that intelligence is not monolithic, but consists of ing curricula that are engaging and relevant to stu-
infinite capacities and dimensions (Peterson 2013). dents’ lives (Moses and Cobb 2001). Students should
Educators now have a responsibility to recognize and not be thought of as passive recipients of knowledge.
cultivate multiple intelligences in order to prepare stu- Instead, educators should provide arts-infused instruc-
dents for their lives after high school (Sousa and Pilecki tion through collaborative and active student-centered
2013; Darling-Hammond 2010). learning. One effective way of incorporating creativity
Since the career paths of students are unknown, stu- and the arts is through the use of projects. Through a
dents need the ability to understand and make connec- creative and interdisciplinary approach to STEM stan-
tions between a variety of disciplines (Madden et al. dards, projects can be designed to have useful applica-
2013; Riley 2012; Hetland 2013). Current methods pro- tion and address real-life situations and issues. Thus,
vide students with a foundation of facts, but educa- successful arts integration programs offer students and
tion rarely addresses how to foster effective creative educators more enjoyable curricula, increased personal
and critical thinking skills. The STEAM approach pro- investment in education, and better emotional fulfill-
vides this opportunity by introducing creativity and ment in the classroom (Overland 2013).
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divergent thinking into traditional STEM disciplines. A Teaching STEAM is a pedagogical approach that
STEAM curriculum has the power to enhance partici- involves “intentional identification of naturally aligned
pants’ creating, inventing, innovating, and engineering standards, taught authentically alongside meaningful
capacities (Watson and Watson 2013). assessments which take both content areas [i.e. art and
Divergent thinking involves seeking multiple solu- non-art] to a whole new level” (Riley 2012). Strategies
tions to problems and is the essence of creativity (Mad- for implementation include collaboration between core
den et al. 2013; Richard and Treichel 2013). Research and art teachers, while teaching and assessing multiple
shows that students engaged in creative programs that content areas equally (Riley 2012; Beal 2013). Stake-
foster divergent thinking display more advanced think- holders involved in the STEM to STEAM transition
ing skills, deal with stress better, and have enhanced must be aware that learning is a dynamic process that
self-awareness and social skills (Madden et al. 2013). is reflective and continuously evolving.
Consequently, creating multiple solutions teaches chil- Artistic learning strategies can help students over-
dren to simultaneously learn the advantages of reflec- come existing limitations in traditional subjects. Ulti-
tion and reiteration as they take ownership of their mately, an education that follows developmentally
individual growth. appropriate, research-based arts integration strategies
STEAM curricula should focus on interdisciplinary will cultivate personal traits such as self-motivation;
and inquiry-based learning in which educators play self-efficacy; reflective and flexible thinking; life-long
a facilitative role to promote student-directed learn- learning; personal, professional, and social responsibil-
ing and autonomy, while providing nonjudgmental and ity; and a willingness to address diverse ethical issues
constructive feedback (Madden et al. 2013; Ming 2012). (Madden et al. 2013; Moses and Cobb 2001). Bridging
Teachers should model the design process and self- the gap between STEM teaching and artistic pedagogi-
reflection, while guiding students to see problems as cal practice is essential for a successful twenty-first cen-
opportunities (Madden et al. 2013; Robinson 2006). tury education. The design process is a natural conduit
Cultivating creative thinking requires students to be that connects STEM to art. Pink (2006) argues that in
willing to take risks. As Sir Ken Robinson (2006) stated, today’s world it will not suffice to just create a product,
“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you will never service or experience. It must be beautiful, emotion-
come up with anything original.” For this reason, failure ally engaging, tell a story and maintain an interconnec-
is a necessary and normal part of the creative process. tion to the human spirit through laughter, empathy, and
Mistakes should not be punished, but viewed as oppor- seeing the big picture of how pieces fit into the whole
tunities for growth. (Pink 2006). Likewise, Gardner (2007) contends that
In order to foster true creativity, educators must cul- in order to thrive in the world in the future one must
tivate a safe environment for growth. Young people maintain five “Minds.” These minds are built upon his
THE CLEARING HOUSE 3
previous work in multiple intelligences and are as fol- as a lens to identify how arts integration influences
lows: The Disciplined Mind, mastering a craft or schol- teacher practices and student engagement during the
arly discipline; The Synthesizing Mind, making mean- process of the initial transition from STEM to STEAM
ing from dissimilar sources; The Creating Mind, design- within a school year.
ing original solutions to problems; The Respectful Mind,
welcoming ideas from all walks of life; and The Eth-
About the school
ical Mind, working unselfishly to improve the world.
Through multiple aspects of artistic learning strategies, In 2011, the newly hired principal of Lily Island Mid-
existing limitations of the mind can be overcome and dle School (pseudonym chosen by the authors of this
education can be transported into the future. article, hereafter referred to as LIMS) adopted a STEM
Hetland et al.’s study, Studio Thinking Two (2013), curriculum for the 776 students in grades six through
provides a framework that has made pedagogical con- eight. According to the South Carolina Department of
nections between the arts and traditional academic Education report card, the racial makeup of LIMS is
subjects. The researchers studied the practices of exem- 45.2 percent African American, 45.2 percent White,
plary art teachers to identify the ways the arts are 6.6 percent Hispanic, 1.2 biracial, 0.3 percent Native
taught, what children learn, and the pedagogical deci- American, and 0.8 percent Asian with 60.6 percent
sions that art teachers make. Analysis of extensive field of the students receiving free or reduced lunch. LIMS
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notes and observations suggest that there are eight dis- employs 48 full-time teachers with a student/teacher
positions or categories of learning that lead to student ratio of 16:1, which is approximately the average for
success in a studio classroom: develop craft; engage middle schools in South Carolina. Prior to the STEM
and persist; envision; express; observe; reflect; stretch initiative, LIMS scored “average” on the statewide rat-
and explore; and understand the art community (Het- ing system of “excellent,” “good,” “average,” “below aver-
land et al. 2013). Developing craft is learning to use age,” or “at-risk.” By 2014, LIMS ranked lower than
and take proper care of tools, materials, and working 59.5 percent of middle schools in South Carolina, and
space. Engage and persist is defined by the researchers fourth out of six middle schools in the district. After
as learning to take on problems and conduct ongo- completing the third year of a STEM curriculum and
ing investigation of the inquiry. Envision is imagin- not improving from an average rating, LIMS decided
ing the possibilities and next steps needed to com- to move towards infusing the “A” for art to become a
plete a task. The disposition of express is creating and STEAM school. LIMS received a grant from a statewide
designing works of art that convey a meaning, feel- arts initiative that aims to ensure access to quality arts
ing or idea. When students attend to visual context education for every child in the state. This grant pro-
specifically looking for details, it demonstrates the dis- vides funds for the development of innovative arts
position of observe. Reflect is defined as learning to programs that ensure proper usage and assessment
think and talk about artwork or the process of mak- of the Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Stan-
ing art in regards to art made by others or yourself. dards. Using these funds, LIMS was able to provide pro-
The disposition of stretch and explore demonstrates a fessional development for their core STEAM leader-
student’s ability to learn from mistakes and reaching ship team. The core STEAM leadership team consisted
beyond his/her capacity. The final disposition found of seven faculty members, including four arts educa-
by the researchers is, understanding the art commu- tors, two non-arts teachers, and an administrator. They
nity. This disposition simply states that all areas of the attended up to six training sessions on STEAM cur-
curriculum are connected. This framework was found riculum and implementation. This leadership team was
to be an effective method of observation and could be charged with finding appropriate professional devel-
used as an assessment tool to examine studio thinking opment opportunities of three additional training ses-
in arts education. While the studio thinking framework sionsfor the entire staff of LIMS in the first year.
is abundant in the arts, it is not exclusive, as it can be
applied in many areas of a STEM curriculum. Hetland
Methods
(2013) states that the arts are a means for engagement in
academic classes and that they can spark intrinsic moti- This research article provides data from the first year
vation and turn any subject into a creative undertaking. of a longitudinal study of a middle school in South
In this paper, we use the framework of studio thinking Carolina and its transformation from STEM to
4 T. HUNTER-DONIGER AND L. SYDOW
STEAM. The case study will be an in-depth inves- the purpose of comparison. The online survey con-
tigation of all stakeholders (students, parents, teachers, sisted of ten questions, two to collect demographic data
and administrators) through a period of three years. and eight using a Likert scale. The survey asked ques-
In this paper, we discuss the first phase of inquiry, tions regarding what subject and grade level the faculty
which focused on teachers’ and the administration’s members taught, how many professional development
perceptions, beliefs, and responses to the idea of a seminars they attended, and a self-appraisal of their
STEAM curriculum and the integration of arts in their efficacy infusing the arts into their curriculum and
classrooms. Surveys to collect data early in the trans- assessing its impact. All questions were modified from
formation process of STEM to STEAM were given to all research of an arts integration program in Texas called
teachers and administration during both semesters of Big Thought (Wolf, Bransom, and Denson 2007). (See
the initial year and again after a year of arts integration. Table 1.) Studies show that teacher effectiveness is a
Interviews were conducted with five teachers who vol- critical factor driving variation in student achievement
unteered to provide data. Field notes and observations (Darling-Hammond 2010). Some questions assessed
of teachers in class and during professional devel- challenges and successes they experienced during the
opment exercises were used to triangulate the data. STEM to STEAM process, while others enquired about
Using mixed methods (Yin 2003), this case study was how the teachers perceived the arts integrations mak-
driven by the following research questions: (1) How ing a difference in student performance. After the ini-
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do stakeholders of a STEM middle school respond tial survey, five teachers volunteered to participate in a
to the initial induction of STEAM curriculum train- follow-up interview. These interviews asked eight in-
ing? (2) What are the perceptions of the effectiveness, depth questions addressing quality and effectiveness
relative importance and sustainability of a STEAM of STEAM education at LIMS, assessment strategies,
curriculum? The theoretical framework driving this and limitations to implementation of STEAM curric-
investigation is derived from Studio Thinking Two and ula. Specific questions are listed in Table 2.
is focused on examining the practices of teachers to The central focus of the STEM to STEAM intro-
better understand the ways in which the arts are taught, ductory year was to begin to infuse the arts success-
what children learn, and the pedagogical decisions that fully into every classroom. In the fall of 2014, 29 per-
art teachers make (Hetland 2013; Hetland et al. 2013). cent of the faculty stated that they never or almost
The inquiry instruments found in the eight studio never integrated the arts into their classrooms. In the
habits of mind articulated in that study were used to spring 2015, this figure decreased significantly to 11
collect data through teacher/administrator interviews, percent. Faculty at LIMS who almost always or always
surveys, field notes, and observations. integrate the arts increased from 28 percent to 60 per-
cent (see Figure 1). During an interview, one teacher
stated that most of her colleagues had dedicated two
Data results
lessons to an art project and daily used drama and
To date, data have been collected during the fall of dance for assignments such as vocabulary lists. These
2014 with a 76.5 percent response rate and the late lessons included tableaus to recreate pivotal scenes
spring of 2015 with a 68.3 percent response rate. Sur- in history, and movement vocabulary where students
veys were given to teachers and administrators for created dance movements to remember vocabulary
Table . Initial survey questions. Modified from the Big Thought Study (Wolf, Bransom, and Denson ).
Table . In-depth interview questions. Modified from the Big Thought Study (Wolf, Bransom, and Denson ).
Figure . At what level do you integrate the arts into your class- Figure . What are some challenges to implementing a STEAM cur-
room? riculum?
6 T. HUNTER-DONIGER AND L. SYDOW
Figure . To what level to you believe the arts can assist academic Figure . At what level to you believe that STEAM makes a differ-
subjects? ence in student performance?
self-efficacy with the arts in the classroom seemed to comparison of standardized test results. Additionally,
dissipate as the faculty began to stretch and explore the other stakeholders, including family and community
various possibilities and realize that making mistakes members, will be brought into the framework of this
can present original opportunities for students and study to further gauge the impact of the STEM to
teachers. Some teachers who were resistant to the idea STEAM journey at Lily Island Middle School.
of infusing the arts became less opposed to STEAM,
yet remained skeptical without comparative standard- References
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