QUESTION: STEMS to STE(A)MS Resources

[Ryan Goble]

Last week I sent out a broadcast talking about The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). In response MC POPPER Cindy Maguire wrote a great e-mail saying...

Hi Ryan
I have a request that this group consider working with the acronym STEAM - science, technology, engineering, art, math.

RISD is working on this...and The National Science Foundation is also looking at STEAM vs STEM. The only K-12 teacher to get a MacArthur Genius Award is involved in STEAM, Amir Abo-Shaeer. In a recent NPR interview he spoke about the value of the arts as an entry point into learning multiple subjects and how the is school is organizing to include the arts across the curriculum.

Other districts are also looking at STEAM:

http://www.scasd.org/2497103895940747/site/default.asp
and http://www.hsd401.org/ehighlights/2011/05/03/BigPictureAwardedSTEMG....

Thanks!
Cindy

***

I'm 190,000,000% for using STEAM.

 

A quick hunt for Amir Abo-Shaeer's NPR interview led me to find this video:

and this article about him in Fast Company.

I also found these websites about STEAM initiatives:
http://steammanifesto.com
http://steam-notstem.com

I know there are similar interdisciplinary initiatives afoot all over the country like the Life Sciences Institute in Ann Arbor. I'm assuming there are a bazillion more.

If you know about any STEAM and/or interdisciplinary science initiatives that embrace the arts, I'd love to hear about them. If you could take a few minutes to share videos, articles, websites, any resources out there that you know about that would be very cool.

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond!

Ryan:)

[Anna J. Small Roseboro]

I invite teachers to take a look at some of the ideas collected in this little booklet. I wrote it over a decade ago while doing research on ways writing can be used to increase student reflection and to sustain content retention.  ELA teacher probably will notice nothing particularly new; those in other content areas may find the concepts they can adapt as they design STE(A)M lessons and align curriculum to meet CCSS requirements.

Writing and Learning Groups in Math

Enjoy!