Developing and Applying the Law of Cosines

In history, geometry was founded more as a practical endeavor than a theoretical one. Early developments of the branch portray philosophers' attempts to make sense of their surroundings, including the measurement of distances on earth and in space. Such a link between earth and space sciences and geometry motivated us to develop and implement a multidisciplinary lesson focusing on the conceptual understanding of the law of cosines in the context of astronomy. In our content specific STEAM lesson, the authors aimed to facilitate an understanding of the law of cosines in ninth grade students, and then apply the law in a star map task to find approximate distances between stars. The second part of the lesson also included the use of an instructional technology to support students' work with the star map task. In the conclusion, the authors discuss possible ways to improve the quality of their STEAM education efforts for the given context.

A Mathematical Approach to Designing Insulators

How do we keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold? Companies such as Tervis, YETI, and Thermos spend their time researching and designing products around that very question. In this lesson, students will discover, through mathematical modeling, which materials provide the best insulation and be tasked with designing their own insulator. This lesson has been designed at two different levels for students from grade three through high school with an optional extension activity for more advanced students. Students will use technology to explore the rate of change of the temperature of hot water over two minutes using different insulation materials. After this exploration, students will use the data they have collected to determine the best materials for designing their own insulator. This insulator will then be judged based on the ability to keep a hot drink hot and on the aesthetic value.

Bee Pollination

The purpose of the chapter is to provide an exemplar of an inquiry-based unit on pollination for designing and implementing constructivist instructional practices while simultaneously providing outstanding teacher preparation. The unit on pollination was developed by preservice teachers through a partnership between the Monmouth Conservation Foundation and the Monmouth University School of Education. Through collective action, these institutions were able to enhance student learning on a vital part of the science curriculum, provide a rich clinical experience for pre-service teachers, and to familiarize teachers with a more constructivist approach to pre-school science instruction.

Getting to “Know” STEAM

This chapter describes the evolution of an arts-integrated approach to science curriculum inquiry which has been evolving since the 1990s—before the national science standards, the acronym STEM, much less STEAM, appeared across educational horizons. It reads as ethnography and has been performed in community, in association with the most caring of souls, with the goal of achieving a more inclusive/empowering, aesthetic science education, and a deep appreciation of the importance of the creative arts in the science learning process. It presents two research-based iterations of STEAM education in practice: 1) the creation of arts-integrated middle school ocean science curricula and 2) the development of a pedagogical tool called the “Know”tation as a way for teachers and students to make learning visible and integrate the languages of science throughout the process of inquiry. The cases described here apply many features of the STEAM model developed in Chapter 2 of this book.

Exploring Simple Machines With Creative Movement

This chapter explores the use of creative movement to extend meaning to inquiry-based science investigations. This process embraces the addition of A to STEM to realize the impact of STEAM. The chapter builds on the import of scientific and physical literacy, interdisciplinary learning, and the power of kinesthetic engagement. Students become active collaborative agents within a dynamic model using creative movement to bring meaning to the science of simple machines. The authors utilize working words into movement strategy to help students use their past experiences and motor memory to explore, interpret, and engage with as they seek understanding of simple machines. A Midwest urban elementary school provides the context for a unit plan culminating in a dance performance. The foundational ideas presented within this unit can be enacted within any classroom by creative movement (physical education or dance) specialists, science specialists, or classroom generalists. It follows with a presentation of science content on simple machines exploring the disciplinary core idea of force and motion.

Musing on Unanswered Questions

Out of a conversation between two long-time colleagues—each a science educator and practicing artist—emerged the question, “What does it mean to STEAMify a lesson, and why would a teacher actually choose to do such a thing, other than, say, for-grant-writing-purposes?” Their science selves really liked the idea of a STEAM system, acted upon by forces, both from the outside and from within, and with energy flowing and cycling, all the while transforming grey matter in ways that sustained the teaching/learning process. When it came to their art; however, their dialogue followed pathways grooved by long years of practice and hard work in their respective fields. One author is a seasoned vocalist, trained in the nuances of both individual and group vocal performance as well as the attendant dimensions of music, its composition and phraseology. The other is a painter, poet, and novelist, shaping words, color, and line to tell stories and communicate ideas. What was significant to each was that their artistic habits of mind had shaped their axiology, transforming their ways teaching.

Differentiating Instruction in the Forensics Classroom

This chapter will discuss differentiated instruction within the STEAM classroom. An example of a differentiated instruction case that was used in a Forensics Science class will be referenced. The case study focuses on fingerprint recovery, identification, and classification. After a series of lessons about the science of fingerprinting, a mock crime scene is set up to allow students the opportunity to become forensic scientists. Students use the forensic tools to recover them, and then identify and classify them using the process taught through direct and supplemental instruction. Some issues with differentiating instruction that arise are professional development around differentiated instruction, the time it takes to differentiate (amount of planning), lack of classroom time to complete projects, and lack of support or collaboration with key stakeholders are discussed.

“Imagioneering” a New Mission

STEAM education is a comprehensive approach to addressing content in the classroom. By using STEAM, educators present material utilizing multiple-intelligences. This chapter is geared towards high school and uses students' familiarity with Disney as a hook to address STEAM. Critical analysis is applied to the exterior and line-queue design of a famous attraction at Disney parks. Ride-layout is critiqued and improved upon via student collaboration. Students use their ability to analyze design to engineer a 2-D scale model that fits a particular purpose.

Tower Design, Build and Test as a STEAM Project

The next generation science standards promote the teaching of engineering skills including the designing, testing, and building of models. Tower building can yield real world experience that not only provides the student with physics and mathematics through motion and stability but also through the explanation of the use of models and the engineering practice of design, redesign, and testing of these models. Tia Pliskow used the project of building a tower with her middle school students in order to provide a cooperative team long-term project. She focused first on the design, using background information on existing towers. She required each team to design their tower first using graph paper and scale. This process stressed the need for science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The case included in this article expands her process by including a cost analysis attempting to promote real world engineering, links to more content, and final project photos. In addition, by building a shake platform, a test for the tower is added.

Using STEAM in Marine Science

This case summarizes two perspectives on inclusion of Arts in STEM/STEAM education and how they influence the modification of an existing STEM lesson. Teachers are encouraged to use many instruction models throughout their careers, and inclusion of new methods can seem daunting. This case hopes to illustrate how STEAM education can be included in a classroom through intentional use of graphic design in an everyday lesson or a longer unit. Students in the case are asked to design and build a robotic arm that is capable of accomplishing a task such as move or grasp an object. The specific context is Marine Science in nature but can be adapted to many other content areas.