Polyphonic STE(A)M and the role of Physics

Abstract

We propose a pedagogical ‘model for polyphonic STE(A)M education’. With this model teachers worked a yearlong in a Professional Learning Community. The model made schools think about their choices for STE(A)M and it gave them a ‘language’ to explain their choices. Why should schools do STE(A)M? What is STE(A)M? How and for Whom schools bring STE(A)M into their curriculum? During the course of the PLC, it became gradually clear that single subject matters still play a crucial role in STE(A)M and precisely from this insight the polyphonic model arose. Different viewpoints and inquiry methodologies from single subjects are needed to discover the connections between and across the disciplines. We illustrate this interdisciplinary STE(A)M education model in a few examples where physics plays its role between arts and engineering. It was recognized in our PLC that STE(A)M learning within and across disciplines makes lessons more relevant to learners, as they see how things are related and this also seems to foster creativity and problem solving. This confirms what was found in educational research. By reflecting on their practices, schools rediscovered that, apart from aiming at children with talent for STE(A)M, it is still their duty to give children also ‘STEM for all’ and ‘STEM to explore’ experiences.