STEAM with a Capital A: Learning Frenzy

Abstract

A student dipped a brush into a bowl of viscous tempera paint and in a few quick strokes formed thick magenta letters on a large display board. Nearby a handful of students were working together to attach string to paper cups and balloons. Across the room a small group of girls were lying on the floor carefully adding multi-colored text to a poster. Two others created characters out of Popsicle sticks for a puppet show...This is how the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Math (S.T.E.A.M.) happened with the fourth and fifth graders during the first few weeks of school. Author/Artist Bio David Rufo is a doctoral candidate in Teaching and Curriculum in Art Education at Syracuse University. With seventeen years of experience as a general classroom fourth grade teacher, David’s current research interest is the self-initiated creativity of children in a child-centered environment. In addition to being a full-time teacher, David is also a visual artist and an adjunct instructor at Syracuse University where he has created and taught a course titled, Art Educators as Contemporary Artists. His most recent article titled, Building Forts and Drawing on Walls, was published in the May 2012 issue of the peer-reviewed journal, Art Education. Previously, his article titled, Allowing Artistic Agency in the Elementary Classroom, was published in the May 2011 issue of Art Education. David also is an invited author at the online art blog, ALT/space www.tajaltspace.com