Using Art and Music to Teach Math and Science - Essay Example

Using Art and Music to teach Math and Science How art is integrated in the STEM and how it can be used to teach STEM discipline STEM is an emerging field in the education sector, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. This emergent discipline has been suggested globally as the most valued means to integrated learning. There is a popular belief held by many people that through the incorporation of STEM, students, and learners acquire the necessary skills that render them globally competitive. This is why most state governments set aside funds in schools and higher education that are utilized as incentives for learners to pursue STEM courses. An example of such is Ohio’s FY08-09 state budget, which tends to increase teacher instruction and participation in the STEM, as well as developing STEM in such schools. The conventional teaching methods in the STEM and other subjects by teachers in class leaves a lot to be desired. Overwhelmed, frustrated, and/or nervous teachers who suck all the fun off learning characterize such teaching methods. This is because the teachers have failed in identifying better ways of implementing innovative STEM instructions to the students than the current ones. This raises the fear of producing globally competitive and competent students among teachers and instructors. This growing fear has fostered the need for invention of better and more interesting ways of teaching math and sciences compared to the conventional methods. Such methods are supposed to bring the fun back to these disciplines, thus increasing the chances of students getting concepts taught in these disciplines. Perhaps this could be the sole factor that led to calls for integrating arts into the STEM, to come up with another discipline, STEAM. This is meant to foster creativity and artistic skills into learning processes. On its own, STEM has been accredited for driving instructions in students by means of inquiry, observation, as well as problem solving skills In addition to this, STEM also provides the means through which these skills can be connected via the processes of analysis, synthesis, interpretation, and communication. This goes a long way in establishing stronger foundations in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It goes deeper than mere coding and robotics, a fact that is contrary to popular belief by many. When art is incorporated into STEM, it broadens the skills gained by students tremendously. For instance, Partnership for 21st century Skills has identified creativity and innovation, adaptability and flexibility, collaboration and communication, cross cultural and social skills, in addition to problem solving and critical thinking skills. History has it that some of the big names in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics had some connection to arts, a fact that has been linked to their resultant success in STEM. An example is Albert Einstein who is renowned for his contributions in physics. With this in mind, there exist an international annual conference aimed at illustrating the connection between the otherwise opposing disciplines like art and sciences, or art and math, can be crossed for the benefit of students. This conference, titled International annual conference of Bridges: Mathematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science gained its formation in 1998. During these conferences, experts from STEM, as well as arts and music disciplines converge to exchange ideas and encouragements. Founded by Reza Sarhangi from Towson University, the conference displays mathematical art exhibits, public lectures, musical events, as well as theater shows. This is done with the sole aim of developing existing and inventing new ways of teaching science and mathematics by the use of tools borrowed from or empowered by disciplines like art and music. Research, according to Graziano relates improvement in students’ observational science skills to instruction in mathematics using arts. This research further goes on to identify music as the cause of improvement in spatial temporal reasoning skills in students. In light of this, instructors invented the Scholastic Aptitude Test, SAT, which proved the fact that students receiving art and music instruction in STEM performed better than their peers who do not receive art and music based instructions (Platz 2007). This has led to the establishment of STEAM schools like Indiana academy for Science, mathematics and humanities, Louisiana school for mathematics Science and Arts, Arkansas school for mathematics sciences and the Arts among others. Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning is a compilation of research and studies that highlight the importance of including art and music in STEM instructions. J.S. Catterall and his counterparts carried out a research to investigate the effects of art in the development of humans. In this research, data from National Educational Longitudinal Survey were used to highlight how general involvement in arts relates to one’s academic performance. In addition, the study also looked into the relationship between instrumental music involvement and mathematical performance. Also considered was the relationship between human development and theater art involvement. In the human development concept, enhanced self-concept as well as increased reading proficiency was considered. The study sample consisted of high and middle school students, especially the economically disadvantaged ones. When the rate of school dropout, academic performance, and standardized test scores were analyzed, it demonstrated that students involved in arts performed better than those without exposure to arts did (Fiske 1999). In this article, not only does Fiske provide the significance of STEAM, but also suggested methods that instructors can apply in teaching science and math using art and music. In an article titled Six rules for integrating the arts, Subramanium provides guidelines that can be used to engage students with creativity and scientific facts. First, instructors must align Science or Math concepts they are teaching with artistic thoughts of students. Secondly, instructors should have students make a list of their needs in both artistic and scientific areas. Students are then allowed to explore questioning techniques that will show their understanding of artistic and scientific concepts. After this, the cognitive skills that lead instructors to evaluate projects of students are named. The last step is to connect the art to inquiry skills that are discussed further. These six guidelines can be integrated with topics and science concepts and can be applied to any art form. This can be achieved through the incorporation of dances, visual arts, music, and drama in learning of Math and Sciences. For instance, instructors can ask students to create visual advertisements that focus on developing science ideas and concepts. Furthermore, students can design images, texts, and concepts that pass across scientific ideas. Mr. Geisen is an art-based teacher in Oregon, who has put to practice STEAM, and speaks highly of the result of his teaching methods. In teaching the differences between a plant cell and an animal cell, students are asked to create advertisements that sell the parts of a cell present in plants but absent in animal cells, like chloroplasts. In advertising such concepts, the students would have to convince ‘buyers’ why chloroplasts are important. In so doing, the students have fun in differentiating plant from animal cells, as well as learning the significance of such parts. The advantage of this teaching technique is that the concept sticks in the student’s minds and cannot be easily forgotten. In addition, the students will also gain skills necessary for succeeding in other disciplines, for instance advertising, graphics, and design. In this case, the two different concepts work together in strengthening each other for the benefit of students. How music is integrated in the STEM and how it can be used to teach STEM discipline There has been an increase in the need to involve music and other art subjects in the STEM to transform it into STEAM. Nationally, there has been a move to increase student participation and performance in STEM subjects. The drive is not limited to educators; economists, politicians, and businesspersons have also shown interest in the need to have students perform better in these subjects. One would then wonder why there is a frenzy and drive to increase performance in these subjects. Proponents of this drive argue that students in America are not well prepared in mathematics and science; a factor that makes them ill prepared to compete in the global economy. Then the education curriculum also has the arts like music, which can be used to improve performance and uptake of STEM among students. Advocates of this drive have mentioned the need to integrate other subjects into STEM. Research has shown that when STEM teaching is integrated with music, it enhances and stimulates learning experiences. Such a move is student centered and enhances thinking skills problem solving, and improved retention. When STEM is integrated and taught using art and music, learners improve at problem solving; they become inventive, innovative, technologically literate, logical thinkers and self-reliant. When STEM is taught through the exploration of music, has a positive effect on the attitude of learners and increases their interest in school (Yasar et al., 2006). It, therefore, goes without saying that the integration of music in teaching can be effective and help equip learners with skills that will enable them compete in the ever-changing global economy. Music has always been used to make learning and understanding easy and effective. In kindergarten, children are largely taught through music. Most of the time the lessons taught through music is well attended, students are active, and the retention rate is high. Teaching through music, therefore, enhances student acquisitions of academic skills. However, with globalization and technological advances the way that music is experienced has changed significantly. This has in turn changed how learners experience, perceive, and respond to music oriented learning The incorporation of music into the learning of STEM is good for learners, but then it might not be a very good news for educators especially teachers. To use musing in imparting academic skills effectively, teachers must be able to find an effective way to organize resources to enable them build effective writing and comprehension skills that will expose learners to art and music. It is vital to put into consideration how to help and support teachers to effectively integrate and enhance STEM teaching and learning. The issues that should be looked at include required materials, teaching practice, and the efficacy of the teachers. Other things that can be used in teaching STEM using art and music are films. Films are always a reflection of the society and, therefore, give learners a better understanding (Caprara et al., 2006). It also gives them an insight into other people’s experiences. Films also enhance imaginative and critical thinking in learners. Music, on the other hand, has often been used in kindergarten and lower level grades. When learners advance, the use of music in teaching becomes less commonplace. Going by performance and the number of students that take up STEM related careers later in life, it is evident that conventional STEM curriculum has not served learners well. The conventional methods of teaching STEM involve textbook lecturing, defined problem solving methods and assignments that neglect conceptual understanding. This has led to low achievement in STEM. The conventional method of teaching has been blamed for not being able to cater to the needs of all students; it makes it impossible to reach learners and enable them use their skills and abilities to the fullest. However when STEM subjects are taught using didactic strategies, help develop learners’ conceptual understanding. This can be done through activities that involve problem solving, simulations, models, challenges, games, and music. This will in turn increase the attendance and gaps in STEM. The integration of music in teaching STEM provides learners with experiences that evoke intellectual and emotional thinking. The downside of this is that there are very few instances in which music has been used in teaching grades that are more advanced. When a music teacher is assigned to a class, the teacher mostly covers the students from kindergarten to grade 5. After this stage, most of the teaching shifts to conventional and if other forms of art are integrated then it is mostly art. The integration of music into the curriculums of STEM can have positive effects on learning and equip learners with relevant skills that transcend disciplinary boundaries and engage them through self-reflection and active inquiry (Fllis, and Fouts, 2001). Researchers have discovered that learning through art and music can improve learning environments, reduce class anxiety, and cater to students whose needs would otherwise not be met. In addition, learning through art and music ignite student curiosity and class participation, give students and teachers an opportunity to explore and improve learning, initiate higher levels of thinking. Teachers are also able to help students connect and relate to knowledge and connect their learning to real life situations. This kind of integration not only enable students learn STEM subjects but also give them an opportunity to learn and understand different disciplines. Though not widely used in teaching, music is ideal in teaching STEM. Educators are currently looking for ways to increase the use of music in teaching. Given that, this drive has the potential to improve learners’ attitudes towards STEM subjects and increase performance. Both music and art can be used to engage students in learning and make the process relevant and enjoyable. The use of music in teaching STEM moves away from the conventional teaching methods. The latter fails to take care of student needs and the routine ways that make problem solving difficult. Integrating art and music into STEM prepare students for college. Music and art prepare students for competitive careers in an industry that is worth 316 billion annually. However, this industry still needs the application of STEM content for it to function well fully. It, therefore, pays to pay attention to both music, art, and integrates them into the STEM curriculum because this is the only way that students will be all round and be able to compete effectively in the global economy. The arts and music also equip students with other skills like organizational skills, unique problem solving skills, enhanced observational skills. Music has particularly help in the improvement of spatial, temporal reasoning skills in learners; a skill that is vital in grasping mathematical and scientific concepts. Students involved in bands and orchestra through grade 12 perform better in STEM subjects as compared to their counterparts who do not take part in music. Music and art essentially enrich science classes. A lot has been said on the need to equip students with learning processes that take care of their needs and enable them reach their full potential. However, not much has been done to equip their teachers who are supposed to impart this knowledge using music. In teaching schools, teachers are only taught how to teach their students in the conventional way on a daily basis. The integration of music into the STEM curriculum, however, brings a new twist to their teaching methods, introduces the need for teachers to corporate, and learns different subjects at school (Sanders, 2009). It is a daunting task for teachers in terms of lesson planning and ensuring that the learning outcomes are reached. Besides, teachers always have gaps in their areas of expertise. How then are they supposed to add these challenges and gaps to an additional subject? Giving a science teacher an additional subject like music can create more gaps in learning. The teachers will be overworked, and their efficiency will be affected. The effectiveness of integrating music into STEM lies in the cooperation between the teachers of different subjects. According to Berlin and White (1995), teachers should approach student knowledge by building on their initial knowledge, organize knowledge into big ideas, concepts, and themes, have specific knowledge in a particular subject, and use what they know to the benefit of their students. The success of STEM integration also requires teacher efficacy. Teachers should be confident that they can effectively impart knowledge and that learning outcomes will be achieved. A positive teacher efficacy enhances student motivation, performance, attitude, and class attendance and student efficacy. It is, therefore, important that the teacher be in the correct frame of mind because it has a direct effect on student performance. For instance, Mr. Geisen, mentioned earlier, utilizes his musical skills to teach students. He achieves this through kinesthetic movement and theater, in which he encourages students to represent ecosystem creatures or atomic particles. This way student invents or demonstrates existing scientific knowledge through theater pieces. The result is students with high thinking and reasoning skills not only in arts and sciences, but also in other disciplines (Henriksen, 2014). Educators have begun to shift from the conventional way of teaching to ways that can enhance and improve the learners’ experience. Art in combination with music can be used in the stimulation of learners’ creative processes and increase the acquisition of academic skills. To compete effectively in the global economy, American students need to be fully equipped both for life and for the workplace. Students benefit when music and art are integrated into the curriculum. Music and art teachers should work together with STEM teachers in order to increase learners class experience and increase the uptake of science oriented subjects and careers in the country. There have been projects that have been initiated to make this integration a reality. An example is the Sing about Science project that makes use of music in the teaching of science content. It encourages the use of music in science and state that it enhances memory. The Art of Science Learning conference came up with a list of art based strategies to be used in teaching science. Some of these activities include; song writing and data visualization. Integrating art and music is beneficial for both students and teachers. It makes learning enjoyable and is more effective as compared to the conventional method of teaching. However, the integration is yet to be fully adopted into the school curriculum. An area should be fully explored to enhance the uptake of science-oriented careers. Conclusion The significance of arts and music in teaching of math and science, evidently, cannot be overemphasized. In addition to providing a funnier and better teaching method compared to the conventional teaching methods, music and art leave long lasting memory of learnt concepts in students. Integration of STEAM, however, has not been met with utmost acceptance. Most educational policies, like in the U.S., do not value the role of arts in education as a whole. An example is the Michigan City, Lansing, where education cuts saw the loss of almost ninety teachers, most of them from music, physical education, and arts. It is fundamental for instructors and education experts to acknowledge that integration and implementation of STEAM needs many resources in terms of finances, time, and effort. Furthermore, the outcomes teaching science and math through art and music takes time, and as such are not observed immediately. To increase public awareness concerning this topic, researchers and education experts need to publish and avail their STEAM experiences and outcomes. This will transform the public’s, and most importantly, the government’s perception of STEAM so that more funds can be directed towards the project. References Berlin, D., and White, A., (1995) Connecting school science and mathematics in House, Reston, VA: NCTM. Caprara, G., Barbaranelli, C., Steca, P., and Malone, P. (2006). Teachers’ self- efficacy beliefs as Determinants of job satisfaction and students’ academic achievement: A study at the Catterall J.S. (1998). Does Experience in the arts boost Academic Achievement? A response to Eisner. Art Education, 51(4), 6-10 Computation math, science, and technology (CMST): A strategy to improve STEM Fiske, E. (Ed.). (1999) Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning. The Arts Education Partnership. Washington, DC. Fllis, A., and Fouts, J. (2001). Interdisciplinary curriculum: The research base: The decision to Approach music curriculum from an interdisciplinary perspective should include a Consideration of all the possible benefits and drawbacks Music Educators Journal, 87 (22), 22–26, 68. Henriksen D. (2014) Full STEAM Ahead: Creativity in Excellent Stem Teachings Practices. The STEAM journal, 15(1) Platz Joan (2007). How do you turn STEM into STEAM? Add the Arts! The Ohio Alliance for Arts Education Sanders, M. (2009). STEM, STEM education, STEM mania. The Sarhangi Reza, Arfaei M, Hart G, Kaplan C. & Sequin C. (2006) Bridges mathematical connections in art music and science Retrieved March 7, 2014 from www. BridgesOrganizationMissionStatement.html School level Journal of School Psychology, 44,473-490 Springer-Verlag Subramanium, K (2006). Six Rules for Integrating the Art. Science Scope, 29(8), 61-62. Technology Teacher, 68(4), 20–26. Workforce and pedagogy to improve math and science education Berlin/Heidelberg: Yasar, O., Little, L., Tuzun, R., Rajasethupathy, K., Maliekal, J., and Tahar, M. (2006) Read More