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Full-Text Articles in Education
Ocean Underwater Scene Dioramas Of First Graders With Submarine Porthole Views, Ksenia Zhbanova, Audrey C. Rule, Denise A. Tallakson
Ocean Underwater Scene Dioramas Of First Graders With Submarine Porthole Views, Ksenia Zhbanova, Audrey C. Rule, Denise A. Tallakson
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
Ecology education of the younger generations is vital for worldwide change of people’s attitudes toward nature warranted by the current global ecological crisis. Yet, this goal needs to be addressed through age-appropriate activities that are educational and engaging. This practical article focuses on dioramas of ocean reef life made by first graders. This arts-integrated project served two main purposes: 1) education of primary students about ocean ecology and helping students realize their roles in saving nature 2) increasing student science content knowledge. Additionally, several other benefits of making dioramas emerged during this project, including highly creative student products, genuine interest …
Editorial: Developing Creativity Through Stem Subjects Integrated With The Arts, Ksenia Zhbanova
Editorial: Developing Creativity Through Stem Subjects Integrated With The Arts, Ksenia Zhbanova
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This issue of the Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions is focused on creativity - one of the most highly-desirable 21st Century skills on personal and global levels. Time, pedagogical knowledge, and resource constraints limit the number of opportunities for teachers to develop creativity in students. In this editorial, creativity development steps and strategies are illuminated along with specific roles of STEM subjects and the arts in development of student creativity. The processes of creativity development used in STEM and the arts are compared to each other and to the non-subject-specific creative process model of Root-Bernstein and Root- …
Arts Integration Into Elementary Science: Force And Motion And Natural Disasters, Eric C. Ooms, Tabitha M. Wu, Ashley R. Kokemuller, Sarah E. Montgomery, Audrey C. Rule
Arts Integration Into Elementary Science: Force And Motion And Natural Disasters, Eric C. Ooms, Tabitha M. Wu, Ashley R. Kokemuller, Sarah E. Montgomery, Audrey C. Rule
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This study explored the effect of arts integration into science during an instructional unit on force and motion and one addressing natural weather disasters. Seventy-eight elementary students in four classrooms (grade 5, grade 4, and two at grade 3) participated in the study. This study assessed content retention, student-made products (rollercoasters and hurricane shelters), and student attitudes. All students in each classroom experienced the two units of instruction, one unit in the experimental condition of arts integration and one unit in the control condition without arts integration. Both conditions involved students in constructing models of given materials. Each unit consisted …
Second Grade Students Learn About Civil Engineers And Erosion, Andrea Earline Anderson, Jessica A. Meier
Second Grade Students Learn About Civil Engineers And Erosion, Andrea Earline Anderson, Jessica A. Meier
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
The integration of art into curricula focused on teaching science is a new perspective in education designed to reach a broader range of students. The current study examined the process of second-grade students participating in science and art activities through qualitative content analysis. The subjects of science and art were not taught to the students separately, rather, students engaged in both subjects simultaneously, in an integrated manner. Participants were 23 second-grade students (11 female and 12 male; age range 7 to 8 years) who were learning about erosion through sketching and creative construction and the work of civil engineers through …
Ecosystem Shake Up: An Environmental Change Adaptation Project, Hannah E. Morgan, Dana Atwood-Blaine, Audrey C. Rule
Ecosystem Shake Up: An Environmental Change Adaptation Project, Hannah E. Morgan, Dana Atwood-Blaine, Audrey C. Rule
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This practical article reports an intriguing diorama project for third grade elementary students (ages 8-9 years). Students worked as partners to create dioramas of given ecosystems made in pizza boxes. Then, students rolled a die to determine a change in some environmental factor that affected the ecosystem. The students discussed how this change affected the ecosystem and made a second part of their diorama showing the ecosystem after the change. Finally, students made class presentations concerning their dioramas and ideas. A rubric for assessing the projects is included. Results of this science project indicate that students became deeply engrossed in …
Exploring The Physics Of Sound With Steam-Azing Third Graders, Page L. Foss, Kyrie D. Borsay
Exploring The Physics Of Sound With Steam-Azing Third Graders, Page L. Foss, Kyrie D. Borsay
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This practical article was based on a lesson conducted with third graders from an elementary school in the Midwest who were studying concepts about sound. The lesson activities address Next Generation Science Standards that include engineering concepts, along with integrating activities that support National Core Arts Standards. The students created instruments that made music but that were not the standard string, percussion or wind orchestral instruments that they had previously studied: string, percussion, or wind. Their instruments made of recycled materials included drum and shaker combinations, animal-shaped instruments, and instruments that combined three or more instruments.
Science Through Art: Motivating Gifted And Talented Students, Ksenia Zhbanova
Science Through Art: Motivating Gifted And Talented Students, Ksenia Zhbanova
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
Gifted and talented students have unique characteristics and needs. Arts Integration is an effective differentiation strategy that helps meeting these students’ needs. STEM subjects are easily and organically integrated with the Arts because scientific and artistic inquiry are very similar. This practical article describes an arts-integrated project that provided the gifted and talented participants with an increased level of challenge, an opportunity for self-expression and for building social skills, amplified motivation, and a chance to deepen and demonstrate their knowledge of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, social studies and English Language Arts. In this project, identified gifted students completed figural transformations …
Editorial: Arts Integration Allows Students The Opportunity To Be Original, Ksenia S. Zhbanova, Audrey C. Rule
Editorial: Arts Integration Allows Students The Opportunity To Be Original, Ksenia S. Zhbanova, Audrey C. Rule
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This editorial explores the other six articles in this issue 2 of volume 3 of the Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions to examine how originality is displayed and supported by art projects. Originality, is a quality or a characteristic of an idea, approach or product. Originality can be defined as newness or novelty. To be classified as original, an idea must be new. It does not have to have a utilitarian value, which is a requirement for an idea to be categorized as creative. Helping students develop originality is important because it allows the freedom to make any …
Faces On Mars Lesson: Incorporating Art, Thinking Skills, And Disability Differentiation Strategies For Twice-Exceptional Gifted Students, Marine Pepanyan, Mike Fisher, Audrey Wallican-Green
Faces On Mars Lesson: Incorporating Art, Thinking Skills, And Disability Differentiation Strategies For Twice-Exceptional Gifted Students, Marine Pepanyan, Mike Fisher, Audrey Wallican-Green
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This practical article provides an example art-integrated lesson designed to serve gifted students with the exceptionalities of deficits in executive functioning and in impulse control. The lesson used the mysterious science problem of possible life on Mars as evidenced by anomalous faces in NASA photographs as a stimulus for practice in processing information through three Edward de Bono CoRT Thinking Skills. This lesson demonstrated differentiating instruction for gifted students with disabilities that included hands-on and peer-involved exercises. Examples of student work showing comic book-like stories about the famous Face on Mars are included, along with student responses to the thinking …
Exploring Mars Mysteries In Nasa Photographs: Could Some Images Be Animal Skeletons?, Laura Meyer, Rob Griffin, Dan Butler
Exploring Mars Mysteries In Nasa Photographs: Could Some Images Be Animal Skeletons?, Laura Meyer, Rob Griffin, Dan Butler
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
The NASA photographs containing what appear to be animal skeletons have created a mystery that remains unsolved today. Because they generate questions and inquiries in many arenas, the animal skeleton pictures were used to help gifted students critically think about how these structures were created. Several additional exceptionalities common in most groups of students, including attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity and difficulties in executive functioning, were addressed through the lesson design. The exceptionalities were addressed through methods that could be used in any classroom while using the Mars Animal Skeletons to motivate and engage students. Incorporation of teaching …
Is There Water On Mars? A De Bono Skills Mystery For Twice-Exceptional Gifted Students, Christopher Cox, Megan Sova-Tower, Nathan Wear
Is There Water On Mars? A De Bono Skills Mystery For Twice-Exceptional Gifted Students, Christopher Cox, Megan Sova-Tower, Nathan Wear
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
Is there water on Mars? Gifted adult graduate students, some of whom represented the learner exceptionalities of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Slow Information Processing Speed, were asked to explore this mystery by applying Edward de Bono’s CoRT thinking skills of “Aims, Goals, and Objectives,” “Select,” and “Planning” to photographs of Mars landforms. Once they had determined the likelihood that the pictures depicted water on Mars, students were asked to develop three-dimensional models with recycled materials. Analysis of the findings revealed that in utilizing the de Bono CoRT thinking skills, students were able to identify sixteen different categories. Student responses had …
Exploring Animal-Like Images In Nasa Photos Of Mars Using De Bono’S Cort Thinking Skills: Alternatives, Possibilities, And Choices, Compare, And Decisions, Kurt M. J. Devore, Allyson Rafanello, Nicholas Rafanello
Exploring Animal-Like Images In Nasa Photos Of Mars Using De Bono’S Cort Thinking Skills: Alternatives, Possibilities, And Choices, Compare, And Decisions, Kurt M. J. Devore, Allyson Rafanello, Nicholas Rafanello
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
The use of de Bono’s CoRT Thinking Skills of “Alternatives, Possibilities, and Choices,” “Compare,” and “Decisions” create opportunities for students to critically think about ideas using a new lens of thinking. The lesson was designed to accommodate twice-exceptional students, gifted students with the disabilities of dyslexia and/or dyscalculia, through three of the de Bono’s strategies integrated with activities. Gifted graduate students in this lesson were presented with an opportunity to explore and analyze the animal-like images from Mars using the three CoRT thinking skills. The photographs used in this lesson were provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the …
Mars Mysteries: Landform Pictograms, James Zabel, Mathieu Castello, Fiddelis Blessings Makaula
Mars Mysteries: Landform Pictograms, James Zabel, Mathieu Castello, Fiddelis Blessings Makaula
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
Graphic organizers are a way for teachers to accommodate students with disabilities such as poor memory or emotional disorders. This technique allows organization of thoughts and visual representation of relationships between ideas and facts. Indeed, poor memory affects students’ reflection and retention of information while emotional disorders can cause a lack of focus in the classroom. Accommodations for students with these disabilities is important because students with emotional disorders may experience social isolation, which in turn may negatively affect their levels of academic achievement. Twenty high-achieving doctoral students participated in a teaching experience designed to introduce gifted students with learning …
Exploring Mars Glass Tube Anomalies, Kimberly S. Mccoy-Parker, Gary Benda, Stanley Ebede
Exploring Mars Glass Tube Anomalies, Kimberly S. Mccoy-Parker, Gary Benda, Stanley Ebede
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This practical article provides information regarding the use of Edward de Bono CoRT thinking skills to broaden and enhance critical and creative thinking skills in twice exceptional students using the Mars Glass Tube Mystery as a vehicle to explore possibilities and spark creative thinking. The exceptionalities addressed in this lesson plan are gifted learners who have one or more additional exceptionalities of slow processing speed and / or poor fine motor skills. Throughout the lesson, the Mars Mystery photos leveraged both prior knowledge and student curiosity to create an engaging activity for the participants. CoRT thinking skills provided a robust …
How Did Those Get There? Exploring Structures And Pyramids On Mars, Abby Rau, Brooke Becker
How Did Those Get There? Exploring Structures And Pyramids On Mars, Abby Rau, Brooke Becker
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
The makeup of students in our classrooms is becoming more diverse. With this change comes the need for educators to provide accommodations for students and to employ a range of instructional strategies. Arts integration in the content areas is one way to engage students and to encourage individual expression. The purpose of this practical article is to highlight a lesson incorporating the arts and Edward de Bono’s CoRT Thinking Skills to support twice exceptional learners, specifically English Language Learners and students with Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Doctoral students considered the formation of pyramids and structures on Mars using …
Spotlight On Edward De Bono Thinking Skills And Twice-Exceptional Gifted Learners Applied To Mars Mysteries In Nasa Photographs, Ksenia S. Zhbanova, Audrey C. Rule
Spotlight On Edward De Bono Thinking Skills And Twice-Exceptional Gifted Learners Applied To Mars Mysteries In Nasa Photographs, Ksenia S. Zhbanova, Audrey C. Rule
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This editorial provides background information concerning the lessons presented in the eight practical articles of this issue. All of these lessons address Mars Mysteries, anomalous features found in NASA photographs of the Martian surface. These unusual and thought-provoking features are explored by using Edward de Bono CoRT thinking skills to broaden perceptions enhancing critical and creative thinking. The lessons are intended to explore possibilities, but not to provide a definite final answer as to what the anomalies represent. These lessons were designed as enrichment lessons for gifted learners and support Renzulli’s Type I general exploratory experiences that expose students to …
Challenging Elementary Learners With Programmable Robots During Free Play And Direct Instruction, Kimberly S. Mccoy-Parker, Lindsey N. Paull, Audrey C. Rule, Sarah E. Montgomery
Challenging Elementary Learners With Programmable Robots During Free Play And Direct Instruction, Kimberly S. Mccoy-Parker, Lindsey N. Paull, Audrey C. Rule, Sarah E. Montgomery
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
Computer programming skills are important to many current careers; teaching robot coding to elementary students can start a positive foundation for technological careers, develop problem-solving skills, and growth mindsets. This study, through a repeated measures design involving students in two classrooms at two widelyseparated grade levels (first graders aged 6-7 years and fifth graders aged 10-11 years), determined if allowing students to challenge themselves with coding exercises in the experimental condition resulted in greater learning and more positive attitudes than a more structured set of exercises provided by the teacher in the control condition. Background instruction in coding and using …
Examining Natural Selection By Sketching And Making Models Of The Finches Of The Galapagos Islands, Phoebe J. Z. Pittman, Jolene K. Teske
Examining Natural Selection By Sketching And Making Models Of The Finches Of The Galapagos Islands, Phoebe J. Z. Pittman, Jolene K. Teske
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This practical lesson describes how students in six eighth grade science classes participated in a lesson combining the National Core Arts Standards with the Next Generation Science Standards. The goal of the lesson was to provide visual representations of finch beak form and function so students could better understand genetic variation and how environmental pressures influence natural selection. Students sketched a finch with a large, medium, or small beak, corresponding to an experiment they had conducted with picking up different sizes of seeds with different sizes of binder clips. Using modeling with a variety of media, students created bird beaks …
Cinematherapy In Gifted Education Identity Development: Integrating The Arts Through Stem-Themed Movies, Timothy C. Kangas, Michelle Cook, Audrey C. Rule
Cinematherapy In Gifted Education Identity Development: Integrating The Arts Through Stem-Themed Movies, Timothy C. Kangas, Michelle Cook, Audrey C. Rule
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
Gifted students, because of their advanced development compared to peers, have emotional needs that require differentiated education programs. Asynchronous social and emotional development of gifted students often leads to identity issues. Cinematherapy can be used to help gifted students explore their identities through analysis of the actions of gifted characters in films. This practical article suggests STEM-themed movies with characters facing challenges useful for gifted student identity development. The Autonomous Learners Model is used to classify gifted learners in the movies to assist teachers in matching movies to the needs of gifted learners. Tables of STEM-themed movies with gifted characters …
Middle Level Preservice Teachers Experience A Natural History Arts-Integrated Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit, Carolyn A. Weber, Audrey C. Rule
Middle Level Preservice Teachers Experience A Natural History Arts-Integrated Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit, Carolyn A. Weber, Audrey C. Rule
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
Curricular demands and best practices for middle school require interdisciplinary units. Arts integration can provide motivation and a new pathway to learning. This unit focused on inquiry into the natural history of artifacts and rocks recovered from the exposed subsoil of an area near Cedar Falls, Iowa that had been bulldozed as part of subdivision development. The described unit involved preservice teachers in exploration of all subject areas (language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies) with arts-integrated projects (agate watercolor painting, stone tool graphing, acrylic polymer clay agate keyring making, and stone tool drawings). The content area activities for social …
How The Arts Standards Support Stem Concepts: A Journey From Stem To Steam, Ksenia S. Zhbanova
How The Arts Standards Support Stem Concepts: A Journey From Stem To Steam, Ksenia S. Zhbanova
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This issue of the Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions is focused on the effects of integrating arts with STEM areas, an important and widely-considered topic in education today. This editorial provides an overview of the current state of the arts and STEM areas integration paradigm, an analysis of the benefits of the arts integration with the STEM subjects, and an overview of the history of the arts anchor standards. Comparison and connections between the National Arts Core anchor arts standards, the scientific method, engineering design process, and the 5E learning cycle are also illuminated. Summaries of the practical …
Teaching Kindergarten Students About The Water Cycle Through Arts And Invention, Latisha L. Smith, Deepanee Samarakoon
Teaching Kindergarten Students About The Water Cycle Through Arts And Invention, Latisha L. Smith, Deepanee Samarakoon
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
Research evidence for the benefits of arts integration is mounting. The purpose of this study was to determine if integration of the arts was an effective strategy for teaching the water cycle to kindergarten students. The study included lessons that supported both a science and an engineering standard of the Next Generation Science Standards and national arts standards. The phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of children as they learned and demonstrated understanding through drawings, watercolor paintings, dramatization of a water cycle poem, and the invention and testing of a waterproof boot. Participants were 12 kindergarten students (7 male, 5 …
Preschoolers Explore Greenhouses By Visiting A Greenhouse, Making A Model, And Growing Plants, Leann M. Perkins, Dessy Stoycheva
Preschoolers Explore Greenhouses By Visiting A Greenhouse, Making A Model, And Growing Plants, Leann M. Perkins, Dessy Stoycheva
Journal of STEM Arts, Crafts, and Constructions
This practical lesson on greenhouses implements standards of the Next Generation Science Standards (K-2 ETS I-2; K-LS1-1) and the preschool objectives from the Teaching Strategies GOLD. Teaching Strategies GOLD is an assessment tool available online and in print that can be used with any developmentally appropriate early childhood curriculum. The lesson structure follows the 5E’s Learning Cycle Constructivist Model for teaching and the project-based, hands-on approach to learning. The preschool-aged children went on a field trip to a working greenhouse and then collaborated in groups to produce a three-dimensional model of a greenhouse as arts integration into this science project. …