Student Built Aquaponic Systems from Scratch

Building Aquaponic Systems in a 9th Grade Biology Class at AIM Academy 

Students Creating Herbariums in Biology

The study of trees can happen in many ways. Traditional construction of an herbarium is a worthwhile effort for students of all abilities, especially those that are building their executive function skills. 

 These students are studying trees that thrive near Philadelphia. In addition we studied a few sea weeds from the west coast. 

Schooling fish art project in action

These pictures show students working on their schooling fish projects. They have their computers close to their art work because they are trying to keep the design and color as close to correct as possible. 

Creaturecasts fish videos in the making

Making fish videos called Creaturecasts in 9th grade Biology. 

Students are asked to make a 1 min to 1 min 30 sec video explaining some part of fish anatomy. They must feature their own artwork and tell a story that includes vocabulary about the topic they are explaining. 

The students on this video are using several forms of technology to create their project including their computers, the overhead projector, their phones to take photos or video befor they start uploading the project to iMovie. 

Schooling Fish - Art influenced by research

The projects featured here are made by high school students in a 9th grade Biology class who were asked to research fish that swim in schools. Students then outlines their fish in cardboard and then cut them out using the cl scroll saw and then added color with pastel chalk as close to anatomically correct as possible. 

This completed Tarpon was drawn on a 4 foot piece of cardboard by a student that will barely read and write. She is able but resists it. This was a beautiful project showing her skills which other wise were hidden. 

Thoughts on the Research behind Why Art and Science should be connected.

Thoughts on the Research behind why Art and Science should be 

connected more explicitly in teaching and learning. 

All of the work posted in this online blog comes from my active classroom and is strongly influenced by the research done by Robert and Michelle Root-Bernstein. These two scholars have documented clear connections between the disciplines of art and science and the disciplines that are connected to these two main areas of study.  Their research shows that in-order for our society to develop more broad minded thinkers that are able to achieve success in their disciplines or in other interdisciplinary areas of study they need opportunities to practice a variety of types of thinking.  In their book Sparks of Genius. The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World’s Most Creative People (1999), they describe numerous examples of how famous and non-famous scientists excel in their area of research by practicing all or most of the following types of thinking: observing, imaging and visualization, abstracting, pattern recognition and pattern invention, analogizing, dimensional thinking, modeling, body or kinesthetic thinking, manual dexterity, familiarity with tools, transforming data into visual or graphical forms, converting theories into mechanical procedures, understanding data and experiments kinesthetically and empathetically (SEAD: White Paper).

The lessons and projects included in this blog are examples of applying this research to my everyday science teaching.  This blog started as a way to start describing the many layers to what I teach on a day to day basis. 

 Some of the postings here show products of lessons also focused more directly on art. 

Bibliography 

Root-Bernstein M & Root-Bernstein RS. (2005). Body thinking beyond dance: A Tools for thinking approach. In L Overby & B Lepczyk, (Eds.), Dance: Current Selected Research, 5, 173-202.

Root-Bernstein RS. (1991). Teaching abstracting in an integrated art and science curriculum. RoeperReview, 13 (2), 85-90.

Root-Bernstein RS. (1989). Discovering, Inventing and Solving Problems at the Frontiers of Scientific Knowledge. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Root-Bernstein RS, Allen L, Beach L, Bhadula R, Fast J, Hosey C, Kremkow B, Lapp J, Lonc K,  Pawelec K, Podufaly A, Russ C, Tennant L, Vrtis E & Weinlander S. (2008). Arts foster success: Comparison of Nobel prizewinners, Royal Society, National Academy, and Sigma Xi members. J Psychol Sci Tech, 1(2), 51-63.

Root‑Bernstein RS, Bernstein M & Garnier HW. Correlations between avocations, scientific style, and professional impact of thirty‑eight scientists of the Eiduson study. Creativity Research Journal, 8, 115‑137.

Root-Bernstein RS, LaMore R, Lawton J, Schweitzer J, Root-Bernstein M, Roraback E, Peruski A, Van Dyke M. (2013, in press). Arts, crafts and STEM Innovation: A Network approach to understanding the creative knowledge economy. In M Rush (Ed.), The Arts, New Growth, and Economic Development. Washington DC: National Endowment for the Arts & The Brookings Institution.

Root‑Bernstein RS & Root‑Bernstein M. (1999). Sparks of Genius. The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World’s Most Creative People. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Root-Bernstein RS & Root-Bernstein M. (2004). Artistic scientists and scientific artists: The Link between polymathy and creativity. In R Sternberg, EL Grigorenko, & JL Singer (Eds.), Creativity: From Potential to Realization (pp. 127-151). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

SEAD White Paper: http://seadnetwork.wordpress.com/white-paper-abstracts/final-white-papers/the-importance-of-early-and-persistent-arts-and-crafts-education-for-future-scientists-and-engineers/

When I was completing a graduate degree in science/art education, I was stunned by the research the Root-Bernstein team discovered about Nobel prize winners. They stated that those that are excelling in careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and winning the Nobel Prize are also good or proficient at some form of art or craft.  Their research identified that these successful individuals have developed this ability throughout their entire lives; those that are not winning are not as good or proficient at art.  

Middle School art Inspired by Piet Mondrian

Piet Mondrian grid paintings of the 1920's inspired this 6th grade students to make their own collages using electrical tape, paint on wood. Students loved how the black tape contrasted with the white gesso-ed background of the wood. 

During the first project, students were given the restrictions of using a limited pallet and only vertical and horizontal lines. This was maybe their first opportunity to see what they could create with only red, blue, yellow and white.  As soon as the guidelines were presented, there were many times when students wanted to change the angle of the black lines or request to use other colors.

When finished, students were given the chance to use diagonals, additional colors and the freedom to dream up new designs.  These turned out to be pretty incredible works of art.