Abstract
This chapter explores the use of creative movement to extend meaning to inquiry-based science investigations. This process embraces the addition of A to STEM to realize the impact of STEAM. The chapter builds on the import of scientific and physical literacy, interdisciplinary learning, and the power of kinesthetic engagement. Students become active collaborative agents within a dynamic model using creative movement to bring meaning to the science of simple machines. The authors utilize working words into movement strategy to help students use their past experiences and motor memory to explore, interpret, and engage with as they seek understanding of simple machines. A Midwest urban elementary school provides the context for a unit plan culminating in a dance performance. The foundational ideas presented within this unit can be enacted within any classroom by creative movement (physical education or dance) specialists, science specialists, or classroom generalists. It follows with a presentation of science content on simple machines exploring the disciplinary core idea of force and motion.
TopLiterature Review
Scientific Literacy
Within an increasingly complex and technological world facing emergent global sustainability issues, it is critical for American students develop a foundational level of scientific literacy. Whether they become scientists, journalists, or refuse handlers, their participation in today’s world requires the ability to think critically and act responsibly. It will be the abilities to think and act that allow our students to maintain and improve the quality of life for future generations. By kinesthetically teaching STEM concepts and teaching movement competency framed in STEM content, educators can empower their students to have the agency and confidence to become active participants rather than mere observers in the world.
To accomplish this, students need engagement in the active “doing” of science. This engagement helps them develop the proficiency to ask questions, design and carry out investigations, and reflect critically on the outcomes. Children learn science best by “doing” science (Martin, 2011). An engaged elementary classroom committed to the integrated needs of a STEAM2 curriculum needs to begin with a robust commitment to providing hands-on use of science process skills in open-ended inquiries. With that foundation, learning is enriched and broadened throughout all aspects of STEAM2. This includes the use of technology, the analysis of mathematics, meaningful interactions with text (in the broadest sense), and the integration of the arts – in this case, creative movement.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Scientific literacy: The knowledge and skills necessary to participate in scientific decisions impacting personal, local, and global affairs.
Force and Motion: A push or a pull that can accelerate, rotate, or otherwise alter the motion of an object. The relationship between applied forces and the resulting motion is the subject of Newton’s Laws of Motion.
Physical Literacy: The ability to move with competence and confidence in a variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person.
Simple Machines: A mechanical arrangement used to apply a force. Typically used to amplify a small input force into a larger output force. Examples include a lever, pulley, or an inclined plane.
Text: Symbolic representation of meaning. Text includes but is not limited to charts, maps, graphs, movies, music, choreography, sculpture, posture, gesture, tapestry, painting, poems, books, short stories, graphic organizers and procedural manuals.
Working Words Into Movement: A process and support tool to bring to light the organic movement embedded in vocabulary words.
Creative Movement: Objective driven activities through which learners explore movement for the purpose of developing skills, building efficacy, or stimulating imagination with the intent of communicating knowledge of facts, concepts, principles, ideas, and/or feelings.
STEAM2: Science, technology, engineering, the arts, mathematics, and movement.
Encore Content Areas: Encore content areas are those content areas taught in schools that are often marginalized through the implementation of policies such as No Child Left Behind that focus nearly exclusively on content and direct instruction in reading and math courses. They are the classes in schools that for the last several years have been considered to be outside or adjacent to the bounds of “core content” areas. Examples of encore content areas are social studies, the Arts, health, science, physical education, career/technical education and world languages.