In music, the sine waves of pitch interfere with each other to the point that the sound may cause the human ear to react with discomfort. As a metaphor for teaching and learning, being off-pitch can have a deadening effect on the lesson.
Published in Chapter:
Musing on Unanswered Questions
Meta Lee Van Sickle (College of Charleston, USA) and Merrie Koester (University of South Carolina, USA)
Copyright: © 2020
|Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-9631-8.ch001
Abstract
Out of a conversation between two long-time colleagues—each a science educator and practicing artist—emerged the question, “What does it mean to STEAMify a lesson, and why would a teacher actually choose to do such a thing, other than, say, for-grant-writing-purposes?” Their science selves really liked the idea of a STEAM system, acted upon by forces, both from the outside and from within, and with energy flowing and cycling, all the while transforming grey matter in ways that sustained the teaching/learning process. When it came to their art; however, their dialogue followed pathways grooved by long years of practice and hard work in their respective fields. One author is a seasoned vocalist, trained in the nuances of both individual and group vocal performance as well as the attendant dimensions of music, its composition and phraseology. The other is a painter, poet, and novelist, shaping words, color, and line to tell stories and communicate ideas. What was significant to each was that their artistic habits of mind had shaped their axiology, transforming their ways teaching.