Showing, Active Autonomy, and the Case for STE(A)M

• In Event: Ethical and Conceptual Analysis of Science, Technology, and STEAM in Education

Abstract

As an expansion of STEM, STEAM is one of the prominent interdisciplinary concepts that have enriched curricular literature in particular and educational research in general. However, critical analyses of STEAM do not examine it philosophically, and particularly do not offer a theoretical framework that respects the unique identity – or autonomy – of each discipline. This paper addresses this gap by critically examining the possibility and challenges for integrating the arts in STEM while keeping art’s autonomy. As a supportive analysis, we examine also the problematic use of mathematics in STEM. We offer a framework for STEAM that both keeps each of the disciplines’ autonomy and yields a meaningful and educational synergy of them, based on active autonomy, open-endedness, and indirect pedagogy.

Authors

• Doron Yosef-Hassidim, Lakehead University

• John Baldacchino, University of Wisconsin - Madison