West Palm Beach Gets STEAM-y
Local authors raise awareness on integrating the arts into STEM learning
West Palm Beach, FL — Corwin Publishers and the South Florida Science Museum will be hosting a book launch party for local authors Dr. David A. Sousa and Tom Pilecki in celebration of the publication of From STEM to STEAM: Using Brain-Compatible Strategies to Integrate the Arts (Corwin, 2013). The event will take place Monday, April 22, from 7 PM to 9 PM at PB Blues and BBQ in West Palm Beach .
Sousa, a resident of Palm Beach and the author of many best-selling books on education, and Pilecki, the former executive director of the Center for Creative Education in West Palm Beach , will be signing copies of their book. West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio, Corwin President Mike Soules, and South Florida Science
Museum President and CEO Lew Crampton will also speak. Entertainment will be provided by Voices of Pride.
From STEM to STEAM argues that the arts build the creative and real-world problem-solving skills so central to STEM education. Sousa and Pilecki back up their claims with research-based evidence along with immediately useable lessons.
“The main objective of both art and science is discovery,” says Pilecki. “Our current school culture places heavy emphasis on convergent thinking, whereby the student pieces together relevant facts, data, and procedures to arrive at the single correct answer. In divergent thinking, on the other hand, the student generates several ideas about possible ways to solve a problem. Divergent thinking works best with poorly defined problems that have multifaceted solutions, such as dealing with climate change and environmental pollution. This is the type of thinking that is typical of artistic activities.”
The authors hope that their book will encourage education policymakers to recognize that an excessive emphasis on high-stakes testing forces schools to emphasize convergent rather than divergent thinking, and extinguishes creativity and student interest in science and mathematics. They hope policymakers and school administrators will provide more support for realigning the arts with the STEM areas.
“Research findings show that artistic endeavors improve long-term memory, increase student motivation, promote creativity, advance social growth, introduce novelty into lessons, and reduce stress,” says Sousa. “In addition, STEM teachers who have developed STEAM lessons say it makes teaching more interesting and rewarding for them as well as for their students.”
PB Blues and BBQ (formerly the China Beach Restaurant) is located at 409 Northwood Rd , Northwood Village , West Palm Beach . Reporters can RSVP for the event by contacting Charline Maher at charline.maher@corwin.com or 805-410-7750.
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