The involvement of children in dramatic inquiry, through activities that introduce how scientists and technologists have worked in the past can ‘set-the-scene’ to engage them in practising STEM skills within a problem-solving situation. Historical stories can potentially provide rich, authentic contexts that engage children in imaginatively and creatively STEMbased challenges. In this chapter we describe how a sequence of dramatised activities enabled children to think about scientific and technological issues that were pertinent in the life and work of George Washington Carver (GWC), an American born into slavery. The children worked in-role, as GWC in dramatised inquiry activities, designing their own methods to investigate soil quality and plant growth and to explore how different plant parts might be mashed, ground, dissolved, sieved, mixed and heated to make different products including ink, paints, pastes, creams and drinks. We describe how an Action Research approach was adopted, using a mixed methods to collect the impact data. Data collected included field notes, informal discussions, interviews and questionnaires. Scrutiny of the data suggested that by participating in dramatised activities, learning became more meaningful for the children as they became inquirers through empathising with Carver’s situation as a scientist and technologist. The impact of the creative pedagogy, immersing children in an alternate, historical context, extended the STEM inquiry affordances made available to them. The interventional project not only increased pupils’ engagement, learning about science and generating original ideas but it also demonstrated how teachers could be creative in STEM teaching. Outcomes from the project suggest seven distinctive affordances which can support creative inquiry in STEM learning contexts.
McGregor, Deb Frodsham, Sarah Deller, Clarysly
School of Education
Year of publication: 2022Date of RADAR deposit: 2021-07-15
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