-1Final Report on ESCalate Small Grant
Title: Synchronised Integration of Art and Science in the Primary School
Grant Holders:
Ivor Hickey, Deirdre Robson, Mary Flanagan and Barbara Ellison
St. Mary’s University College, Belfast
Introduction
The intention of the project was to trial the concept of fully integrating art and science
in primary education, within a new model for an exciting and dynamic teaching
programme. We selected Flight as the theme for the project.
The programme’s objectives were to:
 encourage a more explorative, imaginative and enthusiastic response to
science education in children;
 deepen children’s knowledge and understanding of the world to inform their
art making, better matching current thinking in art education;
 produce a dynamic model for curriculum coherency, built upon shared
learning outcomes;
 enrich children’s learning experiences by providing numerous opportunities
for developing key skills.
The project involved three Primary 4 classes and one Primary 5 class from four
separate schools. It commenced in September 2004 with a two day training
programme for teachers and principals. From the beginning, the interest of the
teachers was captured. This provided an extremely positive starting point as their
enthusiasm was subsequently communicated to the pupils.
To our delight, none of the teachers drew up a preconceived scheme of work. On the
contrary they exposed the children to resources and listened carefully to their thoughts
and ideas. This is not the usual approach in Northern Irish schools, as teachers are
required to prepare and submit teaching plans in advance to their school principal.
Listening to the children prior to planning was commented upon by one of the
teachers as follows:
“This really opened my eyes and questions arose that I wasn’t really sure how to
answer. I was surprised by the children’s knowledge and their ability to question
ideas.”
This less formal and accountable approach to planning had the effect of stimulating
and motivating pupils to take ownership of the project: contributing; responding;
developing and therefore achieving, in accordance with their true potential.
It also initiated activities in the realm of thinking skills, which remained throughout
the project’s duration. As another teacher reported: “Teachers and pupils then
embarked on a joint learning experience, which was powered by the children’s energy
and enthusiasm”.
The project then moved on to the three planned stages; Observation and collection of
Information, Development and Creation.
1. Observation and collection of information
In this phase the children were encouraged to amass a large amount of information
relating to flight, both mechanical and biological, from various sources including the
internet and books. They were able to direct their learning toward agreed areas of
interest within each class. In addition they visited Castle Espie a local reserve
-2managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) on the edge of Strangford
Lough. This allowed them to observe waterfowl at very close quarters. Children
made their own records using digital cameras and drawings. The WWT education
staff provided information on camouflage, migration, wing, beaks, feather structure
and bird nutrition. For many children this day’s activities proved to be most
motivating.
Two further trips were undertaken. One of these was supported by Bombardier
Aerospace and involved a trip to W5, Northern Ireland’s only Science Discovery
Centre. Here, they took part in science activities related to flight with specific
emphasis on forces and were given a talk on the history of flight with particular
attention to the role played by early Irish aviators. Much of this was conducted as a
question and answer session and the children showed a remarkable degree of
knowledge of the subject. They appeared to enjoy discussing science in the context of
local history. The final visit took the children to the Ulster Transport Museum’s new
Flight exhibition. They again appreciated the ‘hands-on’ aspect of many of the
exhibits.
2. Development
During this stage the schools were able to call upon external experts who would
provide information and skills in specific areas. Each school decided on which
experts were most appropriate to their specific interests within the project. They
selected from a long list of charities including RSPB, Ulster Wildlife Trust and local
animal charities. In addition, freelance art and science educators and other specialists
such as kite makers were involved. In some schools parents with hobbies related to
flight were happy to be associated with the programme.
A considerable amount of classroom time was taken up with extensive practical
activities involving art and science. These were often totally integrated within a
single lesson or group of lessons. In one instance it was gratifying to note children
involved in discussing the function of primary and secondary feathers whilst using
them in block printing activies.
3. Creation
In this phase the children were asked to design their own imaginary flying creatures.
These could be animal, mechanical or a combination of both. However, it was
stipulated that they had to be adapted to specific habitats of the children’s choice.
These could also be imaginary. The children then had to justify their design and
construction to their peers. This brought together the skills and knowledge that had
been developed during the previous phases. In some classes several imaginary
creatures were produced by children working in small groups, but in one school the
class combined to produce a six foot giant creature. What came across most strongly
in this phase was the way in which the children used their science-based knowledge to
inform their creative artistic skills, and also the complete integration of
experimentation and testing of materials for both for construction and design
purposes.
Evaluation of Project
We were able to evaluate the project using data obtained through the following:
 Questionnaires completed by the participating teachers
 Diaries kept by the teachers
 Questionnaires completed by a sample of parents
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The children’s work in a variety of media
Independent evaluations by art and science advisors from two Education and
Library Boards ( the Northern Irish equivalent of LEAs)
Video footage and photographs of the children involved in the activities
Children’s comments documented by the teachers
Specific aims
1. To encourage a more explorative, imaginative and enthusiastic response to science
education in children
The following quotes from teachers were typical to the responses that we obtained.
“The children were definitely more enthusiastic about this project.”
“The children were able to imagine and create a creature that in ‘theory’ would be
capable of flight, which I imagine would have been too difficult for them previously.”
“Children with Special Educational Needs produced work at home relating to
‘Flight’ even though they were not asked to do so”
“The children questioned things others said and were proactive in finding answers to
questions that arose”
“I found the weakest of my children could throw themselves into the majority of the
project since I tried to keep writing in a secondary supportive role. Unrestricted by
their difficulties with language/ writing etc. they could contribute as much as, or even
more than, the best readers/writers/mathematicians in the class”
A similar comment was made by one of our evaluators.
“I was particularly struck by their enthusiasm and their extensive knowledge and
understanding of the areas studied.”
2. To deepen children’s knowledge and understanding of the world to inform their art
making, better matching current thinking in art education.
We found that the children’s detailed knowledge and understanding of mechanical
and biological flight came through in so many aspects of their work: their drawings;
clay models; experiments with materials; and of course the creation of their imaginary
flying creatures. Teachers’ quotes supported this.
“When we sketched birds after discussing the wings and flight science etc. the wings
were of an appropriate size, likely because the children understood their exact
purpose and also because they were now seeing instead of just looking.”
“The children thoroughly enjoyed making their clay birds and ducks. They all knew
exactly which type or species, they worked on from evidence and resources. They
knew exactly how their bird/duck should look and the colours needed when painting
it.”
3. To produce a dynamic model for curriculum coherency, built upon shared learning
outcomes
All four teachers agreed that the approach brought coherency to children’s learning,
and responses to shared learning outcomes, and were very positive as the following
statements illustrate.
-4“I could really understand the whole idea of synchronised art and science and I could
see how there were many commonalities…..exploring; experimenting; sorting;
observing; recording; materials and processes…..”
“Joint learning outcomes illustrated the extent to which the subjects can be
integrated.”
This was encouraging and provided evidence that this synchronised integrated
approach based on the commonalities between art and science could work in a
classroom situation.
4. To enrich children’s learning experiences by providing numerous opportunities for
developing key skills
Evidence suggests that the approach is particularly effective in facilitating
opportunities for the development of key and transferable skills. Teachers’ statements
below provide some indication of this.
“The children were very analytical throughout; they were constantly thinking about
and reviewing their work, always trying to make it better.”
“It was only after I had explained to them that we were trying to get as many ideas as
possible that I realised what was happening here, the development of creativity,
language development, social and emotional development.”
Some examples of information reported by primary four children (aged 7) from their
independent research are listed below.
“A bat has no feathers.”
“Birds have hollow bones.”
“Flies can beat their wings as fast as 1000 times a second.”
The midge “It beats its wings 62,000 times per minute.”
“A hummingbird whirs its wings very fast in a figure of 8.”
Unpredicted Outcomes
As the programme was worked through a number of positive developments were
observed that had not been part of the original hypothesis to be tested. The most
significant of these were the impact of the project on children’s literacy skills and the
development of novel assessment formats.
Literacy
Teachers observed that the synchronised integrated approach to art and science
provided a portal for children to engage meaningfully with literacy.
“Talking and listening activities were superb and we had great discussions during the
course of the project.”
“When two children disagreed as to what type of feather they were looking at they
were able to use their knowledge to determine who was correct and justify their
choice.”
This was also evident in creative writing:
“I think it was made easier for many children as they had a wealth of knowledge on
the topic and had plenty to write about.”
One seven year old pupil wrote,
“If I had wings I could fly through the jungles and land on the trees
then swoop up and soar through the clouds and see aeroplanes.”
-5We feel that this is a direct result of the ownership of project by the pupils and this, in
turn, provided the children with knowledge and concepts that they strongly wished to
communicate to others.
Assessment
We observed that art-based methods, such as children’s collages on the topic of
camouflage, could be used for assessing scientific knowledge, as the work clearly
conveyed understanding of the topic, arguably more so than the recording of facts in a
pupil’s note book. In addition, this encourages children to see art and science as
related processes for interpreting their world rather than regarding them as
incompatible opposites.
General evaluation
We found that synchronised integration of art and science was very feasible. In the
words of one of the teachers who tested the programme. “It works.”
The teachers found the two subjects to be highly compatible and found the removal of
subject titles resulted in teachers and children being able to take advantage of
opportunities for learning when and where they occurred. We found that
synchronised integration of art and science is a natural symbiosis of what is common
and complimentary to furthering knowledge and understanding in both disciplines,
and as such, resulted in a situation where the schools, the children the teachers and
everyone connected in any way was a beneficiary.
Providing opportunities for teachers and pupils to think creatively is stimulating and
raises the standards of teaching and learning. Teachers appreciated from early on,
that in order for the project to be successful, they had to teach creatively. They found
this an enjoyable and liberating process that encouraged them to utilise more of their
own skills.
Time allocation for art in each of the four schools was redirected through the project,
but additional time had to be found as the usual science programme was also required
to be taught by the teachers. This provides an indication of the priority placed on
certain subjects in the curriculum over others
Extension to Original Programme
During the course of the project we obtained additional funding from the Hamlyn
Foundation. One result of this was to help us develop the area of the project that was
associated with the production of imaginary flying creatures. These represented a
significant display of creativity based on scientific understanding by the children
involved. We were keen to develop further this aspect and in conjunction with the
Nerve Centre in Londonderry each school undertook the production of a short
animation starring one of their imaginary flying creatures. Teachers were given a
week’s training in animation techniques and an animator visited each school to assist
with production. The children’s first task was to create an adventure for their
creature, and to develop the dialogue. With help they then constructed the characters
for animation and shot the film. The final results were stunning with each school
developing an animation using different approaches. This development further
reinforced the links between art and science with literacy and story telling.
-6Impact on Initial Teacher Training
We have used the concept behind the project and some of the material that it has
produced in primary teacher education within our own college. This fits well within
Subject Application and Curriculum Studies courses in both Science and Technology
and Art and Design. Our impression is that students respond well to such a stimulus
and have shown the ability to integrate this information into their coursework
assessments in a variety of modules.
We have produced a 12 minute DVD giving an overview of the complete project.
This is entirely unscripted and shows examples of the children involved in various
stages of the project and the work that they have produced. We have found it most
useful in describing the approach of synchronising the two subject to students and to
practising teachers. A copy will be sent to each initial teacher education institute in
the United Kingdom.