Art vs Science Debate

‘Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited while imagination embraces the whole world.’ (Albert Einstein, 1931)

The debate for whether art or science is the subject that matters more has been a continuous argument over the years, and yet still we are unable to come to an answer. Radford (2008, pg. 1) asks, ‘Why are we still having the old Art vs Science debate? There is only one culture and you need an open mind to absorb as much of it as you can.’

There are certain things that we relate to science, and certain things we relate to art. It is not likely for people to think of the two different subjects to be of any similarity, although there are creative aspects to be found in both subjects. Creativity is not primarily linked to the sciences, however Fisher and Williams (2004, p. 83) states that, ‘Progression in science depends on creative leaps and links to unexpected knowledge.’  Within classes of the sciences if teachers can include more problem solving activities which encourages children to think, they are more likely to develop a sense of creativity to science. Craft, Jeffery and Leibling (2001) explain that creative thinking cannot occur unless a well-structured knowledge is already present.

Art and Science show similarities in their approaches as they are both subjects that promote a sense of involvement for children and create situations where they become in charge of their own learning. It is important for children to build upon knowledge that they already hold, and to do so through an inquiring approach to learning, having the confidence to ask ‘why’ and ‘how’. With new experiences they can become independent with a new found confidence in themselves, they can develop the ability to question certain things to build upon their knowledge, which is an element of enquiry learning.

Enquiry learning focuses on the child as being at the centre of their learning, and mainly refers to the asking of questions in order to gain new information and an understanding. When looking at creative and scientific enquiry learning, problem solving skills can be seen as a key element in both, as children use their knowledge and thinking skills to work towards a solution to the problem. Children can gain some control over their learning, therefore it becomes more relevant to their needs. Creative enquiry encourages children to go into a creative state of mind in order to allow themselves to think of new possibilities and to think independently. They are encouraged to explore and to question certain things for themselves using their own existing knowledge, but having a sense of freedom in doing so, as there is no right or wrong answer. Martin (2007) suggests that creative enquiry can also benefit the teacher as well as the learner through the teaching processes and experiences and also comments on a change in the power structure in learning as more emphasis is put on the learner becoming actively involved in the learning process.

Scientific enquiry focuses a lot more on the ideas of identification, experimentation, evidence and analysis. The aim is to understand the world around them and doing so by investigation.

There is a specialized cycle of scientific inquiry which has a circuit of 5 different stages:

Orientation – The question asked.

Prediction – Explore the question and possible answers.

Preparation – The plan of an investigation.

Investigation – Carry out the investigation/experiment.

Evaluation – Look at the results, and come to a final answer.

Working with a group to collaborate together and come up with an example of where the cycle of scientific enquiry can come into practice, I suggested the cycle of how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Below is an image of our cycle showing what takes place at each different stage.

The Cycle of Scientific Enquiry

Both creative and scientific enquiry have a beneficial effect on children as they become actively involved in their learning, having a positive experience and outcome to the learning process.

References:

Craft, A., Jeffery, B. and Leibling, M., 2001. Creativity in Education, Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.

Einstein, A. (1931) Cosmic Religion and Other Opinions and Aphorisms. New York: Covici Friede Publishers.

Fisher, R. and Williams, M. (2004) Unlocking Creativity: Teaching Across The Curriculum. David Fulton Publishers.
Martin, P. (2007) Creative Inquiry: A Crucial Addition to Ways of Learning in Higher Education (0166). Creativity Centre, University of Brighton.
Radford, T. (2008) ‘Space flight can be as luminous as any model’ The Guardian, 11 April, p.1 [Online]. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2008/apr/11/highereducation.comment (Accessed: 9 December 2014).