This is a painting and collage mapping aspects of the benefits of transdisciplinary curriculum. I used layers of photographs taken from different STEAM projects that my students are doing. The photos are from the aquaponic garden, the outdoor vegetable garden, the outdoor education mural, the robotic vantriliquist project, the rain barrel project, and two communtity sales of Metro student work. I also included two reflections of how STEAM and transdicsiplinary learning has helped two particular students stay interested and engaged in their learning. 

 

My connection bubbles were painted, then collaged into the piece and I glued in photos of the back of a refridgerator, a photo that I took while on a class tour of a refridgerator factory last month. Finally, I took a photo of some of my class pointing at the collage with different drawing, painting and collaging tools, self referencing photography in it's truest form in the spirit of David Hockney. 

 

I included drawing with images representing student's futures, nueral connections, empathy and meaning, engagement and communication. I highlighted each student with rays of light and connection bubbles. 

 

During the making of this piece I was able to meditate on my research topic, and further make connections with how I could invovle students in the research. As a priliminary experiment with art based research I think this collage was successful. I would like to create a more in depth and focused piece which poses a problem and seeks a solution during the art making process. In this piece I included researcher generated work, subject generated work and some "found" photography on our facebook page which I did not create but had rights to.