My bottom line for any curriculum I design is summed up in this phrase and poster: If it feels like we're making art, we're probably doing science. I may be teaching any unit for any classroom, but incorporating the artistic process in some way is a must for my curricula. Lab work with creative and process-inspired drawings, journaling and personal reflections, and creating poetry or songs to really grasp scientific processes are just some ways I want my class to unfold in artistic science.
Like my picture below, I think that a refection of our worldview and understanding comes through in artwork of any form. Why not make this artistic world-building and sense-making process part of science if we truly want students to grasp an understanding of what we teach them? I believe that any student has the capability to express oneself in a creative way that works for them, and that there is much value in assessing student's understanding and engagement in these processes. Art is highly inclusive, and science should be too.
During this course, we had the opportunity to burn something that represented our pedagogical fears of what would get in the way of us designing curriculum. For me, I burned an old prescription for ADHD medication. My past growing up with ADHD has been a source of anxiety, fear and sadness that I have carried from feeling incompetent and incapable of being an effective educator. Despite many opportunities of successfully providing education opportunities to many people over the years, I still worry that my distractability and slow process are not enough to make meaningful curriculum. By letting go of this fear, I move forward knowing that I am proud to be me and that my work is truly meaningful.