Art in science class vs science in art class: a Study in Elementary School

Abstract

We examine how observations and art activities mediate what elementary school children learn in science. We compare results from six different settings in which the children were involved in observing and depicting fish with texts and illustrations using various resources. In three of the settings the aim was scientific, and in the remaining three artistic. The data has been analysed in the light of pragmatist theories and socio-cultural perspectives (a practical epistemology analysis). The results show that different resources afforded the children to observe certain qualities and disregard others. In both the science and art classes the children learned about aesthetics, which involved moral considerations.