Writing Critically in STEAM

Foreword

Foreword to Writing Critically in STEAM

Daniel Ness is that rare scholar who is a specialist generalist. By that I mean that he has worked deeply in a number of interdisciplinary fields. He not only has produced cutting-edge scholarship in mathematics education, psychology, art and architecture, music education, critical pedagogy and theory, school reform, and the foundations of education, but also has worked at the multiple and generative intersections of these fields. For over 20 years now, I’ve had the good fortune to work closely with and learn from him.

We met years ago as graduate students at Teachers College, Columbia University. For a couple of years, mentored by Dr. Gary Natriello, who was the editor of the Teachers College Record, he and I and a few others did the initial internal reviews for the submissions to the journal. At weekly meetings, we shared and critiqued our reviews. I recall then—and now as I’ve just finished reading his latest work—just how layered and complex his writing was and is. His manuscript submission reviews back then offered a critical examination of power dynamics, explored historical and contemporary debates within a range of fields, and produced and critiqued new knowledge within a wide range of disciplines. His reviews were informative. They were also pedagogical: they scaffolded our cognitive development and helped us to grow as thinkers and scholars. And, perhaps most importantly, they were accessible.

In Writing Critically in STEAM—his latest publication—he is again concise yet expansive. In many ways, considering his career, he was destined to write this book. On one level this book is about how to write in the different STEAM disciplines. We know intuitively that we write differently in mathematics, for example, than in technology, but we don’t always know what the large differences are—not to mention the subtle gray zones between the genres. As Ness teases out these differences, he explores the multiple underlying dynamics of writing that take place before, during, and even after the writing process within STEAM. This focus includes the writer’s stance in relation to thinking, working, and communicating within the different disciplines. It includes subtle differences between the genres within the disciplines, such as those between scientific writing and science writing. And it includes the formation of representation within the disciplines. Referencing Lev Vygotsky, he explores how the process of learning to write transcends the production of text: the concept of symbol formation within such writing leads development.

Examining how representation regulates and structures liberation, Ness highlights a central theme of this book: writing in STEAM can indeed be critical and challenge societal inequities. This critical stance in STEAM writing relates to form, the pronouns writers use, the examples they give, and the assumptions they make. But writing for liberation goes beyond these more formal considerations to include personal history, the value of voice, and the acknowledgement of the humanistic roots of science. Writing in STEAM can facilitate Paolo Freire’s dialogic problem posing and critical pedagogy. As Ness states, “In institutionalizing the status quo, schools have paid virtually all its attention to the memorization of facts and little, if anything, to the development of critical literacy.” Exploring the institutionalization of inequity, he asks a significant and provocative question: “Is adherence to national standards and writing critically in STEAM contradictory?”

In contrast to structures that alienate students from the writing process in STEAM, Ness invites them to find a voice and identity within the process. He states, “Be your own author. Indeed, emulating great models is a good thing, but it’s important for readers to listen to your own voice on a given topic and not someone else’s.” Reading this book has motivated (and empowered) me to write outside my comfort zone in STEAM. For me, knowing how much I have learned from Dan Ness over the years, it was no surprise that I would continue to learn from this text (both about writing and about myself).

As a text that clarifies the layered process of writing in STEAM, this new book contributes greatly to scholarship. But his text goes beyond methods of writing to explore the critical dynamics of writing within STEAM and the intersections between structural equity and individual development.

Perhaps for me the highlight of this text was simply hearing Dan Ness’s personal voice within his writing. You can clearly hear his voice in the following quote:

You joined me on this voyage of STEAM writing at the beginning of the book, but the voyage does not end here. Rather, our investigation in STEAM writing should be the commencement of a life-long voyage, full of writing adventures that are convincing, persuasive, motivating, and exciting for your readers.

Reading this book was a rich journey for me. It took me through over 20 years of Dan Ness’s scholarship (and friendship) to future possibilities of writing within STEAM for social justice.

Richard D. Sawyer, Professor

Department of Teaching and Learning

Washington State University, Vancouver

Acknowledgments

There are several individuals who I cannot thank enough for helping me with this book project. Without their encouragement and support, much, if not all, of the words on these pages would be left void. First, I am grateful to the Peter Lang staff, Alison Jefferson and Joshua Charles in particular, for helping me see this project through from beginning to end. Readers should note that all errors that remain in this book are inadvertent and those entirely of my own doing. I, therefore, take full responsibility for any error or oversight that might be discovered herein. Next, a note of tribute goes to Brett Blake. It is due to her inspiration and assurance of my abilities that I carefully and thoughtfully spilt ink on these pages. Her expertise in critical literacy enabled me to connect critical pedagogy with STEAM and STEAM education. Special thanks go to Shirley Steinberg, Professor of Education at the University of Calgary, who read through these pages and provided extensive suggestions and comments. Rick Sawyer, Professor of Education at Washington State University, Vancouver, also read the manuscript from cover to cover and wrote a praiseworthy foreword to this book; one cannot ask for a more moving and inspiring endorsement! My intellectual conversations on everything about curriculum with Wanying Wang, Visiting Professor at St. John’s University, serve as a beacon that profoundly has influenced me in many a direction. I cannot thank her enough. I am also indebted to my son, Eric, for the completion of this book; his continued interests in music, art, and STEAM subjects have inspired me tremendously. Lastly, this book is dedicated to my mentor, Stephen Farenga, teacher, researcher, Professor of Science Education at the City University of New York, Queens College, scholar, and friend, who, in large part, shaped me into who I am today.

Writing can be a tortuous process in any discipline. However, it can seem particularly daunting in the fields of science, technology, engineering, the arts or architecture, and mathematics (henceforth, STEAM). In fact, most of the STEAM professionals with whom I have come into contact have said things like, “As an engineer, I write only when I have to …” or “engaging in science is easy for me but sitting down and writing my manuscripts is so painful” or “I’m really good at math but I’m a terrible writer …” But this does not have to be the case. Despite challenges along the way, critical writing for the STEAM learner, practitioner, and even researcher (yes, I said researcher!)—a group of individuals to whom I will henceforth refer as STEAMers—can become an easier process in STEAM especially when one’s ideas are fleshed out and organized in a systematic manner.