Visual Thinking for STEM, STEAM and Beyond

Sheri Kennedy • March 29, 2024

The Art of Applied Visual Thinking

The official newsletter of Applied Visual Thinking SUPERHEROES. Vol. 5 No. 7

March 29, 2024

You have probably heard of "STEM" and maybe "STEAM" in education. STEM stands for "Science, Technology, Engineering and Math." "STEAM" adds the "A" for "arts."

When you hear the word "arts," does your mind jump instantly to the fine arts, such as drawing and painting, music composition and performance and dance? Do you think of "arts" as an area available only to the select few gifted with that elusive thing we call "talent"? It's no surprise if these thoughts are the first to come to mind, but in today's workplace, they are very limiting beliefs and here's why.

Thinking of the arts as only for talented people overlooks the fact that creativity and artistic expression are skills most of us demonstrate automatically as small children, and that these skills can be developed through practice.

Additionally, art as a form of personal expression, communication and innovation should not be undervalued. Key messages can be presented through art in ways that can be easily digested by most and reach people where they are. The arts can even prompt action on important issues. AND… it doesn't need to be pretty to be impactful.

Stem to Steam image of people from various professions holding

At Applied Visual Thinking, we belief that the arts are important for their intrinsic benefits, and also that learning basic tools for creative expression will benefit everyone in whatever career or personal life path they choose. You don't need to be a professional artist to benefit from Visual Thinking. There are benefits to both traditional visual art and visual thinking.

Here are just a few examples of why both are important.

Traditional visual art-making is all about solving problems. So is Visual Thinking.
Traditional visual art-making expands the methods and "languages" for communicating ideas. So does Visual Thinking.
Art makes inter-disciplinary and complex concepts easier to comprehend. Visual Thinking does, too.
Both aid memory retention.
Both bridge barriers such as language and ability.
Both entice people to be fully engaged.

"A" for everybody! "STEM" to "STEAM" benefits all.

There is growing recognition that educating students with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds in STEAM is a way to fuel the kinds of innovation we need to address global issues. Here’s how Visual Thinking can help in STEAM education at all levels from elementary to higher education… AND GUESS WHAT? These tools are also useful in business, industry, individual learning and personal development.

For example, I recently tried to understand the differences between a traditional high school program versus a vocational/technical career track. When I need to make a decision, my go-to diagram is the 2x2 matrix diagram.

Matrix diagram with two rows and two columns. The columns are labeled

Are you "in" on adding the "A"?

Diagram a decision using your own 2x2 matrix diagram, or try one of these other examples of useful visual thinking tools:

Mind map - represent and organize concepts, relationships and hierarchies such as animal species
Flowchart or Timeline - show sequencing, cause and effect or steps over time such as the life cycle of a frog
Venn Diagram - highlight overlapping areas, such as the intersections and differences between biology, chemistry and physics
Data visualization - charts, graphs and maps to assist with analysis and interpretation, such as for scientific experiments
Storyboarding - plan sequential steps, for an experiment, design process or animation
Infographics - communicate scientific results, data findings and trends using engaging visuals
Visual Analogies - help explain abstract concepts, making them more understandable, such as comparing electrical circuits to water flowing through pipes