Science and poetry as allies in school learning

Abstract

In this paper, we propose that when learners in school classrooms write up a scientific observation, firstly as a science report and then as a poem, the way they express insights appropriate to each format can advance learners’ observation skills and developing insight of the natural world. This could lead to productive learning alliances across traditional discipline boundaries and, by surfacing the cultural dimension of science within a sociocultural frame, promote social change. Tracing the domains of science and poetry over the last two centuries, we discern three areas of synergy: culture, creativity, and the curriculum. An integrative classroom exercise was devised to support these synergies explicitly with the intention of inspiring learners to write (say) what they really mean (see). We describe the encouraging results of a preliminary trial of this writing exercise with one small class of South African high school students, and outline possible future directions for research prompted by this work.