Integrated STEM education within North America has become a popular pedagogy; however, teachers identify challenges that arise when planning for and implementing integrated STEM education. These challenges may threaten STEM teachers' capacity to balance disciplinary and integrated learning, a core feature of effective STEM education. The purpose…

Nationally, there is a steadily increasing emphasis on the improvement of STEM education. This includes the integration of STEM subjects that have been traditionally taught separately, making it critical that prospective STEM educators are equipped to teach using integrated STEM approaches. Connected, an important challenge is providing preservice…

Current reform efforts in science education around the world call on teachers to use integrated approaches to teach science. As a part of such reform efforts in the United States, engineering practices and engineering design have been identified in K-12 science education standards. However, there is relatively little is known about effective ways…

Use of mathematics-related literature can engage students' interest and increase their understanding of mathematical concepts. A quasi-experimental study of two second-grade classrooms assessed whether daily inclusion of geometry-related literature in the classroom improved attitudes toward geometry and achievement in geometry. Consistent with the…

In this qualitative research study, we sought to understand teachers' conceptions of integrated mathematics. The participants were teachers in the first year of implementation of a state-mandated, high school integrated mathematics curriculum. The primary data sources for this study included focus group and individual interviews. Through our…

Despite historical national efforts to improve elementary science education, science instruction continues to be marginalized, varying by state. This study was designed to address the ongoing challenge of educating elementary preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach science. Elementary PSTs are one of the science education community's major links…

The integration of content areas is not a new concept (Moyer, 2000). Integration is promoted by many teacher educators because of its benefits for learners of all ages and backgrounds (Burns, 2005; Douville, Pugalee, & Wallace, 2003; Pica, 2002). Literacy in general, but reading in particular, is important across the content areas. Mathematics…

Policymakers and industry leaders are calling for a 21st century education that is more interdisciplinary in nature, including the ability to solve problems and think creatively. Traditional teaching practices that present subjects as separate and distinct disciplines do not encourage students to make connections between subjects in school and in…

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of providing preservice teachers the opportunity to collect real data in a science methods inquiry investigation and using the data, design data displays in their mathematics methods course. The research questions focused on how preservice teachers' understandings of data displays, research…

The squeeze on instructional time and other factors increasingly leads educators to consider mathematics and science integration in an effort to be more efficient and effective. Unfortunately, the need for common understandings for what it means to integrate these disciplines, as well as the need for improving disciplinary knowledge, appears to…

Provides an abridgment of a section of a chapter on "Environmental Education Research Related to Issue Awareness" for the 1984 National Commission for Environmental Education Research Report. Major emphasis is on the section dealing with instructional strategies for developing awareness of environmental issues. (JN)

Examines the model of interacting nerve systems based on a switching theory, which uses a mathematical structure familiar to many high school students and requires little knowledge of biology. Reviews the basic operation of nerves, and demonstrates how Boolean algebraic statements are applied to synaptic interactions. (PR)

Ways to follow-up science activities based on picture storybooks are discussed. The term "literature web" is used to name the method detailed for integrating science with fiction books. The web is seen as a resource guide for future use that helps resolve time dilemmas for science instruction. (MP)

Suggests that the elementary school curriculum need not be fragmented into discipline areas and describes a class activity that cuts across the traditional boundaries and is interdisciplinary in nature. (JR)

Stamps were used in a study which assumed that the frequency with which topics (in this case the water environment and its characteristics) were depicted on stamps would be a reflection of the interest that society as a whole held for that topic. Implications for science teaching are addressed. (JN)