By some estimates, over 1.2 billion tons of soil was blown across the Great Plains during the height of the Dust Bowl. The so-called "black blizzards" these massive dust storms caused suffocated cattle, sickened children, and destroyed thousands of family farms. Formerly prosperous farmers, unsure why they had such bad luck, wondered if…

Academic literacy has evolved significantly over the past two decades, expanding beyond basic reading and writing skills to include a broad range of competencies essential for successful modern education. These competencies - skilled communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and digital literacy - are crucial for preparing students to…

Higher education has embraced integrative learning as a means of enabling students to tackle so-called "wicked" problems, i.e. problems that are sufficiently complex, contested, and ambiguous that conventional, disciplinary specific approaches are inadequate to address. However, challenges remain in defining integrative learning…

In this paper, the dissolution of the silos between geography and business faculty to form a teaching partnership with a common set of questions and goals and how that partnership changed their academic perspectives will be explored. Faculty deepened the challenges for students, re-thought pedagogical models, and re-thought grading and evaluation.…

This paper presents findings from a two-year qualitative study examining integration of computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) into elementary mathematics instruction. Integrated units were developed by elementary teachers and CS/CT coaches with support from university faculty with expertise in CS/CT and elementary mathematics.…

This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance science teaching. In this month's issue an upper elementary Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) challenge brings an engineer into the classroom while emphasizing cooperation, communication, and creativity. STEM activities come in various shapes and sizes. Some are quite involved…

The contemporary fields of interdisciplinary studies and the policy sciences have evolved over similar intellectual paths and timelines, beginning in the early 20th century. Both have their roots in professional efforts--within and outside the academy--to address numerous, growing, and complex problems that face humanity. The policy sciences'…

In recent years, the integration of science and mathematics has become popular among educators because of its potential benefits for student learning. The purpose of this study is to introduce a two-day interdisciplinary lesson that brings science and mathematics concepts together, actively engaging students in working with percentages of the…

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is a form of education that combines language and content learning objectives, a shared concern with other models of bilingual education. While CLIL research has often addressed learning outcomes, this volume focuses on how integration can be conceptualised and investigated. Using different…

As a percussive dancer, Malke Rosenfeld makes rhythm with her feet while she dances, and she also helps elementary students make their own percussive dance steps by integrating mathematics into her lesson plans. To do this she uses the Jump Patterns tool, a tool she developed during the first six years of her teaching artist career to help…

Recent publications have elevated the priority of increasing the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) content for K-12 education. The STEM education community must invest in the development of valid and reliable to scales to measure STEM content, knowledge fusion, and perceptions of the nature of STEM. This brief…

The third annual conference of the National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) was held at Trinity College Dublin on 11-12 November 2009, and was attended by over 300 delegates. The theme--"Research-Teaching Linkages: Practice and Policy"--was timely and generated some fascinating papers, workshops and…

Describes some experiences of 30 teachers who met at the Tsongas Industrial History Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, to develop motivating, interdisciplinary activities for middle school students around science, technology, and industry. Discusses interdisciplinary problem solving using the design loop and presents six problems related to corn and…

Describes a project implemented in a second-grade class that is based on a child-centered, problem-solving approach to connecting literature and writing with mathematics. Emphasizes data exploration by having students collect, record, interpret, and analyze data on eggs. Contains 11 references. (ASK)

Describes a successful course in mathematical biology at Dartmouth College. The course targets premedical students and biology majors rather than mathematics majors, and requires only one semester of calculus as prerequisite. Real world problems form the basis of student work. (Author/KHR)