This paper describes an interdisciplinary collaboration of faculty and students from chemistry and mathematics to develop and implement an activity showcasing the relevance of calculus in chemistry to first-semester calculus students. The activity focuses on using calculus optimization methods to maximize the ground-state radial probability…

Long before "fake news" became a catchphrase, misguided beliefs about scientific truths undermined the free exercise of democracy and personal decision-making. Journalistic norms such as providing false balance in the name of "objectivity," deliberate manipulation by vested interests, and the human tendency toward confirmation…

To recruit and retain more students in all science disciplines at our small (5,000 student) public university, we implemented an interdisciplinary strategy focusing on nanotechnology and enhanced undergraduate research. Inherently interdisciplinary, the novelty of nanotechnology and its growing career potential appeal to students. To engage…

Providing opportunities for students to grapple with collecting and organizing data, struggle with how to represent and communicate ideas emerging from the data, and consider the alignment of these ideas with the science content being learned is reflective of authentic inquiry and supports the development of scientific understanding. The…

Virtual environments can resolve many practical and pedagogical challenges within higher education. Economic considerations, accessibility issues, and safety concerns can all be somewhat alleviated by creating learning activities in a virtual space. Because of the removal of real-world physical limitations like gravity, durability and scope,…

In this article, the author discusses a five-month interdisciplinary bird study that she designed for her seventh-grade students that combines life science, technology, writing, art, mathematics, social studies and literature. The driving force behind this yearly unit is the BirdSleuth eBird program (formerly the Cornell University Classroom…

To promote student engagement, professors must actively seek to create the conditions that foster engagement. Chickering and Gamson (1987) suggest that good practices in undergraduate education are ones that: encourage student-faculty contact, develop reciprocity and cooperation among students, encourage active learning, provide students with…

This paper describes how a second grade science unit on penguins became the ideal content to integrate with the physical education curriculum. The movement experiences reinforced the information students learned about penguins and helped students to gain a deeper understanding of penguin behaviors. Together, the physical education teacher and the…

Described is the use of military surplus parachutes to enhance the physical development of students, while providing examples and illustrations of concepts relating to the natural environment. Twenty-two activities are described. A lesson plan is provided. (RE)

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)

The resources of the school site are discussed as they relate to instructional opportunities in various disciplines. Several example activities which use investigation of the school site to integrate environmental education into school curricula are presented. (RE)

Described are some ideas for using photography in the elementary classroom. Justification for using photography in the classroom includes student interaction with the photography materials, building teacher-student rapport, the potential for integration into different areas of elementary curriculum, and support for the developmental theorists'…

Contains teaching activities designed to help elementary students understand the meaning of "endangered" and to recognize the major causes of species loss throughout the world. Organizes the exercises by grade levels and also by time required for the activity's completion. The major concepts and skills of each lesson are identified. (ML)

This resource guide was prepared to assist teachers in incorporating energy concerns within the school curriculum. It is intended to provide a basic framework of objectives for different subject areas and to provide examples of activities for teaching towards the stated objectives. Resources are listed to aid the teacher in developing additional…

This is the master descriptive document and teacher's guide for a series of urban environmental education models. The series is intended for grades 6-9 but may be modified for older or younger children. Each module addresses a specific aspect of urban environmental quality of life. The modules are interdisciplinary but draw primarily on natural…