I've been finding it to be a little bit difficult to find articles on integrating science into the elementary classroom. I've researched in a few different places and it's been a challenge.
One of the articles I found had a really interesting approach to how to go about integrating science, math and technology into both the elementary and the high school classroom. The article was called "The Integration of Science, Math and Technology In A Discipline Based Culture." After reading the article, it seemed to make the integration of those three as something that would be easy to accomplish with a few factors in place. If the school is in support of integrating subject areas, it can be easier to make it run smoothly. The article listed a few different approaches to integration. There were 11 different approaches that were briefly talked about. The approaches were thematic, cross-curricular, technology-based, competitions, school specialists, topic, integrated assignments, synchronized content and process, local community processes, teaching approaches and natural/informal integration.
Some of the approaches worked better for an elementary classroom than others did. Some of the approaches are also things that can happen naturally in the elementary classroom at times. For example, it would be fairly easy for natural/informal integration to occur in the elementary classroom because the same teacher teaches all the subject areas with the same kids.
If the whole school was involved in the integration of the subjects, it would make it a lot easier to do some of the other forms of integration. For example, if the whole school was on board with integration, thematic integration or local community processes would be a lot easier and more effective for students.
The article gave a lot of information about how integration of science, math and technology has a very good effect on students and their learning. Students are more likely to understand and make lasting connections when they are learning about the same things across all subjects. Students will be more involved and interesting in what they are learning if they are learning it from all different subject areas. Also, it's easier for the staff to support each other in what they are teaching if they are teaching the same subject.
The idea of integration is, in my opinion, a very good one. The article I read reinforced that idea
I really liked your post about getting the school on board, however that seems to be a pretty difficult idea in schools that are in low income areas and are already struggling to get by. I know we've talked about appropriate content for students in professor kruse's class, did it say anything specific on what content they were planning on integrating? Teaching to the test comes to mind for schools of that nature. I'd be interested to see more :)
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