Interdisciplinary Teaching
Location
Instructional Strategies 2 (Session 4 Breakouts)
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
These are the kinds of lessons we only dreamed about doing when we decided to teach. Multiple disciplines can truly complement each other and bring out more student interest than any one subject can do standing alone. The work produced by the students is both artistically pleasing and useful for any mathematician or scientist. The researchers began with a study of the standards for math, language, science, art and social studies at a set grade level. From there, they looked for standards that could be connected with a common theme. After selecting related standards and choosing a theme, they built several interconnected lessons that addressed standards from multiple disciplines. They built these model lessons as an example for other standards-based thematic lessons. The researchers will share the process they went through to take the standards as the base but then expand out from there to create culturally rich and engaging activities that flow among disciplines with a common purpose. In their model lessons, the researchers will explain how they were able to use historical text, mapping skills, geometry problem solving, earth science, artwork, reading strategies and essay writing to creatively teach the required standards in a new and interesting way.
Keywords
interdisciplinary integrated lessons theme
Professional Bio
Dr. Mary Kay Bacallao is a professor in the Tift College of Education. Her areas of specialty are elementary education, reading, math, science, social studies, English language learners, and educational leadership. She was an elementary level teacher in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, a visiting assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University, and an associate professor at St. Thomas University in Miami. She wrote and managed several Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology grants from the U.S. Department of Education. Her current research interests include education policy and legislation as well as developing creative ways of teaching math and science at the elementary level.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Bacallao, Mary Kay; Rogers, Rista; and Thrower, Stephanie, "Interdisciplinary Teaching" (2020). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 48.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2020/2020/48
Interdisciplinary Teaching
Instructional Strategies 2 (Session 4 Breakouts)
These are the kinds of lessons we only dreamed about doing when we decided to teach. Multiple disciplines can truly complement each other and bring out more student interest than any one subject can do standing alone. The work produced by the students is both artistically pleasing and useful for any mathematician or scientist. The researchers began with a study of the standards for math, language, science, art and social studies at a set grade level. From there, they looked for standards that could be connected with a common theme. After selecting related standards and choosing a theme, they built several interconnected lessons that addressed standards from multiple disciplines. They built these model lessons as an example for other standards-based thematic lessons. The researchers will share the process they went through to take the standards as the base but then expand out from there to create culturally rich and engaging activities that flow among disciplines with a common purpose. In their model lessons, the researchers will explain how they were able to use historical text, mapping skills, geometry problem solving, earth science, artwork, reading strategies and essay writing to creatively teach the required standards in a new and interesting way.
