Abstract
Based on the creative way a teacher plans a lesson, novice teachers, as well as experienced, have the potential to create a multidisciplinary curriculum and engage students. An integrated curriculum not only allows teachers to draw from a multitude of subjects, materials, and human resources, but also places value on all subjects and makes topics come alive. Teachers who go beyond the traditional way of teaching and enter the 21st century world of holistic-subject teaching can plan more meaningful activities, take into account students' learning styles, background, and interests, and as the topics are interrelated, expand lessons to new horizons.
TopIntroduction
Experienced and novice teachers alike can learn and consider a variety of teaching styles and issues from analyzing case studies. Case studies provide a detailed and rich description of a specific situation for readers to question, discuss, and consider possibilities about a topic (Calderhead & Shorrock, 1997). For educators, case studies are an important part of professional development and research in a variety of disciplines as case study scenarios provide a glimpse into the classroom, offer authentic learning opportunities, and set the stage for teaching and learning reflections to occur. Reflecting upon the teaching practice is a relevant part of teacher preparation and continued professional learning throughout one’s teaching career (Troen & Boles, 2011). Therefore, in this final chapter, possibilities for creating meaningful and engaging future multidisciplinary lesson plans are discussed.
Objectives
- •
Recognize various online resources that K-12 teachers can utilize in an interdisciplinary lesson
- •
Distinguish teaching and learning strategies that K-12 teachers can incorporate into a STREAMSS integrated lesson
- •
Identify K-12 lesson plans that feature the STREAMSS interdisciplinary model
- •
Recognize the influence of technology in education today and importance to K-12 teachers when trying to meet students’ 21st century needs
Curricular Connections In The Twenty-First Century
Case Study #1
A first-year teacher has been hired at an elementary public school in South Florida to teach 4th grade to a group of academically, culturally, and socially diverse students. Although the new teacher has become acquainted with the social studies state standards of the 4th grade elementary curriculum and is aware of the content required to be taught on Florida history (an often 4th grade year-long curriculum requirement), given the amount of time allotted to prioritized subjects such as reading (a two-hour block), math, science, and technology, how will the new teacher be able to effectively teach social studies? Moreover, what strategies can this new teacher utilize inside, as well as outside, the classroom to effectively teach the history of Florida?