Case studies of multidisciplinary approaches to integrating mathematics, science and technology education

Traditionally, school curriculum has been largely based on the concept that instruction should be separated into distinct subjects for ease of understanding and then reassembled when complex applications are required. Although it is assumed that students readily re-connect their school knowledge and then use it in an applied context outside of the classroom, recent research does substantiate this belief (Crohn, 1983; Hawkins, 1982). Here in lies the crux of the matter, the school curricula is a segregated approach to instructional topics which does not adequately address the reassemblage of topics into a coherent body of knowledge to be used by students. Senge (1990) addresses the fragmented way that we as a culture have been trained to solve problems. He writes: From a very early age, we are taught to break apart problems, to fragment the world. This apparently makes complex tasks and subjects more manageable, but we pay a hidden, enormous price. We can no longer see the consequences of our actions; we lose our intrinsic sense of connection to a larger whole. When we try to ‘see the big picture,’ we try to reassemble the fragments in out minds, to list and organize all the pieces. (p. 3) The curricular concept of integrating or connecting school subject areas has gained significant attention in recent years as a plausible solution to developing a more relevant approach to teaching and learning (Adelman, 1989