Thesis (M.Ed.)--Bowling Green State University, 2005. / Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 71 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on October 26, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Visual aesthetics -- Whole-brain thinking -- Pictorial imaging -- Art and science, mathematics, social studies, and language arts.

This project promotes the use of literature groups based around a theme. In trying to meet the requirements of the California state framework, to integrate the subjects, this project contains two thematic units. Although the themes were designed for second and third grade, the two thematic units may be used as a guide to help teachers implement the thematics teaching approach into their classrooms.

This study explores and exposes the dichotomy that currently exists between educational policy and research in learning theory.

This study highlighted factors informing instructors’ instructional beliefs and practices and the activities that help students engage in and develop a deep understanding of mathematics. The study also described instructors’ instructional activities and curricular practices when teaching mathematics and an interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates mathematics with other subjects. Through a qualitative phenomenological approach, surveys, semi-structured interviews, and analyses of instructional activities using an adapted version of the Teaching for Robust Understanding in Mathematics (or TRU Math©) framework characterized the experiences of 13 instructors, from elementary through college years, who taught mathematics as a subject and within an interdisciplinary lesson. The study revealed several factors that informed instructors’ beliefs, practices, and activities (B, P, & A) about teaching mathematics and interdisciplinarity through descriptions and synthesis of meanings and TRU Math analyses of artifacts. Instructors felt strongly about helping students value learning, making mathematics meaningful and joyful, and saw their students as capable problem solvers. They utilized activities to illuminate thinking and understanding of mathematics and used assessments to communicate mathematics. T he study also revealed three significant ways that instructors engaged in interdisciplinarity as seen through the practices of the Constructors, Curators, and Connectors, and referred to accordingly as the 3C’s framework. These interdisciplinary characterizations reveal instructors’ practical ways of using various approaches to practice interdisciplinarity. It also showed how frameworks like TRU Math helped assess an interdisciplinary activity’s potential to foster a deep understanding of mathematics content. The conclusions offer implications for research and practice.

In Florida, we often read or hear on the news about the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and how it is negatively affecting our students, parents and schools. The number of standards, benchmarks, and grade level expectations teachers are required to teach students to prepare them for taking the FCA T often seems unmanageable and overwhelming. Additionally, traditional methods of teaching are oftentimes at odds with current research on brain-based learning, multiple intelligences, literature-based instruction, and integrated and thematic curriculum planning. Is there a way to combine all the best teaching practices from current research into one basic, cohesive model of teaching that not only fulfills the requirements of the Florida Sunshine State Standards and prepares students for the FCA T, but is also a workable product that can be implemented in the real world of teaching? This project creates one such teaching model referred to as a Standards-based, Eclectic, Elaborated, and Synergistic Yearlong Theme Cycle (SEES Cycle). In addition to the prototype SEES Cycle and its accompanying yearlong science roadmap, this project also introduces SEES Cycle teaching menus which are designed to provide teachers with a valuable resource in long-range planning and for daily, "subject integration" lesson planning. Exclusive to this project is the Multiple Intelligences Teaching Menu which links specific Florida Sunshine State Standards to certain multiple intelligences activities. Furthermore, this project presents the research substantiation that could move the SEES Cycle teaching model, science roadmap, and accompanying teaching menus from a theoretical framework to one of practical application.

This study explored interdisciplinary studies students‟ academic and social engagement. As the review of literature demonstrated, student engagement and satisfaction are important to retention and institutions can adopt policies and practices to foster student engagement. Because interdisciplinary studies programs often struggle to maintain relevance, fostering student engagement is one way to ensure maximum student satisfaction and retention. This study identified factors of student engagement that were positively related to satisfaction and confirmed that requiring core interdisciplinary studies courses had a positive impact on engagement. A quantitative instrument, the Interdisciplinary Studies Student Engagement Survey, was adapted from the National Survey of Student Engagement questionnaire to collect self-reported responses. The following eight factors of student engagement were found to be relevant: (a) diversity-related activities, (b) shared understanding and experiences, (c) interaction with peers, (d) interaction with faculty members, (e) active and collaborative learning, (f) integrated learning, (g) out-of-class experiences, and (h) academic challenge. Respondents reported the most frequent participation in integrated learning and the least frequent participation in out-of-class experiences. It was determined that students with nontraditional characteristics tended to participate more frequently in academic engagement, whereas students with traditional characteristics tended to participate more in social engagement. In addition, enrollment in mandatory interdisciplinary core courses was found to positively influence engagement in seven of the eight identified factors. Enrollment in core courses was also positively iv related to satisfaction. Finally, all eight engagement factors positively correlated with satisfaction to some degree.

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