Integrated Science began in fall 1993 with a single section of students meeting with three teachers who were developing the program. As a result of interest among students and teachers, we offered three sections in 1994 and 1995. The Integrated Science program is not, and never will be, finished. By design, as new adults and students participate, it evolves. Perhaps what we learn about integrating science instruction will help others.
Integration has many meanings.
Our integration provides engaging experiences in which students encounter essential content in multiple and meaningful contexts in response to their own inquiry. If learning has value, students should be able to transfer the knowledge they acquire in school to the world beyond the classroom. While learners can demonstrate success in a familiar context, in new situations their former misconceptions reemerge. In the Integrated Science team's search to identify what would help students transfer knowledge from familiar to novel situations, we learned, as have others before us, that engagement and learning in multiple contexts enhances the transfer of knowledge. The student must take ownership of his or her own learning, and remove any barriers to inquiry.