NJSSA POSITION STATEMENT: SCIENCE INTEGRATIONS

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The more prominent state and national science initiatives, studies, and documents (such as Project 2061, SS&C, many individual state standards and frameworks and national education standards) strongly advocate (in some manner) the importance of the following: teaching a science course so that many science concepts from other science “Areas” are incorporated (example: whenever possible, including some chemistry concepts when teaching biology, etc.) and whenever possible, including concepts and principles from other educational areas (such as math, technology, language arts, and social studies) when teaching science concepts.

It has become increasingly more important for science students to become aware that science concepts should not be learned in a vacuum and void of the inclusion of other disciplines. They must realize that many other disciplines (such as math, technology, and language arts) are frequently incorporated as we learn and “use” science. Thereby the New Jersey Science Supervisors Association strongly recommends and supports the following:

1. Incorporate and integrate the teaching of math (whenever possible) as science concepts are taught to K-6 students.
2. Include language arts concepts at appropriate “points” in lessons (especially as K-6 students write lab conclusions and science reports).
3. Technology should be used whenever possible (placing emphasis on the actual performance of experiments: collection experimental data; conduction research, and sending e-mail messages and participating in interactive conferences).
4. Incorporating concepts from other science “areas” into a science lesson that is stressing a “different science” (example: coupling chemistry concepts with biology concepts; incorporating appropriate physics concepts when teaching a biology course; the inclusion of chemistry concepts when teaching a physics lesson, etc.).
5. Recognizing the interdependence of the science disciplines and integrating them whenever possible.

INITIALLY DEVELOPED BY BOB WARWICK, CHAIRPERSON POLICY & POSITION COMMITTEE, NJSSA

NOTE: A SIMILAR POSITION STATEMENT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED BY ME FOR CONSIDERATION AND CRITIQUE FOR NJSELA