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Integrated Courses Stimulate Student Engagement and Learning
By Barbara Gillenwaters

Integrated courses serve as one of the cornerstones of effective curriculum and engaging instruction in the New Technology High School model. New Tech fuses individual courses together—such as English/language arts, biology, and history—to create diverse content that involves students in complex problems that support authentic inquiry and autonomous learning. As part two in a series of articles on integrated courses, faculty from New Tech School of IDEAS and Columbus Signature Academy shed light on the courses that are a part of the New Tech curriculum in their high schools.

New Tech School of IDEAS, M.S.D. of Decatur Township
New Tech School of IDEAS built its curriculum with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. When developing integrated coursework, the school created Phys/Trans and Phys/Comm, which combines physics and transportation systems in semester one and physics and communication systems in semester two. For the first semester, each project integrates a major transportation system with a physics topic. One of the class projects combined commuter trains with the study of constant velocity. Students designed a commuter rail with a route through downtown Indianapolis. Using their applied knowledge of physics, students determined stop times and the time between stops. For practical application, students used a model train and a map of Indianapolis to determine the train’s route and where it would be located at any particular time. Students then presented their commuter route to business leaders and members of the Urban Development Commission and explained which stops were selected and why.

Physics teacher Peter Berg and educational technology teacher Rob Weisbach team teach the course and co-develop the projects. “This project was probably the equivalent of about 10 textbook problems when factoring in figuring out the train route and its stops and putting together their presentations,” said Berg.

Weisbach said, “From the tech-ed perspective, students are often busy working on projects and sometimes there is not enough time to explain why things happen. By combining tech-ed with a science class, it is possible to engage students in making things which heighten their interest level and explain not only what is going on but why.”

A second semester project involved radios and integrated electronic circuits and audio communication. After building a working AM/FM radio from a kit, students demonstrated their understanding of all of the electronic components’ purposes and functions. In addition, students composed a 20-second radio commercial with a theme, sound effect, and interview. Students kept a scientific journal about the electronic information, which was used for student evaluation on the project. Students also presented their commercials three times to the class and were evaluated by their peers using a rubric designed specifically for the project.

Both Berg and Weisbach believe integrated classes have several distinct advantages. “While physics can be a little dry for some students, the combination increases student interest and provides opportunities for hands-on applicability in a real-world way,” Berg said. “Physics has a huge theoretical base and often it is not possible to make the connection. Ed-tech solves that problem by bridging the gap and connecting the theoretical to the practical.”

Weisbach said, “One of the greatest benefits of the project-based learning and integrated classes is that students are fully engaged because they have a ‘need to know’ and the teacher is not the end-all, know-all,” he said.

Columbus Signature Academy, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation
Integrated classes are a fundamental part of the curriculum at Columbus Signature Academy (CSA). To address core content and meet state standards, CSA integrated chemistry, algebra, and physics to create ICAP.

“Periodic Pieces” was one of the first projects in ICAP. Team teachers Sarah Gaynor and Scott Wallace developed the project as a transition from middle school to high school science and math. Students designed a game that integrated the elements and patterns of the periodic table and had to create packaging for their game using the principles of area and volume.

“Nuclear Know How” covered the chemistry standards of radioactivity and radioactive decay while linking to Global Science Perspectives, another integrated course at CSA, in the study of energy. Students assumed the role of research analyst for a company that wanted to put a nuclear reactor in the Columbus community.

“As they delved into some of the complex processes of researching community issues and civic responsibility, some students began to change their previous notion of nuclear energy as a viable option. What was really rewarding was that the students took the issue personally and often had extensive dialog with their parents regarding nuclear energy,” said Wallace. “Algebraically, we were also able to use the opportunity to explore exponential growth and decay when looking at population growth or decline.”

To put content into context, students often role-play in their learning. In “I Cup or Cone” students assumed the role of ice cream parlor owner. Students learned to create their own ice cream using the scientific principles of solutes, solvents, solutions, freezing point depression, and boiling point elevation. Students then analyzed data regarding changes in temperature and the types and amounts of salts used in making their ice cream. The project also included graphing and using algebraic linear fits to approximate production data. In addition to the math and science work, students delved into business development to create a franchise application, business logo and philosophy, production guidelines, menus, chef biographies, and business cards. Students then presented their project to the class.

Using integrated courses requires teachers to collaborate to create specific outcomes for learning that will prepare students for life outside of the classroom. Wallace said, “With twice as many standards, it forces one to consider how to bring relevance to standards. Not one student has asked the question, ‘Why are we learning this?’ because they see problem-solving applicable in real life.

“I think another real advantage is that life does not occur in 15-minute segments on a single subject matter. It’s really like a bowl of spaghetti where everything is all mixed. So why prepare students for a segmented life? We are really trying to imitate real life every chance we get. I think that is a huge advantage,” said Wallace.

ICAP also goes beyond academics to teach students 21st-century skills for lifelong success. Gaynor and Wallace model the habits of mind—persistence, humor, collaboration, problem-solving, and communication skills—that they want their students to develop. As a result, they found students no longer look for instructions to complete a problem. Instead, they begin by identifying what they know, what they need to know and by developing a driving question. The teachers have been astounded at how quickly students have acquired problem-solving skills and learned to hold themselves accountable for their work—all qualities that are highly useful for college and the 21st-century workforce.