Why do students NEED an Integrated MST Learning Experience?
There are several different types of integration. In this classroom, we are looking at total
integration, with team teaching for the whole course, the whole year. There are many examples
of total integration seen in elementary schools. I am here today to tell you about the
importance of integration at the high school level.
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Integration brings many topics together and allows you to see the big picture, 3
dimensional, if you will. Integration automatically comes up when you are using inquiry or
problem-based learning, which are the methods used for this class. This hands-on approach to
learning gives our students the opportunity to explore their interests. Because their interests
are as diverse as they are, many topics will be explored. We can look at calculus with physics,
then discuss economics and ethics all during the same problem. This freedom allows our
students to look at problems for more than one angle, find a way to approach the problem, and
construct their own knowledge.
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We want to help guide students down the path of thinking! They have so much to offer,
they bring so much to the table, but we don’t take advantage of this asset. The current method
of teaching is failing our students. Not enough of our students are graduating. And those that
are graduating are not adequately prepared for college or careers. The students are not
engaged and the topics do not hold their interest. There’s no connection to that material for
the students. They cannot apply what they have learned to the outside world. They are not
forming connections from subject to subject or to their own lives. Because of this, students are
not remembering most of what we are teaching them.
Using integrated learning processes,
students build skills that allow them to apply knowledge to different situations. Many new
experiences help connect prior knowledge and make a more rounded understanding. This
higher level learning is actual authentic learning that the students can clearly use and apply in
their life.
Forcing the students to think for themselves, to reason through and defined their ideas
helps them grow. We need a change for our students. Students need to be active participants in
school. Students need to be mathematicians and scientists who can problem solve. Students
need to learn about cutting edge technology: this is where national debates are. We want our
students to be able to think critically. This is where students can make a difference in their
community. Having the ability to reason, using all the tools available to them including making
connections between the subjects they are learning. Math by itself is static. Math coupled with
Science and technology comes to life and can be see all around us. In the outside world,
scientists have a problem or need that they have to solve. Currently in the classroom, students
are given the answer and told the pathway. This disconnect is why many students hate math
class and science class.
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Integrated learning allows us to take our students outside the walls and constraints of
academia and into their community. When students are not bound by one subject, rather open
to integrated learning with math science and technology at our fingertips, the options for
learning experience for the students are limitless. It allows students to see the world and all the
beauty it holds. It forces students to think about people and events outside of their own daily
lives and activities. It gives students the opportunity to explore and experience life with a safety
net to fall back on.
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The aim of education is to develop the knowledge, the skills, and the positive attitudes of
individuals, so that they will be self-confident, capable and committed to setting goals, making
informed choices and acting in ways that will improve their own lives and the life of their
community.
I pass you over to Aaron now who will discuss the importance of students coming back
to Rochester and making a difference in our community.
Physical Technology: a community approach
This class is designed to help students make connections between math, science, and
technology. This class also allows students to see how MST is used in their community. Our
students will be more prepared for college and/or to enter the work force after participating in
our integrated and community based classed based off the MST standards.
MST Standards
Standard 1: Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design,
as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solutions.
Standard 2: Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate
technologies.
Standard 3: Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by
communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings,
and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra,
data analysis, probability, and trigonometry.
Standard 4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories
pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical
development of ideas in science.
Standard 5: Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and
evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
Standard 6: Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect
mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of
learning.
Standard 7: Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and
technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions.