This article explores some fundamental features that foster the development of collaborative relationships and collaborative communities, which in turn support the success of students with disabilities. Effective mechanisms are presented for accessing and improving collaborative support networks. Start-up problems that may arise in many schools…

Discussion of transdisciplinary activity-based assessment for young children with multiple disabilities focuses on application of assessment results to program planning for inclusion of these children in typical early childhood classes. Assessment steps are detailed and a sample assessment protocol is included. A case study is used to illustrate…

Presents a lesson for an United States Government class where the students work in groups in order to explore the tradeoffs among energy usage, transportation, environmental issues, and policy choices that must be made when solving urban transportation problems. Includes six handouts. (CMK)

Urges music educators to use activity-based instruction as opposed to more traditional methods. Provides two lesson plans for middle school students where they learn about musical instruments in an integrated science and music environment that promotes concept formation and the exploration of the role of culture in music-making. (CMK)

Explains the concept of a topic study, how it meets the needs of teachers seeking to integrate their teaching, and how it is especially well suited for environmental education. Outlines curriculum for a topic study on the greenhouse effect and ozone layer depletion. (DDR)

Two different concepts of STS--the emerging academic discipline of Science and Technology Studies and the social movement Science, Technology and Society--are explored through analysis of two textbooks from non-English-speaking countries. Each textbook represents one of the two STS concepts. Discussion of text organization is augmented by complete…

Argues that the contemporary language arts curriculum encompasses eight areas: literature, language, composition, speech and drama, critical thinking, technology, media literacy, and interdisciplinary studies. Offers a rationale for "cosmos" as a new metaphor for the language arts. Discusses the content of each of the eight curricular areas, and…

An interdisciplinary practicum case study is presented to illustrate components of a specialized preservice preparation for graduate students (n=44) in audiology, early childhood special education, school psychology, and speech-language pathology, designed to assist them in becoming inclusion collaborators/facilitators. Students' perceptions of…

Discusses gardening as an appropriate theme for problem-based learning activities that are interdisciplinary, and suggests related resources for library media specialists. Highlights include gardening in the research literature; resources from ERIC, including specific program descriptions; books; Web sites; 4-H programs; and butterfly gardens.…

Describes the Notable American Project, which focuses on the First Ladies and other notable people in the United States for students in grades 8-12. Explains that students select their subjects and then write biographical research papers, create historical posters, and present first-person speeches in costumes. Offers handouts. (CMK)

This article describes a family-centered wraparound project developed to meet the needs of elementary children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders. It discusses the role of the behavioral support team and the key roles of the principal and the teacher as the creators of cultural competence. Tips for teachers are provided. (Contains…

During the past three years, staff at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy have developed a partial reconstruction of Whitehead's "one subject matter," a course reconnecting biology, chemistry, earth and space sciences, and physics into an integrated science program. Staff successfully overcame dilemmas regarding thematic…

School-linked and school-based health services (SLSBHS) are a family of approaches that provide medical, social, and mental health services to students through school settings. Argues that school psychologists and medical professionals need to rethink professional roles and develop new techniques for interdisciplinary consultation to fulfill the…

The orientation of cultural studies at Roskilde University Centre (RUC) is interdisciplinary and thematic and incorporates science, language and literature, history, and psychology and the social sciences. An outline of RUC degree courses and sample project reports are appended. (Contains five references.) (Author)

The recent experience of the business school at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in overcoming structural obstacles to curriculum development is discussed. Drawing on an automobile industry model for organizational change, the school used an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum design and implementation. Characteristics of the…