Foreword
I remember the moment when my love of science began. I was in middle school in the early 1960’s
when my teacher overlooked checking last night’s homework questions. Instead, she performed a demonstration at
her desk. I do not recall the details of the concept but I remember thinking how exciting it was to see that concept
come to life. She did not tell us, she allowed us to experience the phenomenon. Many years later as a young middle
school science teacher, that event remained with me, acting as a catalyst in my attempt to always include an
educative experience in my lessons as Dewey advocated and avoid the passive banking system Friere decried.
I saw myself as a facilitator, there to provide experiences that would guide my students to concept formation through
self-discovery. This approach led to an interest in the strategy referred to in education circles at that time as cooperative
learning. So I reviewed many journal articles describing how to optimize student collaboration, interdependence and
individual accountability in my classroom. By combining hands-on, discovery-based experiences in the context of small
group participation, I felt as though I was nurturing self-directed, active learners to be critical thinkers, collaborators and
problem solvers.
After utilizing this pedagogy for 30 years to educate middle school girls in a superlative school in New Orleans,
Hurricane Katrina changed my beloved city over night. Experiencing how rapidly places, people and circumstances
can be there then gone, I knew it was time to take a gamble and pursue my dream of teaching in a university. I carried
my method of teaching with me to Southeastern Louisiana University’s College of Education. During my 10 years at
Southeastern as a methods teacher, I have again taken on the role of facilitator. I am able to place teacher candidates
in authentic, real-world communities of practice as described by Lave and Wenger, via the college’s teacher education
programs. To meet the needs of today’s inclusive classrooms, my teacher candidates practice using field experiences
and mentoring partnerships to instruct students with special needs, various abilities, ethnicities, family structures and
socio-economic settings. These field experiences and partnerships also necessitate collaboration, problem solving,
reflection and an interdisciplinary approach to instruction.
As effective educators, we know that the lectern is best used to store scotch tape, pencils, pens and expo markers.
Best practices in teaching and learning involve experiential learning in a collaborative setting using innovative
pedagogy that crosses the disciplines.
In this 13th volume of the Sound Instruction Books series, 19 selections from educators of various backgrounds
and disciplines offer insightful research and applicable instructional strategies to serve diverse learners. Many of
these strategies advocate crossing the disciplines and crossing the campus to embrace collaboration among
colleges and programs, parents, students, professors and surrounding schools, all underpinned by authentic
real-world experiences. The reader will discover the magic of incorporating art work across disciplines to enhance
critical thinking, how to build leaders, help disabled students to transition into the workforce, use literature to boost
teacher efficacy and promote social justice, learn how teacher candidates benefit from interdisciplinary instruction,
enhance the teaching of languages and engage reluctant college science students using transformative pedagogy.
Fellow educators, enjoy as you learn!
Deborah McCarthy, Ph. D. Associate Professor
Department of Teaching and Learning, Southeastern Louisiana University
Contents
Acknowledgements / iii
Foreword / v
Deborah McCarthy, Southeastern Louisiana University
Interdisciplinary Assessment in the 21st Century / 1
Susan M. Drake, Brock University, Canada
Joanne L. Reid, Brock University, Canada
The Interdisciplinary Approach: Its Impact / 9
Deborah McCarthy, Southeastern Louisiana University, LA
Paul Simoneaux, Southeastern Louisiana University, LA
Flo Hill-Winstead, Southeastern Louisiana University LA
Creative Thinking through Aesthetic Learning / 15
Amy R. Vigilante, University of Florida, Gainesville
Second Language Learning and Social Context / 24
Kirsten M. Hummel, Laval University, Canada
Guiding Students As They Learn to Lead / 31
Carolyn D. Roper, Purdue University Northwest, IN
Using Open Educational Resources for Healthcare and Other Courses / 38
Sherryl W. Johnson, Albany State University, Georgia
Service Learning: School-Partner Realities / 44
Scott B. Waltz, California State University Monterey Bay, CA
Revisiting Classroom Adaptation for Special Needs / 51
Samuel E. Cotton, Ball State University, IN
Kourtland R. Koch, Ball State University, IN
Michael W. Harvey, Ball State University, IN
Jeffery W. McCallister, Ball State University, IN
Transition Plans and Students with Disabilities / 59
Tracy Harrison, Leon County Special Services, Texas
Cynthia G. Simpson, Houston Baptist University, Texas
Jeffrey P. Bakken, Bradley University, Illinois
The Importance of Urban Clinical Experiences / 65
Julie Rosenthal, William Paterson University, NJ
A Proposal for Teaching Spanish to Heritage Students in the US / 73
Jorge E. Porras, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA
A Student Teacher’s View: Learning and Mentoring / 80
Scott Robinson, UH Manoa, HI
Social Justice and the Composition classroom / 89
Peggy Johnson, Saint Mary’s University, MN
Teacher Efficacy and Elementary Social Studies / 96
Nancy Reese-Durham, North Carolina Central University
Advisement: MBA Accreditation Decision Criterion / 102
Lise Heroux, SUNY Plattsburgh
Greg N. Gregoriou, SUNY Plattsburgh
Nancy J. Church, SUNY Plattsburgh
Using Literature Circles to Increase Reading Motivation / 111
Jeff Whittingham, University of Central Arkansas, AR
Staying Rogue: On (Not) Having Tenure-line Status / 116
Crystal L. Mueller, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Blasphemy into Alchemy: A Teaching Moment / 121
Jerome Rabow, University of California, Los Angeles
Author Index / 126
School Index / 127
Some articles are republished in
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