The Changing Conceptions of Science, Mathematics, and Instruction

Abstract

The idea that students should investigate practical matters of importance to the local community is hardly new. Neither is the belief that disciplines should be linked and taught in an integrated fashion. In the 1930s, science textbooks had titles like Everyday Problems in Science. Students learned about soil erosion and conservation methods; about infectious disease, vaccination, and inoculation. In mathematics, they learned about consumer discounts, compound interest, and balancing checkbooks. More than three decades earlier, John Dewey pioneered an educational philosophy of focusing school work on neighborhood problems and drawing from the many disciplines as students engaged in such activities. He pointed out that real-world problems are not readily confined within disciplinary boundaries, and neither should schooling be so confined.