Integrating energy as a crosscutting concept across the Science program

Abstract

"Interdisciplinary thinking is essential in science education, enabling students to integrate knowledge and address complex problems. The Sciences de la nature (0NTC) competency emphasizes cross-disciplinary integration, yet implementing interdisciplinary teaching remains challenging, particularly in identifying common ground across scientific domains. This study uses an action research framework to design interdisciplinary pedagogy centered on crosscutting concepts (CCCs) as unifying themes in college science courses. A design team of Science teachers identified the concept of energy as a unifying CCC. A review of textbooks revealed fragmented treatments of energy across disciplines, potentially hindering students’ ability to connect this concept in interdisciplinary contexts. To address this, the team analyzed program competencies related to energy and co-designed instructional tools tailored to disciplinary contexts. The resulting resources demonstrate how CCCs can be integrated into curricula. This presentation will describe the design process, resources developed, and preliminary findings from the pilot, informing interdisciplinary teaching practices." -- AQPC