Implementing a science-based interdisciplinary curriculum in the second grade: A community of practice in action*

The purpose of this study was to explore the role that a collaborative teaching approach, referred to as a community of practice (CoP), had on a team of four second grade teachers’ implementation of a science-based interdisciplinary curriculum. Data was collected in the form of extensive observation notes gathered over 10-weeks of twice weekly team meetings and two 45 minute interviews with each participant. From the field notes developed two vignettes for the purpose of illustrating the members CoP in action. Combining my analysis of the vignettes and the interviews resulted in three emergent themes: 1) benefits, 2) contributions, and 3) their commitment to professional development. From this study I learned that establishing a CoP was viewed as a necessary component of the team’s implementation of their science-based interdisciplinary curriculum. Implications for encouraging preservice and inservice elementary teachers to develop CoPs to support science teaching, specifically interdisciplinary teaching, are discussed.