A Learning Community Retrospective Integrating Science and Literature

The author reflects on his 44-year career as a science instructor, during which he gradually implements new active learning strategies in the classroom and shifts to integrating science and literature in the teaching of learning communities. The author describes three learning communities to show how the disciplines of science and literature can be integrated in productive ways. The author is especially pleased that students became more active and productive learners and also appeared to demonstrate increased confidence and enjoyment of their learning community classes because the courses integrated cultural and scientific perspectives, and were interactive as well as personally and socially relevant.