Curriculum Integration
Curriculum
integration was a highly fashionable topic in the 1980’s and 1990’s, often
associated with the middle schooling and then associated with ‘science of
learning’ and ‘brain based learning’ movements. Recently, I have come across a
number of PE teachers locally and on social media interested in thematic or concept determined curriculum
planning, and I have been reminded of some of the learning I was involved in
during my teaching in the ‘late 80’s and 90’s’ that was initiated by these ideas popular at the time, but which have their origins long before this. In this blog, I also pick up some of the ideas I introduced in a keynote I gave at the Connected PE Conference in Dubai in October 2017, where I argued 'sport' can be a curriculum organiser for cross curriculum or integrated curriculum planning.
My
undergrad degree was a double major physical education (PE) and science (with a
minor in outdoor education). In my 18 years teaching Year 6-12 PE I was
frequently struck by the number of common concepts covered in science and health
education, and the education about movement in PE practical and theory classes and concepts covered in science. Science and PE (or HPE) are well placed for
curriculum integration.
The
topic of curriculum integration can, however, be confusing. When is it
integrated curriculum, when is it interdisciplinary teaching, when is it
thematic curriculum, when is it synergistic teaching, when is it concept driven teaching – and, does it matter?
When it
comes to curriculum integration, I like this definition:
“education that is organized
in such a way that it cuts across subject-matter lines, bringing together
various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association to focus upon
broad areas of study. It views learning and teaching in a holistic way and
reflects the real world, which is interactive.” (Shoemaker, 1989,
p. 5)
Debate about curriculum integration is often pivoted on
the constructivist idea of student-centred learning that takes the experiences
of students as a starting point for the curriculum, and then spins on desires
to maintain the integrity of subject areas vs desires to provide ‘real world’
learning contexts.
Most curriculum frameworks are now underpinned by
constructivist and not behaviourist tenets. One of the fundamental tenets of
constructivism is to structure curriculum around big ideas, not small bits of
information. Subject/learning areas are, however, arguably relics from the emergence of institutionalised learning during the industrial
era and behaviourist ideas about how to most effectively ‘package’ information and
ideas for the factory model of schooling.
Is
there a benefit to curriculum integration?
The benefit of curriculum integration across learning
areas (such as science and PE/HPE) potentially occurs two ways, and is possibly of more pronounced
benefit for the middle school teacher having a class for multiple subjects/learning
areas (another defining feature of middle schooling). The two ways are:
- Identifying connections within
and between content in subjects/learning areas so you don’t get from students “we’ve
done that already”
- Providing more diverse and ‘real’
learning contexts as subject boundaries become blurred
Curriculum
integration is not a random combination or ‘throwing together’ of similar
content to reduce duplication. It is a systematic and conscious approach to
making the relationships between subject areas explicit. to that end, there
are varied levels of integration, as illustrated by Palmer in "Planning
Wheels Turn Curriculum Around." Educational Leadership 49/2 (1991):
57-60 - who described the following
practices:
n Developing
cross-curriculum objectives
n Developing
lessons that include cross-curricular activities and assessments
n Developing
enrichment or enhancement activities with a cross-curricular focus
n Developing
assessment activities that are cross-curricular in nature
Models of Curriculum Integration
In this
next section I will outline a few ways to go about the process of integration
using science and PE examples to illustrate.
The Infusion Model. This
model is the most basic way of integrating. It occurs through the infusion of
content from another subject into PE. For example, incorporating scientific
literacy (writing in third person ‘passive voice’) and the scientific method
into PE. An example would be students learning about movement in PE by researching levers and participating in an investigation of lever length in striking and fielding
games, and then writing a report on the use of levers in sport.
The Linked Model. This
model involves the linking of two subjects to allow concepts and applications
to be taught together. For example, a PE and science teacher working together
to coordinate a unit focused on a particular content theme (eg. the muscular
system) or concept (eg. force).
The Multidisciplinary Model.
This model describes units of work with a common core of
outcomes and a common assessment that incorporates multiple subject perspectives. For example, the teacher chooses a central
focus, such as a career theme (sport science), which provides the unifying
ideas which create connections between the subjects (Science, English, Math and PE) and
content (eg. coaching skills, movement ability, movement analysis).
Key influences
on my thinking
A key influence on my thinking in this area, and specifically
using concepts and ‘big ideas’ as curriculum drivers, was the book 'How People Learn:
Brain, Mind, Experience in School' (1999)
An interesting read on this topic was the book 'Interdisciplinary Teaching Through Physical Education' (1998)
Conclusion
Bean (1991) argued that curriculum areas are nothing more than territorial spaces carved out by subject specialists. It has been my experience that those who strongly
support curriculum integration look at education as a process for developing
abilities required by life, rather than the acquisition of ‘discipline
area’ matter. There are sufficient commonalities
within Science and PE for curriculum integration, and while they are well
placed for curriculum integration, when to integrate, what to integrate, and
what happens to the breadth of the subjects when a teacher/s decides to
integrate are important considerations.
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