integration of curriculum: it’s benefits and uses in the middle school dr. richard a. nesmith

Integration of Curriculum:It’s Benefits and Uses In

The Middle School

Dr. Richard A. NeSmith

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What is integration?

• Integration is when the content from one subject area is used to _______ the content of another ________ _____.

• It is best to focus on ____ concepts can best be taught rather than only focusing on how they can be __________.

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Two Schools of Thought

• Integration is the focus and should ___ _______ so that one is unable to discern the actual “discipline” being studied.

• Integration is only a _____ to an end, in which other disciplines are used to help students make “_________” so as to see the parts and the whole of a _________.

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REASONS FOR RECENT SUPPORT

• More educators support curriculum that involves knowledge _____________ rather than memorization.

• Brain research indicates that the brain looks for ________ and ____________ and emphasizes coherence which makes knowledge more easily _________.

• Today’s problems and situations cannot be solved via a single discipline, so it is necessary to _________________ curriculum for ___________.• The knowledge ___________ has shifted the focus in education from ____ answers to finding best ________.

• Professional educators who push for ______________ educational ideas support integrated curriculum.

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DEFINITION OF INTEGRATED CURRICULUM

“Curriculum that is integrated using topics, themes, and subject areas to _______ _____________ learning, which allows students to __________ learning from one subject area to another, to ____-______ situations, and to their own ____________”.

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Curriculum integration should include a content areas most

powerful ideas

• Choose topics that _________ overlap

• The goal of integration should be to add ____________ of the subject

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Considerations for Integration

• Make sure the chosen topics _________ one another

• When choosing a topic, make sure that you have ___________ to adequate materials

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Science, and math are subjects that build on one another

• Students should be able to weave the subjects together ________

• ______ _________ and problem solving are even a part of P.E.

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Technology is an enhancer!

• Computers present knowledge in ____ ways

• Concepts can be stored and _________ later on computers

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The internet is filled with millions of resources

• Students must learn to ______ with information _________

• Students must learn to _______ out valuable information from that that is not accurate or useful

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Language skills can be integrated with science concepts• Students should be

able to ___________ their findings both orally and through written work

• Students can learn the ____ ____ __ ______ and answering questions efficiently

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Integrate science in the community!

• ________ learning can be done in the community

• Science is all around us – the air we breathe, the foods we eat, and the flowers we grow (Barclay 1999).

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Good reasons to integrate:

• It is best when subjects are not learned as _______ of information that are ___________

• Integrating gives students more than one way of knowing a concept and ________ _________ to it

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Good reasons to integrate (continued)

• Integrating gives more ________ experiences for slower learners and more __________ experiences for others

• Integration is an excellent way to ______ _____________ of concepts

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Negative aspects of integration of the curriculum:

• Few studies clearly show that an integrated curriculum is _____

• Strong __________ skills are required before an integrated curriculum can be used

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Science & Math could be restricted if required to be thematic

• Confining science concepts is not _________.

• Math is generally sequential, and learning in a “here and there” manner _____ __ ________

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Negative aspects of integration (continued)

• ___________ and room location may have to be changed

• All teachers should be in _________, and staff _______ would have to implemented

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What about Assessment?

• There is a movement for more ____-_____ testing, but it is not here yet.

• Research has shown that while students scored better in open-ended problem solving, students scored lower on _______ ________ procedural based skills (Meier 1998).

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CHARACTERISTICS OF AN

INTEGRATED CURRICULUM

• Central problem or issue is ____________ by teachers and students collaboratively.

• Issue is of personal and social ____________ to young adolescents.

• _______ or ______ becomes central focus of the curriculum.

• Learning ___________ are planned that relate to the issue and integrate knowledge from all disciplines and domains.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF AN

INTEGRATED CURRICULUM

• Learning experiences are planned that relate to the issue and integrate knowledge from all disciplines and domains.

• Subject lines _________ as the emphasis is placed on the ______________ of the issue.

• Students acquire knowledge and ______ to solve the problem or issue being studied rather than merely to accumulate _________ facts or skills, or to prepare for a _______________ test.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF AN

INTEGRATED CURRICULUM

• Projects and activities involve the ____ ____________ of knowledge.

• Young adolescents see how this experience can be used in other circumstances (_____________).

• Students see the benefits of democratic ________ ________.

Based on: Bean, J. (1996). On the shoulders of giants! The case for curriculum integration. Middle School Journal, 28(1), 6-11.

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RESOURCES• requires a wide __________ to meet the many learning styles, interests, and abilities of the students.

ASSESSMENT• needs to be ________, such as rubrics, checklists, and portfolios, to assess knowledge of relationships, projects, and products.

TEACHER•serves as a ____________, not a supplier of knowledge.

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WEILBACHER’S STUDY (1998)

Reasons why integrated curriculum believed to be the best way to teach:

1. ...allowed teachers to form better ___________ with students

2. ..allowed students to form better relationships ______ _____ _______

3. ..made learning more ________ to the students4. ..provided students with a chance to make

__________ between the academic disciplines, their community, and their own experiences.

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WEILBACHER’S STUDY (1998)

Reasons to return to traditional planning and teaching:

1. ...time ___________ difficulties2. ...______ involved with frequently being

asked to justify integrated curriculum and prove its effectiveness for _________ _________

3. ...teacher ________, self-doubt, isolation4. ...changes in teaching partners requiring

________

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PAUL GEORGE’S CAUTIONS ABOUT INTEGRATED CURRICULUM (1996)

1. Teachers may feel __________ by unfamiliarity and uncertainty, leading to __________________.

2. May make teacher’s proficiency from many years of study of a single subject ________.

3. May not allow students and teachers to benefit from improvement teachers make in _______ and _______ due to experience.

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PAUL GEORGE’S CAUTIONS ABOUT INTEGRATED CURRICULUM (1996)

4. teachers already have too little planning time and _____________________ during it.

5. schools may not have adequate _________ to _________ it.

6. ________ support may decline due to not understanding it or lower test scores.

7. High schools may be critical and students __________ for high school subjects.

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EXPLORATORY CLASSES

Offer a way for students to _________ hidden talents or interests that could lead to a lifelong career or hobby.

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• Exploratory classes are designed to help young adolescent learners explore curriculum areas based on their _____, ________, and aptitudes.

• Classes are often offered based on the ________ the teachers have which they are willing to share with students.

• Teachers try to motivate students to learn more about the topic by sharing a ________ interest in it.

• Teachers serve as a _____ or ________, select activities and materials, and monitor progress.

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Exploratory SUCCESS DEPENDS UPON:

• TEACHER ____________

• STUDENT __________

• TEACHER _____________

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To integrate or not to integrate…

What do you think?