Transcript The Value of Integration Shawn Martin & Bill Klemm PEER Program Texas A&M University.

The Value of Integration
Shawn Martin
& Bill Klemm
PEER Program
Texas A&M University
“Only in education, never in the life
of the farmer, sailor, merchant,
physician, or laboratory experiment,
does knowledge mean primarily a
store of information aloof from
doing.”
-John Dewey
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Integration is all around us;
in society and in nature.
Most contemporary jobs
require the integration
of a range of skills.
In today’s workforce,
we are given a
problem and asked
to solve it, often with
guidance but infrequently
with direct instruction.
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The “test” is whether or not the
problem gets solved.
In traditional schools students are
given a set of facts and asked to
memorize them, but then are not
given the opportunity to apply
them in a way that is applicable to
life outside of the school.
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Teachers often think of integrated
curriculum as two teachers
combining their classes and
teaching their subject-specific
material in the same room at the
same time.
So What is Integration?
According to Webster’s dictionary,
integration is:
the combining and coordinating
of separate parts or elements
into a unified whole.
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A basic educational definition is that
an integrated curriculum is one in
which children broadly explore
knowledge in various subjects.
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And, in general, most definitions of
integrated curriculum include:
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A combination of subjects
An emphasis on projects
Sources that go beyond textbooks
Relationships among concepts
Thematic units as organizing principals
Flexible schedules
Flexible student groupings
Ten Reasons to Teach an
Integrated Curriculum
10. Unless you have 50 hours a day to
teach, you’ll never get it all in.
9. An integrated curriculum allows
science and social studies to frame
your reading, writing and math.
8. The BRAIN thrives on connections.
7. Life is not divided into neat little blocks
of time called science, math,
reading, writing, social studies, and
recess.
http://thankyoubrain.com
6. Problem-solving skills soar when all of
our knowledge and higher-level
thinking from all curriculum areas are
tapped.
5. Real Literature in real books provides
an authentic diving board into
learning all subjects.
4. School has it backwards! In real life
you are tested with a problem and
then must scramble for answers, but
in traditional school you are given
the answers and asked to…
regurgitate them.
3. Group interactions and teambuilding inherent in an integrated
curriculum depend on using a
variety of strengths and skills to
create bridges to understanding.
2. Your standardized test scores will hit
the top! By inspiring students to
THINK, to love learning, and to put
their learning to work in authentic
ways, your kids will be equipped for
whatever curves they might be
thrown...on standardized tests and
in life!
1. STUDENTS LOVE AN INTEGRATED
CURRICULUM AND THRIVE ON ITS
CHALLENGES!
-The Little Red School House, 2002
Why should you try integrated
teaching?
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To Promote Collaboration:
A teacher may be good on her own,
but it isn't until she is connected to
her students, their families, the
teachers and the school, that she
truly succeeds.
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To Reflect the Real World:
Engaging students in real-world
problem solving as they acquire
the skills and knowledge needed
for success in work and life is as
important for middle school
students as it is for those in high
school.
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To Try an Exciting Approach:
“The integrated curriculum is a
great gift to experienced
teachers. It’s like getting a new
pair of lenses that make teaching
a lot more exciting and helps us
look forward into the next century.
It is helping students take control
of their own learning.”
-M. Markus
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To Connect School Subjects:
Social
Studies
Science
Mathematics
English Language Arts
“I’m learning more in this
course, and I’m doing better
than I used to do when social
studies and English were
taught separately.”
Student, quoted in Oster, L.
How Texas A&M PEER Program
Integrates Environmental Health
English Language
Arts
Science
Environmental
Health Science
Social Studies
Mathematics
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To Motivate Self:
It’s not just the children who
benefit. All teachers can be fully
involved in creating the curriculum
and the lack of fixed lesson times
can give their creativity a far freer
rein.
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To Involve the Community:
“By nature schools are a part and
reflection of the communities in
which they exist.”
-Glencoe
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To Have Fun:
“When Marilyn Phipps took over as
head at Damson Wood School five
years ago, she was determined to get
away from the ‘If it’s Wednesday, it
must be science’ approach to
teaching. ‘The day was so
fragmented,’ she says, ‘and all of the
staff wanted that to change too. We
wanted to bring fun back into
teaching.”
Challenges of Integrated Curriculum
Change is difficult for everyone
involved…students, parents, and
teachers.
Yet, even as the teachers recognize
the challenges, their focus is on the
benefits!
Students
“The students have had a difficult
time transitioning to the new
curriculum since they were used
to memorizing simple
procedures, doing multiple
practice problems, and then
taking tests and quizzes on a
small selection of topics.”
Parents
“This curriculum doesn’t
look like ‘real’ math to
parents. It is difficult for
many parents to help
their children because
they can’t find problems
in the book that show
them how to do the
problems we assign.”
Teachers
“The real challenge to teaching this way
is that you must be very familiar with
the material and willing to risk having
students take you in a direction other
than the one you
had planned for
the lesson.”
Greatest Challenges to Integration
Using PEER Curriculum
Perceived difficulty of using integrative modules
based on comments of 125 middle school teachers:
■ Time for team planning and prep time 26%
■ Teaming, scheduling, cooperation, buy-in 17%
■ Teacher Diversity (style, technology, change) 15%
■ Curriculum (full, ISD restraints, alignment) 15%
■ Access to technology (computers) 9%
■ Time-lines for teaching different subjects 9%
How We Address The Challenges
Teacher preparation and team planning time
■ Present modules with ready-to-use specific
implementation plans with lesson plans,
worksheets and activities.
Technology
■ Make materials printable and down-loadable
from the Web
■ Train teachers how to embrace this technology
■ Provide online tutorials on implementation
Teacher diversity and ‘buy-in’
■ Encourage technology use and training
for technology
■ Recruit teachers with diverse interests/
teaching styles
■ Target pre-service teachers
Constraints of full curriculum and ISD requirements
■ Identify the standards being taught and
how the curriculum improves interest
and possibly test scores.
Increasing awareness and use of the curriculum
■ Use mailings, faxes, website advertisement,
targeting new and pre-service teachers
■ e-Mentoring of novice teachers
Example Integration Using PEER Material
Peru Mini-modules, 6th Grade
Number of Class Periods
Subjects
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Social
Studies
Geography
Mapping
SS 1,2
Cont.
Peru History
SS 3,4
Cont.
Government
Economy
Science
Carbon dating
Sci. 1
Solving the
mystery
Sci. 2,3
Solving the
mystery
Sci. 2,3
Vectors
Sci. 3
Disease
Sci. 4
Finish all
Math
Half Life
Math 6
Measurement
Math 4
Geometry
Math 3
Cont.
Probability
Math 5
Quant.
Reasoning
Math 1, 2
8
People
Cont.
English
Read Story
Eng. 1
Communicati
on
Eng. 2
Communicati
on
Eng. 2
Communicati
on
Eng. 2
Word Origin
Vocab.
Eng. 3,4
Verbs
Art
Show pictures
of Peruvian
Art
Start Pottery
Work on
Pottery
Cont.
Cont.
Start painting
pottery
Paint
Finished
products on
display
Music
Talk about
and listen to
Peruvian
Music
Compose in
groups, a song
about Peru
Cont.
Cont.
Cont.
Practice songs
Practice songs
Perform songs
for
classmates, or
parents.
So how do you integrate?
Research
Take the time to
research current
resources and the
best practices.
Learn from others
what works and
doesn’t work.
Develop
Sit down with others in your
school and develop a plan of
attack.
Implement
Once you have a plan, implement it into
one group or grade level and monitor it,
with continual assessment of the
students and the plan.
Remember
Don’t try to include people who
have no interest in integrating.
Adopt
Adopt a program school-wide
and continue to monitor it.
Tips for Implementing
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Start small: you don’t have to
start school wide.
Communicate: with others in
your group, school, district.
Time: make sure you have
plenty of planning time.
Questions?