INTEGRATED

CURRICULUM
"An integrated study is one in which
children broadly explore knowledge
in various subjects related to certain
aspects of their environment
 Cont
He sees links among the humanities, communication
arts, natural sciences, mathematics, social studies,
music, and art. Skills and knowledge are developed
and applied in more than one area of study.
In keeping with this thematic definition, Shoemaker
defines an integrated curriculum as ...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.
 What is integration?

Problem, concerns real to the student and real in

the community.
Students and teachers work together to select the
specific topic of interest to them and together they
plan how, when, where, and why they will pursue
it.
Active students participation and decision making.
Explore issue to understand and to propose a
solution, suggestion a new direction and report the
result.
Develop essential skills intrinsic to their learning.
 cont
Key skill may be formulating questions,
creating hypotheses, working out way to
collect data, and report on what has been
learned.
Subject content and knowledge comes
into play after, rather than before,
deciding what is to be studied and how.
 Program which are genuinely
integrative
Based on topic of substance and significance.
Place on emphasis on seeing connection in
and purpose for learning.
Develop big ideas that excite the imagination.
Develop desire for the learning process.
Develop skills and knowledge that are real to
student.
Build on and extend knowledge and
experience.
Develop sustained programmes or work.
 Components of Integrated Curriculum

Focuses on basic skills, content and

higher level thinking
Encourages lifelong learning
Structures learning around themes, big
ideas and meaningful concepts
Provides connections among various
curricular disciplines
Provides learners opportunities to apply
skills they have learned
 cont
Encourages active participation in
relevant real-life experiences
Captivates, motivates, and challenges
learners
Provides a deeper understanding of
content
Offers opportunities for more small group
and industrialized instruction
Accommodates a variety of learning
styles/theories (i.e., social learning
theory, cooperative learning, intrinsic
 Characteristics of an Integrated
Curriculum

Student directed real-world application.

Researched based
Usage of multiple resources
Social skills improved
Collaboration
Problem-answer
Find a authentic literature on a topic
 The purpose of integration

appropriately constructed to meet the

needs of two or more course units/VET
units or endorsed programs find it better
to deal with fewer teacherswhere the
same teacher is delivering two
Units and thus sees the students twice
as often make the connections between
the parts of the program and enjoy its
variety
 cont
Enjoy participating in partnerships with
business, training organizations, and
community
Groups and connect with wider
community based activities like
environmental projects
Steps of integrated curriculum

Selecting a theme
Collecting texts and other materials
Engaging students
Grouping students
Expanding the theme
Assessing student growth
Why is curriculum integration important?

Students see relationships among ideas and

concepts as they plan and experience a
theme-based inquiry.
Relationships between in- and out-of-school
topics become obvious to students.
Communication processes become authentic
as students engage in thematically based
learning activities.
Students are encouraged to share ideas. As
they listen to one another, their personal
bases of ideas are expanded.
 cont
Respect and cooperation among peers
are expanded through interaction.
Students become more responsible for
and engaged in their own learning.
The teacher assumes the role of
facilitator rather than information
dispenser.
A sense of community develops as
cooperatively designed student projects
and classroom displays are created.
 Cont

Many grouping patterns naturally

emerge.

Assessment is continuous and related to

learning endeavors
Principles of curriculum integration

Learning build , extends and expands a

students personal knowledge and
experience.
Open-ended and provide for a range of
learning style .
Process of learning valued as the product
of learning .
 cont
Range of possible approaches to
curriculum integration.
Making connections and seeing real
purpose for their learning.
Based in topics of substance and
significance.
Linked to problems and issues that are of
personal and social concern to students.
 cont

Learning experiences develop big ideas

that excite and challenge the
imagination.
Actively involved in negotiating the
content and direction of their learning.
Knowledge, skills , values , and attitudes
are all integrated
 Approaches of integrated
curriculum

Interdisciplinary
Multidisciplinary
Transdisciplinary Integration
Interdisciplinary

When teachers integrate the sub

disciplines within a subject area, they are
using an intradisciplinary approach.
Integrating reading, writing, and oral
communication in language arts is a
common example
A good example of this is in a school wide
grade 78 unit, four to six weeks long,
developed by teachers .
 cont
The focus of study was "survival in a changing
world." All subject areas were involved in the
unit, including a foreign language, agriculture,
and life management. All teachers focused on
problem solving, decision making, and
communication, and selected the concepts
that were most compatible with their course
content. This approach lends itself very well to
planning with standards and performance
assessment because the standards for each
discipline are clearly set out.
Multidisciplinary

In a multidisciplinary approach, two or

more subject areas are organized around
the same theme or topic. In elementary
school, this often occurs when learning
centers are utilized. The topic may be
pioneers, and students rotate through a
math center, language center, and visual
art center. At each one they explore the
topic of pioneers via an activity grounded
in the curriculum subject area.

 cont
In secondary schools, a common theme is
often studied in various subject-based
classrooms. For example, teachers of all
subject areas at High School and have agreed
to integrate the public health issue of physical
activity into their lesson plans (Eckman, 2000).
They undertook this integration in concert with
the Social studies was to look at policymaking
procedures, and English was to write editorials
and public service announcements about the
issue.
 cont

In math class students learned

graphing, plotting, percentages, and
ratios as they pertain to collecting health
data. Sociology and psychology students
were to implement and test planned
intervention.
Transdisciplinary Integration

In the transdisciplinary approach to

integration, teachers organize curriculum
around student questions and concerns.
Students develop life skills as they apply
interdisciplinary and disciplinary skills in
a real-life context. Two routes lead to
transdisciplinary integration: project-
based learning and negotiating the
curriculum.
 Advantages

Connections
Variety within Learning
Classroom Culture
Curriculum Advancements
 Disadvantages:

Interest Issues
Content Issues
A Turn with Classroom Culture
Inaccessible to some students due to
cultural, academic, or ability
differences