Crossing boundaries and creating connections

I found this task interesting to get my head around.  The term Interdisciplinary in education historically has been used in many ways and has evolved over time to currently be used as the term curriculum integration or interdisciplinary curriculum.  For the purpose of this blog, I will use the first term.  

Curriculum integration involves students being involved in:

• the decision-making process about their learning
• working collaboratively
• developing different perspectives and synthesizing disciplines
• issues driven learning rather than topic-based
• learning that is scaffolded rather than teacher lead or directed
• learning areas related to the issues rather than covering all curriculum areas

Jones, 2009; Fraser 2013)

My own future focused goals are to use increased collaborative practices and real-world learning contexts.  

The benefits of me using integrated curriculum teaching with these goals are that I will be creating learners who use higher order thinking skills.  As I am beginning this when my students first start school I am creating the foundation for their time at school.  Ultimately my students will be developing skills for lifelong learning that are sort after out in the wider world as my students grow and move into the workforce.  (Jones, 2009)  

Fraser (2013) talks about how relationships and power dynamics come into play when using a curriculum integrated approach and how strong the relationships can be along with the students taking greater control over their own learning.  I see this as being a benefit to this approach when the teacher has the necessary skills to facilitate this approach.  I am finding it challenging to scaffold my learners into taking more control over their own learning and have had to start from a very early point of helping them to understand what learning is.  My New Entrants are often not developmentally mature enough to make connections from one discipline to another or have the language to express their learning or in some cases their everyday wants and needs.  An example of this is that activities that could be completed collaboratively are currently at the co-operative level at times, and in many instances, at the ‘do it next to another’ level.  The levels of scaffolding I employ are constantly changing from one task to another and from one child to another.   I like how curriculum integration allows for greater flexibility and less fracturing of the curriculum. (Mathison & Freeman, 1997)  Fraser (2013) talks about the challenge in needing to find the balance when using curriculum integration as the big picture needs to be maintained and curriculum areas are not overlooked.  I can relate to the feeling of not having enough time that Fraser (2013) says should not be used as an excuse for not innovating.  The emphasis should be on the depth of learning, not necessary curriculum coverage.

My own pedagogical knowledge is constantly being challenged and questioned with the more reading and research I do.   My challenges I believe have shifted in writing this and is now, how do I integrate the real world learning into my programme while authentically sharing the decision making with the students.  Maybe  I am underestimating my students and just need to jump in boots and all.  This blog has certainly created more questions than answers for me this time around.

Fraser, D., Aitken, V., & Whyte, B. (2013). Connecting curriculum, linking learning. New Zealand: NZCER Press.

Jones, C.(2009). Interdisciplinary approach - Advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary studies. ESSAI, 7(26), 76-81. Retrieved from http://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=essai

Mathison,S.. & Freeman, M.(1997). The logic of interdisciplinary studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997. Retrieved from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/mathisonlogic12004.pdf: This review of literature of interdisciplinary studies can help you explore more about the interdisciplinary approach used by teachers in their class.