Curriculum Integration and the NAF Curriculum: How can we do this?

Laura Fidler, NAF Curriculum Specialist laura@naf.org

Where do we begin?

Which of these projects is the best option for integrating curriculum? Consider the concept and driving question before making your decision.

Scenario A: Teachers create a cross-curricular project on the concept of money. Driving question: How is wealth valued differently by people depending on their circumstances?

Scenario B: Teachers create a cross-curricular project about the financial crisis. Driving question: How did the recent financial crisis happen and what is the government doing for recovery?

What is curriculum integration for a NAF academy?Curriculum integration is a pedagogical approach in which: •Several or all Academic and career-theme teachers collaborate to develop projects that incorporate skills and content from all of their subject areas

•Students make meaningful connections across subjects

•Standards and learning objectives from different subjects are met simultaneously

•Students confront authentic, relevant questions, dilemmas, and issues that pique their curiosity and sustain their engagement

What are the strengths and weaknesses of these questions as drivers for an integrated unit? Give 3 reasons for each.

A Use evidence to reconstruct what happened in a crime

B Design a “green” roof made of plants to replace the roof of a New York city high-rise

C Plan a trip to another country and present what a visitor would experience there

D Develop a business plan for a new business

Curriculum integration benefits teachers as well as students.

Curriculum Integration

Better understanding of relationships among disciplines

Strong collegial relationships

Better relationships with students

Improved personal practice

Every NAF Lesson includes ideas for curriculum integration

Cross-curricular extension activities are listed at the end of every Lesson Plan

Culminating projects are another way to incorporate curriculum integration

How do the culminating projects for each course encourage collaboration across disciplines?

Academy Theme Culminating project example

Academy of Finance Develop a proposal and analysis to invest in a company

Academy of Information Technology

Design a dream computer system

Academy of Hospitality & Tourism

Plan an entertainment event for the local community

Curriculum integration develops along a continuum

BEGINNING INTERMEDIATE ADVANCED

Single Subject

Parallel (Paired) Interrelated Conceptual

Conceptual integration is the most powerful level

Conceptual integration is based on a unifying idea

CONCEPT

English

Math

Computers

History

The unifying idea is a concept, learned through topics

Concept Topic

An organizing idea or mental construct

A category of study that implies a body of related facts to be learned

The concept underlies and links the topics together

The topics relate to and illuminate the unifying concept:

Concept: VIOLENCE

Topic: Violence in weather

Topic: Violence in media

Topic: Violence in society

Each subject uses different topics to explore the unifying concept

Unifying Concept ExamplePatterns

Math Topic: Patterns and Inductive Reasoning in Geometry

English Topic: Rhyming Patterns in different types of sonnets

Biology Topic: Patterns of behavior in different orders of insects

How to Choose a Rigorous Thematic Topic/Concept

Complexity

To what extent is the theme complex? Does it allow for

interrelated concepts?1-2-3-4

Emotion

To what extent does the theme arouse strong

feelings?1-2-3-4

Provocativeness

To what extent can the theme challenge and engage

the student’s previous concepts?

1-2-3-4

Ambiguity

To what extent can the theme utilize symbols and

images with multiple meanings?

1-2-3-4

Richard Strong, “Teaching What M

atters M

ost”

Test the Topic for Relevance

Topic

How is this topic relevant to…

The Workplace/ The Working World

The Workplace/ The Working World

Your Subject area/ Discipline

Your Subject area/ Discipline

The School CommunityThe School Community

David Hyerle Ed.D, “Tools for Learning

Your StudentsYour Students

The driving question is an open-ended invitation…

The driving question captures the concept and must grab and hold student interest

Guidelines for the Driving QuestionSource: Project-Based Learning Handbook (The Buck Institute)

Driving questions are:⚫ Provocative⚫ Open-ended⚫ Go to the heart of a discipline or topic⚫ Challenging⚫ Arise from real-world dilemmas that students find

interesting⚫ Consistent with curricular standards and

frameworks.

It takes practice to craft a good driving question

Of the examples below, which one makes the best driving question?

1. How can we best design advertising to promote Disneyland?

2. How can we, as financial consultants, best develop a strategy for our client to respond to current market conditions?

3 .Does WalMart meet my ethical standards as a potential employer?

4. How can we create a documentary video that uses digital tools effectively to tell the story of how Japanese anime and rap music are related?

5. How can we, as customer service consultants, explain the four rules of customer service to a hospitality- or tourism-related business?

Topic tables help teachers find connections

The beginning of a great curriculum integration project lies in the overlaps and connections teachers find by comparing their curricula. Here is a simplified example of potential connections:History Science PE Art

Ancient Japan Minerals and rocks Fitness goals Wood Block prints

Effects of trade on Japan

Carbon dating Nutrition Still Life

Japanese society today

Composition of fossils Prevention of disease

Exploration of color

Successful curriculum integration projects follow a sequence of steps

1. Generate a topic table2. Decide on unifying concept for integrated unit or project3. Define the topics that will explore the concept and ensure

they meet standards and objectives for each subject area4. Design the driving question5. Choose key questions that breaks the driving question into

smaller parts6. Create curriculum map 7. Allocate team responsibilities8. Identify evidence of student learning associated with the

projects9. Write lesson plans with formative and summative

assessments10. Evaluate the project or unit

Curriculum integration requires…

Review your answers from beginning of session. Have your answers changed, if so, how? Pick one question to rewrite to change wording.

A Use evidence to reconstruct what happened in a crime

B Design a “green” roof made of plants to replace the roof of a New York city high-rise

C Plan a trip to another country and present what a visitor would experience there

D Develop a business plan for a new business

Which curriculum development process works best to create an integrated project.

Scenario B: English teacher will tie in a novel for students to read at the same time as the project. Teachers involved decide to meet once a week in the teacher’s lounge after school to plan. Plans include inviting professionals into the classroom to review rough drafts of project artifacts and provide feedback.

Scenario A: English teacher will tie in a novel that students read last semester and already know well. Teachers involved will confer with each other via email to save time. Plans include sending students’ project artifacts to professionals via email for review and to solicit feedback.

What would you do differently to make these work?

NAF.connect.org has videos of cross-curricular projects

Here is the url for the NAF video series:

http://nafcollaborationnetwork.org/video-archive.html

ConnectEd has a video series as well:

http://www.connectedcalifornia.org/about/media.php

“When different talents and ideas rub up against each other, there is friction….yes. But …..also sparks, fire, light and eventually….. brilliance”

Nancie O’Neill

You’re on your way!

Laura FidlerNAF Curriculum Specialistlaura@naf.org347-638-4314