Benefits of an Integrated Curriculum

OVERVIEW

Integrated curriculum is about making significant connections between subjects or skills that are usually addressing several different subject areas integrating curriculum can also improve learning experiences. An integrated approach to learning is designed to focus learning within the curriculum, setting perimeters and establishes the continuity of learning across the years and levels. Queensland Studies Authority documents contain the content and achievement standards for teachers to exercise within their classrooms, promoting student learning. The planning matrix lesson series relates to learners between year 1 – 3 as it is a can be integrated to curriculum. It also addresses the learning essentials, objectives, and values, applying differentiation, modifications, outcomes and scope and sequence. This integrated matrix relates to school because in health and nutrition plays a large role within today’s society. The issue of health is recognised as an important concern over the last several decades. Nutrition is the focal point of health and well-being. Nutrition is related to human development, production and ultimately to the growth. We will discover how the following scenario relates to integrating matrix of being healthy. Consider the skills and knowledge necessary to understand how to eat nutritiously and become healthy citizens. There are some fundamental things that must be know and be able to do. How do you know the difference between nutritional and junk foods? The ability to decide what nutritional choices are available is crucial to being healthy. To choose the correct amount of food that incorporate the food groups. Therefore, given real-life situations make it relevant for the learner focusing on skills that can be used later on in life. The purpose of integrating curriculums is to build the knowledge, skills, creativity, physical, social and intellectual capabilities, as well as strengthening their emotional well-being.

As part of the whole, schools play a role in teaching values of being healthy citizens. The citizen role descriptors are designed to be applied across year levels. “These descriptors provide students, teachers and parents with a shared understanding of the roles within and across school contexts.” (Education Queensland, 2010) Integrated learning contributes to promoting effective healthy practices. Therefore, this integrated lesson matrix promotes health and nutrition by ensuring that children understand that personal identity and relationships are important elements of a person’s growth and development, and can demonstrate appropriate skills and strategies to enhance relationships, participate in groups and maintain a sense of healthy self-esteem. Also understands health of individuals, families and communities, and can take actions to promote the health. Along with understanding that active participation in physical activity contributes to a sense of wellbeing, community and social connectedness, and can critically evaluate the social and cultural influences that shape behaviours, routines and perceptions of the body. Department of Education and Training, (2008) .framework document states “All state schools will provide a curriculum to maximise the capacity of all students to exit from schooling with the capabilities and values to be active and responsible citizens.” (Education Queensland, 2010) Informed citizens can apply their learning skills and knowledge, Curriculum refers to everything a school does to support learners learning, and the knowledge and skills acquired by students. Integrating the curriculum maximises the learning experiences engages all students with diverse learning abilities, and challenging learning experiences. This planning matrix has applied the essential learning which describes what students are expected to know and cover the knowledge, skills and other attributes to learning. “All schools will build their curriculum around the essential learning’s and help students master them.” (Education Queensland, 2010). The essential learning practices around Queensland’s eight Key Learning Areas; these are The Arts, English, Health and Physical Education, Languages other than English, Mathematics, Science, Studies of Society and Environment, and Technology. The integrated curriculum matrix lesson are used identify those aspects of the essential learning’s. “The learning descriptions provided in Scope and Sequence Years 1-9 unpack or scaffold the Essential Learning’s and support teachers to understand the curriculum” (Education Queensland, 2010).

These objective or outcomes relate cognitive domains of learning how students can perform or achieve in the areas of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis synthesis and evaluation. Outcomes or objectives align with the curriculum focusing on the students learning, by evaluating a learner’s progress. Theses play a part in the affective domains of receiving, responding, valuing, organisation and classification. This evaluation relates to the framework on student learning. Outcomes promote the development of a deeper knowledge, understanding, which build on skills and values. “The focus on expected learning sets the conditions for teachers to exercise their professional expertise and judgment about how best to promote student learning.” (Queensland Studies Authority, 2010) The objectives describe what the student does as a result of the learning opportunities and environments that the teacher presents to them. Hence, they describe the result of the learning process. The objectives are what you want to learners to know or learn, what they are able to do, what resources they will have with each lesson, what connections will students make within their community and how will they demonstrate their learning. Both objectives and outcomes comprise the broader overall achievement within scope and sequence of learning. “The learning descriptions that make up the sequences are student-centred. This means that they describe what the student should be able to do as a result of the learning opportunities and environments created and presented to them by the teacher.” (Education Queensland, 2010).

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In today’s classrooms as teachers we need to know that learners come to the classroom with a variety of experiences and different skills for learning, and that the lesson plans have to ensure that all the needs of learning is meet Hence, the matrix shows an area of diversity, which it may be required to add support of a lesson or to enhance the lesson for gifted learners, Therefore, a lesson can be adapted to suit the needs of some learners. The modifications or extensions of the lesson do not change the learners’ outcome. “The learning of all students is one that recognises and celebrates diversity and engages all students in intellectually challenging learning experiences.” (Education Queensland, 2010)

The approach of values in education is utilised to enrich students’ intellectually, physically, socially, morally, spiritually and artistically. Therefore, allowing growth to react constructively and positively to a range of challenges. “Any explicit and/or implicit school-based activity which promotes student understanding and knowledge of values, and which develops the skills and dispositions of students so they can enact particular values as individuals and as members of the wider community.” “(Australian Government Department of Education, 2005) All schools provide values that are designed and organized to the framework policy Teachers educate learners these values by using the following guided principles. Helping students understand and apply values, purpose of schooling, values of the school community, whole school environment safe and supportive learning environment, a curriculum which meets individual needs of students. Each individual school adds other values relating to its own environment or community. “The main values learners are Care and Compassion, Doing your best, Fair Go, Freedom, Honesty and Trustworthiness, Integrity Respect Responsibility and Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion.” (National Framework of Values Australian Department of Education, 2005)

Assessment provides the learners a chance to demonstrate the extent and deepness of their learning. Assessment plays a large role with the curriculum framework; it is an ongoing process in a classroom environment. It gathers evident and information to determine what a learner knows, and understands. “Through implementation of the Queensland Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework, teachers will collect evidence of students’ achievements.” (Education Queensland, 2010) Some lesson plans don’t necessarily need an assessment, but it should have some sort of evaluation or reflection of that lesson to ensure that objectives or outcomes were reached.

In conclusion an integrated matrix requires several factors for organising the content. As teachers we need to consider outcomes, objectives, diversity within the class environment, assessments, and the lesson content itself, what value should be promoted, and which key learning area is best for the lesson outline.. “For teaching requires a variety of methods; such organisation involves integration, sequences and focus.” (Brady L : Kenndy, 2007) The advantages of an integrated curriculum, can lead to better opportunity for creative teaching and learning activities, time to provide for individual diversity and more opportunity for teacher planning and supportive evaluation, providing strong value foundations, preparing learners for life success through their learning and education. Topics are selected to develop significant understanding and activities are designed to develop planned understandings the integrated matrix unites with the key learning areas of the curriculum. “It involves students’ learning so that they develop and consolidate the required knowledge and skills to meet the anticipated future demands of work and citizenship.” (Education Queensland, 2010) As a result the integration of learning is designed to focus learning within the curriculum, integrated curriculum is usually delivered with strategies such as active learning, experiential earning, problem solving, and real-life contexts.

References

• Australian Government Department of Education. (2005). National Framework For Values in Australian Schools.
• Retrieved April 24, 2010, from Values Education in Australian Schools: http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/Framework_PDF_version_for_the_web.pdf
• Brady L : Kenndy, K. (2007). Cirriculum Construction (3rd ed.). Pearson Education Australia.
• Davies, A. Cameron,C. Politano, C.. (n.d). Making themes work. Canada: Peguis Publishers Limited.
• Department of Education and Training. (2008). Department of Education and Training. Retrieved March 10, 2010, from P-12 Curriculum Framework: http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/framework/p-12/index.html
• Education Queensland. (2010). Education Queensland Teaching and Learning. Retrieved April 24, 2010, from Tommorrow Citizens: http://www.learningplace.com.au/deliver/content.asp?pid=45266
• Marsh, C. (2001). Key Concepts for understanding cirriculum 2. London: RoutledgeFalmer.