Defining the Difference: Comparing Integrated and Traditional Single-Subject Lessons

Abstract

Early childhood curricula should be authentic and child-centered, however, many teachers still rely on direct instruction lessons. To better define how an integrated curriculum meets the needs of students, this study examined teacher talk and actions during instructional activities with first and second graders under two conditions: (1) subject-integrated social studies lessons of an integrated curriculum unit (experimental condition); and (2) single subject-focused mathematics lessons of a traditional separate subject curriculum (control condition). The mixed-methods study sought to define and compare characteristics of both curriculum approaches. Fourteen hours of observations were collected in each setting. In the integrated curriculum setting, the teacher was a facilitator of teamwork, offering choices, and giving praise; students made choices, decisions, and worked collaboratively. In the traditional setting, the teacher delivered direct instruction and controlled behavior; students followed directions, recalled knowledge, and worked individually. Less teacher energy was expended for behavior management in the integrated curriculum setting, indicating intrinsic motivation of students. Implementation of integrated curricula is recommended because of the student-centered focus that results in greater motivation, ownership, and teamwork, along with deeper knowledge connections. Because many factors hinder implementation, teachers need support when first teaching with this approach.Effective early childhood education addresses the needs of the whole child in an authentic way. Four components of such ''authentic learning'' (Rule 2006) are real-world problems that engage learners in the work of professionals, inquiry activities that employ higher order thinking skills, discussions and collaborations among a community of learners, and student empowerment and ownership through choice. These elements come together well in an integrated curriculum. For example, Molenda and Bhavnagri (2009) showed that integrating children's literature with movement resulted in cooperation among a community of learners in the following ways: through social interaction when students discussed the stories, emotional involvement as they transformed the stories to physical movements, and effective communication as they gave verbal directions and cues to each other in preparation for a performance. The Reggio Emilia approach (Stegelin 2003; Lim 2004), a wellknown child-centered approach, emphasizes the organization of learning around discovery questions formulated by learners that reach into different subject areas, resulting in integrated curriculum projects. The positive aspects of such intriguing projects with multiple connections between concept areas seem obvious, but many teachers still employ

School-based integrated curriculum: An integrated music approach in one Hong Kong kindergarten

“…Teachers unfamiliar with implementing integrated curricula are advised to ‘start small’ perhaps using a theme (Zhbanova et al, 2010), and to rely less on instruction kits; two things that Ms. Li did. After observing Lesson 8, the principal commented positively and constructively that Ms. Li's teaching was more integrated and consistent with the theme.…”

“…I used resources and props more frequently than in Phase 1 and found myself becoming a little more confident in integrating other subject areas with music. (Interview, 9 June 2009) Teachers unfamiliar with implementing integrated curricula are advised to 'start small' perhaps using a theme (Zhbanova et al, 2010), and to rely less on instruction kits; two things that Ms. Li did. After observing Lesson 8, the principal commented positively and constructively that Ms. Li's teaching was more integrated and consistent with the theme.…”

Teachers’ Perspectives: Factors That Impact Implementation of Integrated Curriculum in K-3 Classrooms

“…Zhbanova, Rule, Montgomery, & Nielsen, 2010), the potential educational benefits of IC cannot be realized without teachers' successful implementation of it in their classrooms. The study results expanded our understanding on how IC is being used in early childhood education settings.…”

“…As early as 1984, the National Association for Core Curriculum examined over eighty studies on the effectiveness of integrative programs and concluded that, in almost every case, the students in integrative programs performed well or better on standardized achievement tests than those students from traditional curriculum programs. Many quantitative and qualitative studies have confirmed the effectiveness of IC and overwhelmingly supported that students can benefit from IC in different areas, such as academic achievement, teamwork, ownership, motivation and attitudes (Cviko, McKenney, & Voogt, 2013;MacMath, Roberts, Wallace, & Chi, 2009;Lewis & Shaha, 2003;Zhbanova, Rule, Montgomery, & Nielsen, 2010). A closer look at the existing literature indicates that a variety of factors may affect IC implementation in schools, including teachers' beliefs in IC, teachers' knowledge and skills in carrying out IC, and many other issues beyond teaching.…”

Educational excellence through dual degrees : using Symbolic Convergence Theory to make it happen here.

“…Students that have interdisciplinary experiences retain their majors and are better prepared for life and careers (Kezar & Elrod, 2012). In the study conducted by Zhbanova et al (2010) comparing integrated with single-subject lessons, they found that students do better with interdisciplinary than conventional single-department programs.…”