Interdisciplinary Curriculum: The Research Base

Abstract

The decision to approach music curriculum from an should include a consideration of all the possible interdisciplinary perspective benefits and drawbacks. A A L he idea of integrating curriculum is not new. Interdisciplinary learning, teaching, and curriculum came to the fore as part of the progressive educational movement of the early twentieth century. Language arts and social studies, school subjects taken for granted in today's elementary curriculum, are themselves interdisciplinary versions of several former separate subjects. However, the current trend takes us beyond those prior attempts to coalesce, for instance, history and the social sciences into something called social studies; or grammar, declamation, and literature into something called language arts. The movement today is dedicated to crossing new frontiers among school subjects.Those who have attempted to integrate various curriculum areas have always faced the question of which subjects lend themselves to this endeavor and how those subjects might be most advantageously combined. Literature and history seem a natural fit, but does it make sense to Arthur K. Ellis and Jeffrey T. Fouts are both professors of education at Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Washington.An interdisciplinary curriculum is aimed at helping students to find connections between subjects and to use different ways of knowing. try to integrate, for instance, music and life sciences or mathematics and art? Persuasive arguments have been made that such is the case, but an abiding concern that emerges when such things are advocated is, "Does this arrangement produce superior results? Do students learn as much or more when the traditional subjects are presented in combination?" Music educators interested in integrating music into the curriculum will undoubtedly be faced with the question of the efficacy of an interdisciplinary approach in general and music integration in particular. If paramount MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL 22 at VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIV on March 15, 2015

Fen Bilgisi ve İlköğretim Matematik Öğretmenlerinin Disiplinlerarası Yaklaşıma Yönelik Görüşlerinin Belirlenmesi

“…Disiplinlerarası programın teorik temelleri ise ilerlemeci eğitim felsefesi ve yapılandırmacı kurama dayanmaktadır (Ellis & Stuen, 1998;Farris, 2004). Ülkemizde uygulanmakta olan mevcut ortaokul öğretim programlarının temel felsefesi ilerlemeciliktir ve bu felsefeden yola çıkılarak yapılandırmacı yaklaşımın etkileri görülmektedir (Doğanay, 2008;MEB, 2013a;MEB, 2013b).…”

Preserving the Social Studies as Core Curricula in an Era of Common Core Reform

“…For example, Vars (1997) summarized the effects of curriculum integration on student learning and concluded that it was equivalent, and often better, in comparison to conventional departmentalized programs. Ellis and Fouts (2001), however, cautioned that the analysis by Vars is more of a synthesis, rather than a critical evaluation of empirical evidence and they also suggest that too few studies exist for any kind of meaningful analysis. Hartzler (2000), however, conducted a meta-analysis of integrated curriculum programs and found they had a positive effect on student performance on state tests and program developed assessments.…”

“…Educators at the elementary level identify integration as a way to improve learning (Bisland, 2012;Hinde, 2005) even though systematic empirical analyses showing the effects of integration are rare (Ellis & Fouts, 2001). Nevertheless, some research exists which continues to persuade educators of the positive effects of integration.…”

“…Hartzler proposed that teachers taking an integrated approach need not fear student failure or declining test scores. In summary, while systematic empirical research on the effects of curriculum integration is limited, integration as an approach to instructional design is routinely associated with higher-level thinking skills, unified sense of process, real-world application, heightened motivation, and depth of understanding (Ellis & Fouts, 2001;Vars, 1991).…”

The Notion of Authenticity in Multicultural Music: Approaching Proximal Simulation

“…Strengthening this argument Belz (2006) points out that "presenting multicultural music through integration with other disciplines may lead to more meaningful experiences for students" (p. 45). Considering the outcomes, Ellis and Fouts (2001) point out that "an interdisciplinary curriculum improves high-level thinking where learning is less fragmented and students are provided with a more unified sense of process and content" (p. 24).…”