Curriculum integration.

I have long been a supporter of curriculum integration at middle school/secondary school level. Most examples of curriculum integration that I see at this level tend to be a couple of subjects (commonly two or more of English, Social studies, Outdoor education, health and science). The integration is based around a theme.

Kath Murdoch and James Beane support involving students as learning plans are developed for integrated teaching. I think what is missing from most models is the planning to teach for conceptual understanding. At the start of the planning process (and based on students interests and questions and curriculum guidelines) key concepts should be identified. The concepts can then be examined in a number of contexts to help students to really understand and apply them. The concepts should be explicit to the students and the teachers through learning activities and form the basis of student research plans.

Some reading or a starting point on curriculum integration:

Beane, J. (1991) Middle School: The Natural Home of Integrated Curriculum. Educational Leadership, October 1991.Beane, J. (1995) Curriculum Integration and the Disciplines of Knowledge. Phi-Delta-Kappan.

Murdoch, Kath (1998), Classroom Connections Strategies for Integrated Learning. Eleanor Curtin PublishingMurdoch, Kath and Hornsby, David (1997) Planning Curriculum Connections Whole-School Planning for Integrated Curriculum. Eleanor Curtin Publishing

Books by James Beane.

Photo: what seems impossible can sometimes happen. A Macrocarpa tree growing on the Southern coastline of Wellington.

creativity in the digital age.

I am still thinking about creativity and what it might look like in schooling in the digital age. I have gone back to Plato's idea (Plato, 360 BCE, as cited in Anderson, 1959, p. 57) that a real artist is someone who shows a different/new reality, rather than manipulating tools to render the current reality (show what we already know). Other definitions include this idea; Stephen Downes (2007) recently defined creativity as ‘the manipulation of one’s experiences using the tools at one’s disposal’. The inclusion of a person's experiences' aligns with the idea of originality-the NACCCE definition ‘Imaginative activity fashioned so as to produce outcomes that are both original and of value’ (1999, p. 29) that includes originality of ideas. The latter definition also includes the concept that creativity needs to add value.

I wonder how many students in school get the opportunity to demonstrate creativity? Where they can use their own ideas, develop them to show a new reality and add value. I have seen this with senior students carrying out technology learning activities, planning projects for Geography where third parties are involved in the solutions and collaborative visual arts or drama productions.
In the current digital world, some students may be doing this outside the classroom as they develop their own movies, podcasts etc and upload them to the internet. This is certainly happening in increasing numbers (Lenhart & Madden 2005, Grunwald Associates 2007). The value added could be measured through the number of links, comments made and hits to the creative product. Maybe few would be showing a new reality- maybe many do. The Youtube video about boyracers in Christchurch I think shows creativity.

How many learning activities using digital technologies in schools could be classified as creative? How many align with the types of online creative activities students are currently using in their informal learning?

References:

Anderson, H. H. (Ed.). (1959). Creativity and its cultivation. New York: Harper and Brothers.
Downes, S. (2007). Half an Hour: Creativity Retrieved 10 August 2007, from http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2007/08/creativity.html
Grunwald Associates. (2007). Creating & Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Online Social and Educational Networking. Retrieved 17 August 2007, 2007, from http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/41400/41340.pdf
Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2005). Teen Content Creators and Consumers: More than half of online teens have created content for the internet; and most teen downloaders think that getting free music files is easy to do. Washington DC: Pew Internet and American Life Project.
NACCCE. (1999). All our futures: Creativity, culture and education. . Retrieved 17 August 2007, from http://www.dfes.gov.uk/naccce/index1.shtml
Robinson, K. (2006). Do schools kill creativity? . Ted Talks Retrieved 13 May 2007, 2007, from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/66

Image: Global sculpture in Majestic Centre, Willis Street, Wellington.