Traditional teaching approaches have considered academic subjects to be completely distinct from one another. Although there are some skills that are unique to certain subjects, such as learning how to connect the pieces of a flute or improving techniques to serve a volleyball, I feel that blending topics from different subjects through cross-curricular teaching allows students to practice higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Greenwood (2013) considers cross-curricular teaching to be synonymous with 'integrated teaching' whereby, one's learning in a subject is meaningfully supported by other subjects. This teaching approach is reinforced by Drake, Reid and Kolohon (2013) when they express how cross-curricular links encourage skills that prepare students to live effectively in today’s modern world.
This clip provides a simple example of how science and art can be blended together.
Reach Out:
Continuing Professional Development. (2015, February 24). Cross-Curricular
Lesson Idea: Science and Art. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEPdfEalfRk
A goal of modern education is to prepare learners to
be successful and productive within the 21st century world. In order
to achieve this goal, students must be given the opportunity to practice higher
order thinking skills (HOTS) such as analyzing, evaluating, reasoning, critical
thinking, problem solving and creative thinking skills (Drake, Reid and Kolohon, 2013). Furthermore,
I feel that linking content between subjects maximizes students’ understandings
of how their learning can apply to life beyond the classroom. This point is furthered
by Levin, Nolan, Kerr, Elliott and Bajovic (2016) when they suggest that integrating subjects and
relating themes to life beyond the school
motivates students to gain a deeper understanding of the skills and knowledge.
I witnessed this motivation when I was volunteering in a grade 3 classroom.
Unlike the other grade 3 class, our classroom did not have
signals to indicate when to move from one subject to the next; the teacher skillfully
incorporated multiple subjects at once. For example, we completed a class project
revolving around endangered animals. The students chose an animal, researched its
behaviours, wrote about its survival needs, created posters, examined how
climate change was contributing to endangerment, learned about sustainability,
and even created their animal using clay. It was obvious by the energy
in the classroom that blending elements of math, science, art, geography and
literacy throughout this project engaged learners and prevented students from
feeling tired or frustrated with specific subjects.
 |
Tripp, Karyn (2013, March 12). Cross-Curricular Kitchen Lessons. Web, 5 Oct 2015. Retrieved from http://teachbesideme.com/cross-curricular-kitchen-lessons/ |
In order for cross-curricular teaching to be effective, teachers
need to develop a “...wide pedagogical repertoire” (Greenwood, 2013, p. 456) that
will allow them to make accurate and quality connections between subjects. Although
this may sound overwhelming, there are many resources available to aid teachers
in making a commitment to cross-curricular teaching. For example, when looking
at the front matter of the Ontario curriculum for grade 1-8 Science and
Technology, there is a section dedicated to incorporating literacy and numeracy
into the science and technology program. An example was provided of how a grade 3 class planting seeds in science would also be practicing elements of
math as they measure, estimate and record the growth process. Furthermore, elements
of literacy could be practiced by asking students to communicate their observations both
verbally and through written reflections (Science and Technology, 2008).
 |
Content and Learning Integrated Learning – CLIL. (2013, December 15). Web, 5 Oct 2015. Retrieved from http://therhythmoflit.blogspot.ca/2013/12/content-and-learning-integrated.html |
Sternberg’s Triarchic Intelligence model, discussed by Drake, Reid and Kolohon
(2013), helps to showcase the importance of cross-curricular teaching. I feel that teaching subjects independently encourages only Analytical Intelligence. Analytical Intelligence is important as it promotes knowledge and logic however, cross-curricular
teaching also incorporates Practical Intelligence and Creative Intelligence. I feel that encouraging students to apply
their learning to real-world contexts (practical intelligence) while also recognizing the importance of innovation and imagination (creative intelligence) are extremely valuable. Therefore, blending the curriculum
subjects is essential as it promotes all three components of Sternberg’s Intelligence and encourages the higher
order thinking skills (HOTS) to best prepare students to succeed within the 21st
century world.
 |
|
Poet; Don't Know It. (2014, Februaru 12).
Sternberg's Solution. Web, 6 Oct 2015. Retrieved fromhttp://sites.psu.edu/caradorercl1314/2014/02/12/sternbergs-solution/
|
Lastly, the first 5 minutes and 20 seconds of this clip reinforce the benefits of implementing cross-curricular teaching practices within the classroom.
Branson, G. (2015, February 25th).
Should Teachers Take A Cross- Curricular Approach To Teaching Science And Math?
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9LS75_spKA
References
Branson, G. (2015, February 25th).
Should Teachers Take A Cross- Curricular Approach To Teaching Science And Math?
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9LS75_spKA
Content and Learning Integrated
Learning- CLIL. (2013, December 15). Web, 5 Oct 2015. Retrieved from
http://therhythmoflit.blogspot.ca/2013/12/content-and-learning-integrated.html
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L., &
Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment:
Engaging the 21st Century Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford
University Press.
Greenwood, R. (2013). Subject-based
and cross-curricular approaches within the revised primary curriculum in
Northern Ireland: teachers' concerns and preferred approaches. Education
3-13, 41(4), 443-458. doi:10.1080/03004279.2013.819618
Levin, J., Nolan, J., Kerr, J.,
Elliot, A., Bajovic, M. (2016). Principles of classroom management. Toronto:
Pearson.
Poet; Don't Know It. (2014, February
12). Sternberg's Solution. Web, 6 Oct 2015. Retrieved
fromhttp://sites.psu.edu/caradorercl1314/2014/02/12/sternbergs-solution/
Reach Out: Continuing Professional
Development. (2015, February 24). Cross-Curricular Lesson Idea: Science and
Art. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEPdfEalfRk
Science and technology: the
Ontario curriculum, grades 1-8. (2008). [Toronto,ON]: Ministry of Education
and Training.
Tripp, Karyn (2013, March 12). Cross-Curricular
Kitchen Lessons. Web, 6 Oct 2015. Retrieved from
http://teachbesideme.com/cross-curricular-kitchen-lessons/
Hi Jenn,
ReplyDeleteYour blog was not only extremely engaging, colourful in the way you wrote, but also extremely critical. You made some solid connections between various theories, which further improved various aspects of your blog. Making such connections really displayed the thoughtfulness and understanding you did have on cross curriculum teaching. By including your personal experience with cross curriculum teaching further allowed me to visualize how this can and have been done in the past, which once again improved your blog. You also did a great job at making reference to the various videos you posted, and I definitely loved how you concluded your blog with a final video that really summed up the discussion. Great job!
Moving forward, I do believe that learning is most successful when you are required to apply what you know in one subject to be successful in another. For example understanding how to count may insist you when you are completing a science experiment. I believe in most cases children are unaware of the other skills and knowledge that is required when completing an assignment for another subject. As I reflect back on this notion now it seems although none of my teachers really took a cross curriculum approach to teacher. But I feel although I make this conclusion because the other subjects were integrated so well it almost hid that we were also doing various aspects of language in subjects like math and science. It is maybe hidden almost from students because one is not learning language for example, in such a formal way. With that being said I leave you with a question and maybe an inspiration for your next blog. Do you believe this cross-curriculum teaching is meant for all children, do you believe this will be successful for children with exceptionalities, or for children that are in life style classes?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting blog post again this week! I always love to read about different teaching techniques to try out in my future classroom. I never thought about Cross-Curricular teaching in that way before, or at all really. I always considered all the subjects very distinct and different from one another so I guess I never considered combining common concepts together to make a more interconnected approach to teaching. Now that I think about it, I actually remember in Grade 8 doing a Cross-curricular class project that incorporated French, Music, and Social studies. For the assignment we had to write a song talking about a prominent social issue which we had to sing in French and create a music video for. I specifically remember my group writing a song about animal abuse and making a short music video about how sad it can be and why not to do it. We incorporated French by translating our lyrics, Music by using Garage band software to create our background music, and Social studies for researching the social issue to get facts about it. So this was my first (and only) experience with a cross-curricular approach to teaching, but I really enjoyed it. It made it very applicable to real life and allowed me and my group to think out-of-the-box. This ties in with your point about the importance of encouraging students to apply what they learn to the real-world and also to recognize the importance of their imagination. This is so valid because we need to put what we learn (theory) into practice (application). For example, how much harder would it be to tell time if you didn’t know your 5’s time tables? Teachers need to not only teach the basic skills like math and reading, but also how that can apply to their everyday life (e.g purchasing food/clothes, reading road signs). It is also critical that students know how to use their imagination to think of creative and innovative ideas.
All in all, your blog was very thought-provoking and really challenged me to think about how I can adopt a cross-curricular approach in my future classroom. My only question would be if this type of teaching (cross curricular) has any negative effects on children with learning disabilities or behavioural problems, or do you think they benefit from it just as much as children without these issues?
This is a great post, Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the way you integrate your personal experiences in a Grade 3 classroom, your knowledge of the front matter of the “Ontario Curriculum for Grades 1-8: Science and Technology” (2007), and your subject of cross-curricular teaching. Your blog is also aesthetically attractive with colourful pictures and videos.
I was intrigued by your use of Sternberg’s Triarchic Intelligence model to illustrate the advantages of cross-curricular learning. You make a strong argument. Certainly, traditional teaching focuses on Analytical Intelligence at the expense of Practical Intelligence and Creative Intelligence and fails to prepare students to flourish in the modern world. As you point out, cross-curricular teaching is superior to the discrete approach since it integrates all three types of intelligences and better prepares children to succeed in real life.
The video of the students doing the science/art experiment was a joy to watch. As a viewer, I could feel the children’s excitement waiting for their canisters to pop. This is the type of lesson that students remember forever: being outdoors, making a mess, watching and hearing explosions of colour. Learning occurs naturally, almost incidentally, in an environment of fun and laughter. What a difference from the Grade 3 class you described where the teacher dully moved from one discrete subject to another! In your own teaching, do you anticipate using exclusively cross-curricular teaching or do you think there are some subjects or strands that have to be discrete?
Thanks for another interesting, insightful post. I look forward to your next one.