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Integration studies has the potential to result in shallow depth and breadth of topics and concepts, together with the development of skills (Hanlon, 2004). Research suggests this may occur when too many curriculum outcomes are integrated into teaching and learning at one time (Hanlon, 2004).

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Figure 6. Learning Depth and Breadth (Arabi, 2015).

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To effectively and efficiently teach Integration studies, requires teachers to have a thorough knowledge of the curriculum as a whole and how it integrates within, between and beyond disciplines (Drake & Burns, 2004).

It is important that when teaching and learning involves integration of curriculum within, between and beyond disciplines, this connection is explicitly taught (Drake & Burns, 2004). Otherwise, this has the potential for students to not make the connection and may disadvantage their learning potential (Drake & Burns, 2004). For instance, it is important for students to understand the relationship between phonemes and decoding words. In addition, if students are not able to make the connection within and between disciplines, this may also obstruct their ability to apply skills in other situations.  Such as, applying how to read co-ordinates learned in maths, when looking up countries in an atlas for geography.

Furthermore, integrated studies has the potential for the fundamentals of a discipline being neglected (Dearden, 2011).

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Figure 1. Integrated Studies (Macarthur Girls High School, 2016).

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Integrated Studies, also known as Integrated curriculum is an approach to teaching and learning curriculum that connects knowledge, understandings and skills within a discipline, across disciplines or beyond disciplines in a meaningful way (Gordon, 2016). Refer figure 2.

For example, integration within a discipline would occur, when a teacher deliberately connects a previous topic, skill or concept learnt with another being taught, in the same discipline (Gordon, 2016).

Integration across subjects is an approach where knowledge, concepts or skills in two or more subjects are taught concurrently (Gordon, 2016). Such as, geography may include the history of a country.

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Research indicates integration studies increases students motivation, understanding, retention and application of general concepts (Edutopia, 2008).

An integrated approach to planning and teaching provides flexibility and supports a more holistic perspective of learning (Gordon, 2016). It enables more than one curriculum outcome to be taught at any given time, allowing more efficient planning and learning (Fogarty, 1991).  Alleviating pressures felt by teachers to cover all curriculum outcomes (Hanlon, 2004).

When curriculum is integrated, students develop an increased ability to make informed decisions, think critically and creatively and to synthesise knowledge beyond the disciplines (Edutopia, 2008). They learn to develop problem-solving skills, to collaborate and question.  Skills identified by the Australian Curriculum as critical twenty-first century skills (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, 2017, version 8.3).

Integrated Studies allows students to make connections and deepen their understandings of relationships within, between and beyond disciplines, and their relevance to the real-world and everyday life (Hanlon, 2004). For example, running an in-class market integration unit which combines curriculum learning areas such as mathematics, technology, english, humanities and social sciences, which has real-life applications.

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Figure 5. Integrated Studies (Pinterest, 2017).

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Figure 3. Multidisciplinary - Webbed Model (Drake & Burns, 2004).

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Figure 4. Webbed Model in Action (Van Tasset-Baska, n.d.)

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Figure 2. Scope of curriculum integration (Gordon, 2016).