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The key points in this week’s readings and viewings all centered around middle school curriculum. In “An Integrated Curriculum Supports Young Adolescent Development,” author Edward Brazee discusses the use of integrate curriculum in middle schools. This type of curriculum has the “backbone of young adolescent’s growth and development.” It includes content and skills. I have never thought of using the word “skills” to describe non-academic learning, at least that is what it means to me. Content is academic learning and skills are just that, skills you need to know for life. Brazee goes on to list seven key developmental needs: competence and achievement, meaningful participation in families, schools, and communities, creative expression, opportunities for self-definition, positive social interaction with adults and peers, physical activity, and structure and clear limits. These needs are mirrored in the characteristics of This We Believe and integrated curriculum mirrors what middle school students need during this time period in their lives. I think what sets people back on fully using an integrated curriculum is the concept of including developmentally responsive education and mixing all subjects together, instead of separating them. In “Forward, Preface, Prologue, and Chapter 1 in From Rhetoric to Reality,” James Beane states “many middle level educators have deep loyalties to particular subject areas and subject matter…” (p.2). This is the case for many teachers, they choose a content area they become proficient in. I remember starting this program and being asked “what is your content area?” I have been advised to add language arts to my content area, as well as, social studies; that way I’m able to have two areas under my belt that I’m able to teach. I think an integrated curriculum is scary to many, because that means they have to branch out of their comfortable content area and bring in others. However, this doesn’t have to be the way it works. Teachers can use interdisciplinary teaming, teaming teaching, etc.

The question of curriculum in middle schools will also be there until a right curriculum is found and this could be through integrative curriculum. However, it is proven that this type of curriculum is beneficial to students and teachers are ready to do this. James Beane disproved several myths in “Myths, Politics, and Meaning in Curriculum Integration.” What is tricky with the curriculum question is when politics get involved. School superintendents and stakeholders may view the traditional curriculum has being more equipped to measure success through tests. However, an integrative curriculum and accountability can be measured, as well. Jackson and Davis states in “Curriculum and Assessment to Improve Teaching and Learning” that a curriculum should be based on standards which focus on big ideas, critical skills, and foster habits of mind. This can still be seen in an integrative curriculum.

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The students' day is intellectually fragmented, and they are seldom called upon to utilize learning from one subject in another area... Much attention is given to coverage and retention of content; little instruction makes use of higher order thinking skills. (p. 41)

This quote by Lounsbury and Johnston (1988) from Creating Quality in the Middle School Curriculum really spoke to me. It reminded me of my own education where very little time (until late in college really) was spent on higher order thinking, that is to say with making something of the knowledge we were learning instead of just retaining it like a file on a computer.

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I read "A Curriculum to Empower Young Adolescents" and "Creating Quality in the Middle School Curriculum"

To begin with I think even the opening paragraph of ACtEYA is powerful. Declaring that young adolescents are a minority group establishes the tone that we as educators need to realise and accept as truth.

I know that the article dates from 1992 but the problems touched on still exist. In the state of Connecticut, our teacher education system is still split into the "primary school" system versus "secondary school" system for educating young teachers. You either end up teaching elementary schoolers or end up in a high school. There were few schools that offered a focus on middle school, and that's the exact problem.

If our educational system produces teachers who are not skilled at helping middle schoolers, how can we exactly build or create the new generation of middle school students?

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I also just wanted to mention some of the quotes that I related to and/or intrigued me from the video we watched.

·      Gordon Vars said, “The movement is curriculum instruction, if it is viewed as just organization then it ain’t middle level education…two sides of the same coin, organization structure should service the curriculum and the curriculum should serve the students”

·      Tom Erb- “High stakes test tend to limit the curriculum to easily testable skills in separate disciplines”

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I read "Curriculum and Assessment to Improve Teaching and Learning" by Jackson and Davis. This articles talks about Backward Design- "developing a unit of study begins with identifying the relevant standards and developing the curriculum based on them. Educators then decide what assessment methods will best allow students to demonstrate what they have learned, and, finally, they determine how to prepare students, through diverse instructional methods, to do well on the assessments"
I found this interesting and noted:

o   To develop curriculum teachers must begin with the standards

o   High standards require higher understanding and knowledge

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"A few teachers (not enough, I think) are interested in planning the
curriculum with young people in terms of questions and concerns they have about themselves and their world. ...the purpose is to help young people integrate their experiences on their own terms" (Forward, Preface, Prologue, and Chapter 1 in From Rhetoric to Reality, by James Beane pg 6)

Continuing with my study of the "How We Love Our Kids" book (which I have half-sticky noted for my own family and half for future reference while teaching) I have come to the chapters on personality types for kids. My youngest, although only 1 1/2, is clearly what they call the Free Spirit. This means she learns by doing and finding answers to her own questions. Watching her play is fascinating because you can see her mind working as she physically interacts with things. THis personality type tends to struggle with traditional school because school is more about "sit down and memorize" than it is about learning through doing. I worry that this will be a struggle for my daughter in school and it makes me think about all the other kids who struggle to sit still or focus because they are dying to actually do something. I think the Montessori-style classroom would best benefit these kinds of kids. Others too, but the Doers and physical world engagers really need a learning environment where they can come up with the questions and explore the answers like they would in the adult world.

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I loved what Vars said in the video about curriculum: "Organizational-structure and all of that- should serve the curriculum. And the curriculum should serve the students."
Tangent, but bear with me: I was in a bible group study in the Spring that was talking about the basics of faith and freedom. One of the main points of that study that has stuck with me is that people who try to follow the rules of the Bible  (organizational changes), the "Thou Shalt Nots" without giving their lives over to following in faith (curriculum) will struggle and falter because putting those structural changes in without the purpose of faith is useless. It's the house on the sand. But when you make the choice (and I'm not trying to push anything on anyone here, just completing the analogy) to walk in faith, then you will find you are following the rules of that faith by default. Not perfectly, but it will be easier. So when you start a middle school and make developmentally responsive curriculum the foundation and the path you follow, then the structure and organization will naturally fall into place around it. But if you start with the structure, then you will end up trying fit and squeeze and mangle a curriculum to fit that structure, rendering it useless.

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Reading about Room 202 in An Integrated Curriculum Supports Young Adolescent Development" by Edward Brazee reminded me of Montessori schools. I actually have a few notes about that in my journal for our upcoming paper. Even though Montessori is currently seen as a preschool-5th grade exclusive setup, I think it more closely aligns with what middle graders need. And I think the current climate of our country in regards to education is perfect for trying it in many more schools. If it were up to me we'd start in the poor-performance schools and work our way up, tweaking the program for the different needs of the demographics they serve. Parents all over the country want something different for their kids Teachers are desperate for a fundamental change. I think it's time to Room 202 the country.

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Author: John Arnold

Too many young adolescents view curriculum and school as something which is “done to them,” and as a series of tasks which they are not personally motivated to complete. Instead, teachers should be encouraged to engage their students in rich and meaningful content, substantive ideas, personally relevant topics, and an explicit focus on moral and ethical considerations and development.

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Author: James Beane

The current resurgence of interest in “integrated curriculum” is not the same progressive idea which has been historically contentious since the 1920s. The term has been appropriated in a manner which has diffused much of the power and potential of the original goals, and undermines future conversations of those goals because the distinction between multidisciplinary approaches and truly integrated approaches has been muddled.

Approaches which are not truly integrated maintain the distinctions between academic disciplines, while an integrated curriculum does not. While both might focus on a theme or problem, the non-integrated approach to curriculum will focus foremost on what skills and concepts might be taught using the theme. The integrated curriculum approach will focus on the theme (or problem), and will make use of knowledge based on its relevance to addressing the theme.

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Author: Chris Stevenson
...the curriculum possibilities for working productively with young adolescents as vast and inviting, so long as curricular decisions preserve balance between what we our certain our youngsters MUST know and be able to do, and what they WANT to know more about and be able to do." It is a battle even teachers face when having to teach a lesson that they might not find very relevant personally, and/or the students aren't interested in. It is suggested that this can be curtailed by creating relevance and finding ways to make a lesson or topic interesting for kids.

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Author: Edward Brazee
"Integrated curriculum brings together content, skills, and attitudes, in a manner meaningful to students and teachers. It uses students' proclivity to learn by focusing on their own questions, using content and skill as means to this end." This speaks to really understanding the way young adolescents understand and use information. Integrated curriculum allows students to make choices and ask questions that are meaningful to them.

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Author: John Arnold - "A Curriculum to Empower Young Adolescents"

"Where no meaningful  consequences are attached to behavior, it is easy for anyone to languish." (p.8)

Wow. How applicable this statement is today in our society. Accountability.

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Author: Edward Brazee
"...we must think of the curriculum, as encompassing every aspect of the middle school; it is not an add-on, a stand alone component..."  Curriculum should not be an afterthought once school organization has taken place.  It should be established as part of the middle school structure for being responsive. Brazee noted that curriculum doesn't get enough attention and there is nothing sweepingly cohesive about it due to lack of emphasis on the matter and school organization is overstressed.

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Author: John Arnold - "A Curriculum to Empower Young Adolescents"
According to Arnold, there are three destructive propterties when we stereotype middle school students into the walking hormone,  who likes to argue, can't learn, and who is seen as a bad influence on the younger, innocent children.

1. Self-fulfilling prophecies. If we expect them to be hard to deal with, we will see characteristics we don't like.
2.If we ignore the social forces that influence young adults, our understanding of them is distorted. Just like most situations, until you understand the motive of the situation, it is very hard to see the why.
3.We don't believe they can change. Instead of seeing the difficulties of this age and wondering, "how can we deal with them", instead, wonder how can we change things so they don't feel the need to act in such a way.

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The purpose of curriculum is all about development. According to Beane, it's all about young adolescents exploring and trying to figure out their place in the world. I happen to agree that making your curriculum integrated is the best way to achieve this goal. Not only does it take the focus away from just in a vacuum subject based learning, but it incorporate more skills and knowledge into each lesson. Additionally, it makes the content more relevant for the students. Which, as far as young adolescent curriculum is concerned relevance is key.

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Author: James Beane
"The purpose of curriculum integration is to broaden and deepen self and social, or world, meanings with an emphasis on constructionist and instrumental uses of knowledge."   Good critical thinking skills are obviously the goal here.  Being able to ask questions that promote deeper thinking.  Basically, real world knowledge application, not just fact memorization.

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Author: John Arnold - "A Curriculum to Empower Young Adolescents"

"It is not so much that youth have withdrawn from the adult world;  rather, they have been excluded." (p.6)
Arnold looks at the forces that drove middle level students into  the classroom and how they have become isolated. At one time, these children were taken as apprentices into the adult world and expected to learn and achieve. Where the child labor laws tried to protect them, in the end, they became even more isolated. How can we expect young adolescents to become outstanding members of society, when we leave to them figure things out on their own, and hope they grow out of their weird stage?

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Author: James Beane
Curriculum integration becomes personal; how the individual relates to the material.  It should be learner focused instead of the material being stressed.

"We live in a wold where all sides are bound together." (Dewey)  As adults, we see how the things around us are influenced by one another everyday; we have the life experience.  Young learners might have difficulty understanding the correlation among subject matter.  Curriculum integration is imperative in a middle grades education where teachers engage in teaming.  It brings the science, math, social studies, and language arts, full circle.  As life is integrated, so should curriculum be.

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Author: Beane - "Quality Curriculum"
The National Middle School Association has called for middle school curriculum to be, "academically challenging, developmentally responsive, and socially equitable." (p. 51)

According to Beane, these standards would look like this:

Academically Challenging - engaging the academic imagination and curiosity of students while stimulating their minds.

Developmentally Responsive - Educators understanding not just the research or statistics about this age group, but knowing the personal and social agendas of the students. Respecting what they see, what they are going through, and seeing them as more than walking, talking hormones.

Socially Equitable - helping students understand and work through the social issues and problems. We cannot ignore issues they face. Instead, we must guide students through facing them, and try to solve them. While I am very aware of the fact a middle school classroom cannot undo social injustice, we can discuss it, and have the students decide how they would handle the situation. How would they make a difference

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Author: Beane - "Quality Curriculum"
"Middle school curriculum should be to help young adolescents explore life as they are living it, and to have the best middle school experience possible." (p.55)

I believe Beane has a valid point here that is often over looked. We are too concerned checking off standards or educational points of learning and not concerned enough about "how" we are teaching. The delivery of the content is just as important as the content for middle school students. Middle school students are investigating the world around them, and trying to figure out where they fit in. Societal and economical issues they see, shape their future. Knowing how to apply knowledge they are learning to these problems, not just regurgitate facts and figures is imperative.

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Author: James Beane in Selections from "Curriculum Integration"
Curriculum integration = knowledge unity; connecting the school curriculum with the larger world.

"In short, what I will call integrative learning involves experiences that literally become part of us- unforgettable learning experiences. Such learning involves integration in two ways: first, as new experiences are 'integrated' into our schemes of meaning and, second, as we organize or 'integrate' past experience to help us in new problem situations," (p.4).

"The isolation and fragmentation of knowledge is part of the deep structures of schooling," (p.7). Here, I feel like he is challenging the change to happen.

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Author: John Arnold
A few solid ideas stood out to me from Arnold.
The idea that most of our time and attention has been given to improving school organization and climate... only.

Content and process: separating the two is no good and often equals students who have information but not knowledge. According to Arnold, there is a fundamental unity between content and process (p.8).

There is a problem with us needing to quantitatively measure academic success, which has led to standardized tests. The problem is that there aren't as many discussions and problem solving activities but rather, multiple choice.

Arnold says, "...content learned in school is almost entirely confined to that contained in textbooks," (p.9). This means that kids are learning facts but not knowledge. Text books have to worry about their sales, so they aren't going to publish anything controversial or really thought provoking.

Lastly, that "highly innovative teaching and good test scores are not mutually exclusive," (p.9). Arnold challenges teachers to shape our curriculums while meeting standards instead of only 'teaching the textbook.'

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Author: Edward Brazee
I love this quote: "While the need for strong adult guidance and opportunities to discuss issues critical to young adolescents is used as rationale for an advisor/advisee program, or for beginning an exploratory program, these same growth and development issues are rarely applied as the justification for evaluating, improving, or critiquing the curriculum," (p.7).

That the "integrated curriculum in its simplest sense means 'making sense for young adults,'" (p.8).

The idea that students need to be able to find a balance between academic pursuits and self-esteem: "...a school with high expectations for learning and positive experiences for all students," (p.10). There is a difference between academic and intellectual, and we need to stimulate the intellect of our students. They have an intense interest in the world.

The concept that there is a high need for creative expression, even in academic subjects.

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Author: James Beane
"...living with the incredible diversity of early adolescents... we see the need for change more clearly etched," (Forward, p.11).

There is a larger purpose for curriculum work: "It is to open the hearts and minds of young people to the possibilities of a more just and humane world," (p.14).

The difference between curriculum integration and a multi-disciplinary approach.

The idea that a problem lies with teachers who may be attached to the subject they teach, or see that subject as a defining characteristic of themselves.

The launching of Sputnik as a hindrance to the development of an integrated curriculum (p. 10). This spawning competition with other nations. Drawing connections from this to the No Child Left Behind Act.

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Author: James Beane
The idea of "organic learning"... so far as to let the student choose his/her own approach? Is this like the Montessori approach?

Not all young people will automatically like the integrated curriculum just because the students had a say in planning it. "Curriculum integration is a theory of curriculum and not a theory of classroom discipline or management," (Myths, p.35). We will have many different learners in our classrooms. Also, some students will rebel and be defiant regardless of their interest in the subject matter in the classroom.

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Author: James Beane
"Whose knowledge is of most worth" vs. "WHAT knowledge is of most worth" (Myths, p.25). This idea sheds light on the possible corruption of the curriculum. Who are we allowing to dictate the curriculum? Are the students getting the full picture?

"...Organizing learning experiences around real life issues and problems" (Myths, p.27). Students should be able to grasp onto a concept because it is relevant and real: they can apply it to their own lives and experiences.

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Author: James Beane

An integrated curriculum must be genuinely responsive to the developmental needs of young adolescents. An empowering curriculum must be rich in meaning dealing with issues worth knowing, specifically with societal issues. An empowering curriculum must also help young adolescents understand the forces which are exploiting them and/or are hindering their development.

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Author: James Beane

The backbone behind integrated curriculum for young adolescents is to foster better, interesting, and more fulfilled future adults. This implementation is not for the purpose of adolescents to get good jobs after school, just like it is not about test scores. It is for purposes much more than that.

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Author: Edward Brazee

Integrated curriculum moves schools beyond the four walls and allows students to become more involved in the community, in their families, and in their schools in order that they use what they learn in school to solve real problems that they face in their lives.

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Author: Edward Brazee

Prior to this reading I had not thought about the issue of separate subjects not being part of an integrated curriculum. It seems like that is the only curriculum I know. I was brought up in that kind of school environment and I have been hoping to be a science teacher. It makes me wonder how I can teach a science class with integrated curriculum in mind. Edward Brazee explains what a classroom utilizing integrated curriculum should look like. He explains that a classroom with integrated curriculum is “where separate subjects are rarely identified and where students' learning of content, skills, and processes far surpasses that in the typical, separate subject classroom. Students study and work in an atmosphere, which more closely resembles a productive office. In short, they know what they have to do, they know how to get it done, and they are responsible for seeing that their work is completed at a high level.”

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Author: Arnold
His paper Curriculum to Empower Young Adolescents was really fun to read. I appreciated the discussion of how a young adolescent's role has changed in society over the generations. This gave me an appreciation of how society views the middle schooler. Gone are the cuddly days of elementary and refrigerator art. Yet to come is High School and the promise of pending-adulthood, SATs, college visits, and prom. Today's middle schoolers are lost in the middle. Arnold's five principles of a developmentally responsive curriculum are eye opening. I really like the idea of helping the children find answers to their questions.

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Author:  James Bean
Quite honestly, I find James Beane much more palatable via audio and video vice print.  In the video clips dressed in a plaid shirt and vest he presents the appearance of a wise older uncle with you you share more common ground than not.  His writings are thought provoking, it’s plainly evident he is knowledgeable and caring and above all is passionate regarding his views of what it the correct curriculum for a middle school.  I personally am for a curriculum which is integrated and designed to educate all students, engage all student intellectually, prepare all students so they have the best shot at a successful adulthood.  However, I strongly disagree with Bean’s premise that “curriculum integration in its authentic form is about social reconstruction.”  That is such a slippery and dangerous statement.  Under who’s direction and vision will society be reconstructed?  Who decides what is right and what is wrong?  I am not convinced it is the role of middle school to change the framework of society

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Author: Jackson and Davis

Prior to reading these articles, the difference between standards and curriculum was a little unclear to me. However, the following quote made this concept much clearer "To direct teaching and learning toward understanding will require uncovering the absolutely essential concepts and ideas embedded in lengthy standards and developing a curriculum that reflects these essential concepts,..thus revealing connections within and across content areas." (pg. 38) I hope to learn more about how as educators we can look beyond the mandated standards in education systems and shape them to meet the curriculum needs of students in our continually evolving society.

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Author: Jackson and Davis

One point in this article which resonated with me the most is "Place-based curriculum." This is the process of creating a connection between the curriculum students are being taught, with the environment they live in. By practicing place-based curriculum, students can see how the material they are learning is relevant to their community, economy, environment and culture and also help students become more engaged and eagar to learn. (pg.37)

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Author: Beane
He addresses the myth that curriculum integration has many meanings. From p. 28 of Myths, Politics, and Meaning in Curriculum Integration (1995), "Curriculum integration begins with real-life problems as themes, proceeds according to the organic integration of knowledge, and serves the purpose of enhancing self and world meaning."  I am still processing this distinctive of "defining aspects" as opposed to "many meanings".

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Author: Beane
From Rhetoric to Reality
The big idea for me is the idea of involving young adolescents in planning.  My understanding so far is that this is "integrative" curriculum planning rather than "interdisciplinary".  Beane is quoted in the Legacy video as saying, "The road to rigor with young adolescents has to run through relevance."  To that I would agree.  How do we know if we do not ask them and then take into account  their personal goals, interests, and ideas?  The answer is, "We don't!", or at least it is not very effective.  My experience is that if they "buy into it", they are more likely to have positive learning outcomes.  I would like to learn more about the differences between integrative and interdisciplinary curriculum planning as well as strategies to create more opportunities to get young adolescents excited about learning
.

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Author: James Beane
Beane argues that an important component of curriculum integration is organizing a curriculum "around problems and issues that are of personal and social significance in the real world" (p. 9). By doing this, teachers provide deeper meaning behind the content and ultimately help bring democratic education to their classroom.

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Author: Beane, James
My favorite point of this article by Beane is that, "They are young adolescents and cannot be otherwise" (p. 54). He argues against grouping based on test scores and is pro-diversity. While students may come from different backgrounds with different resources and support systems, we limit ALL children by grouping them according to their similarities. Real life will be different and ALL students will benefit by being surrounded by a more representative group of peers than just the ones most like them.

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Author: Arnold, John
I was surprised but did not disagree with Arnold's assertion that there is some loss for adolescents in our current culture (circa 1992) due to young adolescents having too much choice, no particular value in adult society, and prevented by child labor laws from going into a working field in order to have purpose and feel needed. Arnold cites a decline in self-esteem. I agree with his picture that isolation from being needed in an adult world creates a lonely environment that can feel purposeless.

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Authors: Jackson and Davis
The concept of backwards design was discussed and its importance (which reminded me of Dr. Thornton's Curriculum class). Backwards design is "an approach that weaves together curriculum, assessment, and instruction in developing rigorous units of study" (pg. 32).

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Authors: Jackson and Davis
Another big idea was how state standards should go through revisions at each middle school to ensure they appropriately fit the needs of its students.

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Authors: Jackson and Davis
Curriculum needs to be relevant to young adolescents. Jackson and Davis stated that curriculum should be "connecting the concerns of young adolescents" (pg. 46).

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Author: John Arnold
Arnold notes that curriculum rich in meaning "must relate substantively to the needs and interests of young adolescents" (p.133). Important to this point, he argues, is that curriculum deals with values. As many of us have discussed various way to incorporate values and morals into our teaching, I found Arnold's words on the matter particularly interesting. He suggests that including values in curriculum is not about brainwashing students with the teacher's views, rather it is about encouraging them to reflect on issues and ideas that are relevant to them and their larger communities. To ask questions such as "What do I personally think about this issue? Are particular positions relative to it right or wrong? Why?"

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Author: Arnold, John
People are self-fulfilling prophesies, and if we espouse stereotypes about middle level kids rather than acknowledge their abilities in critical thinking, questioning, and forming their own identity and values we will fail them as we define them with limits rather than inspire them with broader views of who they are becoming. As Dewey said in 1938, "Certain experiences promote development, others inhibit it" (p.7).