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When planning a unit of work using integrated studies, how do you plan for diverse learners that have different levels of knowledge in different learning areas?

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WHAT IS INTEGRATED                                                           LEARNING?

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WHAT IS INTEGRATED                                                           LEARNING?

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Integrated learning is when educators integrate the curriculum by connecting different subject areas together focusing on student connection and engagement, creating meaningful, relevant tasks that are used in real life situations. Humphrey’s (Humphreys, Post, and Ellis 1981), states "An integrated study is one in which children broadly explore knowledge in various subjects related to certain aspects of their environment" (p. 11).

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Integrated curriculum helps students apply skills.

An integrated knowledge base leads to faster retrieval of information.

Multiple perspectives lead to a more integrated knowledge base.

Integrated curriculum encourages depth and breadth in learning.

Integrated curriculum promotes positive attitudes in students.

Integrated curriculum provides for more quality time for curriculum exploration.

(Lipson, 1993).

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Knowing your student’s is a vital part of planning and preparing a unit of integrated study (Murdoch, 1998). Each student has different abilities, wants, interests and needs. Having an understanding of each students level of knowledge enables educators to plan and prepare appropriate lessons. Integrated learning leads to better opportunities and creative teaching, as it provides a wide range of learning areas catering for a number of different learning abilities (Murdoch, 1998).

According to Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence people have a number of intellectual capacities (Gardner, 1993). Therefore, integrating subjects into one learning area creates many kinds of intelligence levels (Gardner, 1993). For example, if Math is combined with Art the student with spatial visual intelligence will make visual links to the task, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding of the expected learning outcome.

According to Fogarty (1991), there are 10 models of curriculum integration, fragmented, connected, nested, sequenced, shared, webbed, threaded, integrated, immersed, and networked. In a shared curriculum, shared planning and teaching take place in two different disciplines that overlap. The shared model brings two distinct disciplines together into a single focused image using the overlapping concept (Fogarty, 1991). Teaching across subject areas and differentiating teaching strategies provides diverse learners with multiple ways of gaining an understanding of the content improving learning outcomes (Hattie, 2011). Combing Gardner’s Theory and Fogarty’s model allows the educator to ensure diverse learners are catered for when integrating subject areas.

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GARDNER'S THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE 

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GARDNER'S THEORY OF MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE 

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Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences recognises the different abilities and talents of students (Gardner, 1993). The model provides a theoretical foundation focusing on eight intelligences. Gardner suggests people do not have just an intellectual capacity, but have many kinds of intelligence, including musical, interpersonal, spatial-visual, and linguistic intelligences (Gardner, 1993). Therefore, incorporating a range of subjects into one learning area will provide a learning experience that caters for a wide range of diverse needs. Gardner believes that society should get away from all kinds of tests and correlations among tests, and look at the whole person and the skills they use to manage their life (Gardner, 1993).

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