Challenging, integrated, negotiated and exploratory curriculum in the middle years of schooling: Designing and implementing high quality curriculum integration

Challenging, integrated, negotiated and exploratory curriculum in the middle years of schooling: Designing and implementing high quality curriculum integration

The concept of curriculum integration (CI) has been repeatedly recommended as a curriculum design for the middle years of schooling but the extant literature is confusing, ambiguous and generally difficult to make sense of. In particular, the literature provides insufficient practical guidance and direction for teachers who want to implement CI in their classrooms. Teachers’ knowledge and understanding about CI is often hazy with the result that design and implementation of CI can be haphazard and ineffective, despite the best intentions. This article investigates teachers’ beliefs about CI in two middle schools in Tasmania. It critically reviews the relevant literature of CI with an emphasis on identifying typical pitfalls and explaining political influences. By drawing on theories about the nature of knowledge, it explains that designs for CI need to consider the ways different subjects are organised and taught. The article argues the case for a pragmatic approach to CI design and implementation in the middle years in Australian contexts, with a view to developing a robust network of shared knowledge and understanding about CI. Based on research evidence, it concludes by making several recommendations for designing and implementing high quality CI programs.

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