CURRICULUM INTEGRATION: Magnifying the teacher experience with curriculum integration
Access status:
Open Access
Type
ThesisThesis type
Masters by ResearchAuthor/s
Munro, Sally LouiseAbstract
The value of an integrated curriculum as an effective pedagogical practice has been debated for some time. It is presented as a way to enhance student motivation and to develop collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and communication. Additionally, interdisciplinary learning ...
See moreThe value of an integrated curriculum as an effective pedagogical practice has been debated for some time. It is presented as a way to enhance student motivation and to develop collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and communication. Additionally, interdisciplinary learning is endorsed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) as a pedagogical approach to planning and delivering the Australian Curriculum and could explain the expansion of a range of interdisciplinary learning opportunities within Australian schools. The aim of this research was to explore the complex landscape of curriculum integration. More specifically, the research analysed how educational structures enable and constrain the practice, from the perspective of teachers as they engage in the experience. It aimed to understand the tension between support for integrated learning and the intricacies of implementing it as a new practice in traditional school settings. The research was conducted as a case study informed by the theory of practice architectures to assist in exploring how arrangements within the practice landscape shaped the integrated experience for the teacher. The research highlighted that whilst some architectures at the site enabled the practice there were significantly more conditions that constrained it. Enablers were largely empowered by the teachers themselves and constraints were established by structures from within the school. The research suggests that attempts to integrate the curriculum in an environment that remains dominated by disciplines remains a contentious issue. The findings demonstrate that despite rhetorical support for curriculum integration, it continues to be a practice that is difficult for schools to implement and for teachers to embrace wholeheartedly. Despite well intended efforts, schools continue to grapple with how integration can be managed within the contrasting characteristics of traditional schooling. They shed light on some of the key factors that support and constrain its implementation and raise questions about whether sustainable integration units are possible if traditional school structures resist change.
See less
See moreThe value of an integrated curriculum as an effective pedagogical practice has been debated for some time. It is presented as a way to enhance student motivation and to develop collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and communication. Additionally, interdisciplinary learning is endorsed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) as a pedagogical approach to planning and delivering the Australian Curriculum and could explain the expansion of a range of interdisciplinary learning opportunities within Australian schools. The aim of this research was to explore the complex landscape of curriculum integration. More specifically, the research analysed how educational structures enable and constrain the practice, from the perspective of teachers as they engage in the experience. It aimed to understand the tension between support for integrated learning and the intricacies of implementing it as a new practice in traditional school settings. The research was conducted as a case study informed by the theory of practice architectures to assist in exploring how arrangements within the practice landscape shaped the integrated experience for the teacher. The research highlighted that whilst some architectures at the site enabled the practice there were significantly more conditions that constrained it. Enablers were largely empowered by the teachers themselves and constraints were established by structures from within the school. The research suggests that attempts to integrate the curriculum in an environment that remains dominated by disciplines remains a contentious issue. The findings demonstrate that despite rhetorical support for curriculum integration, it continues to be a practice that is difficult for schools to implement and for teachers to embrace wholeheartedly. Despite well intended efforts, schools continue to grapple with how integration can be managed within the contrasting characteristics of traditional schooling. They shed light on some of the key factors that support and constrain its implementation and raise questions about whether sustainable integration units are possible if traditional school structures resist change.
See less
Date
2017-09-07Licence
The author retains copyright of this thesis. It may only be used for the purposes of research and study. It must not be used for any other purposes and may not be transmitted or shared with others without prior permission.Faculty/School
Faculty of Education and Social WorkAwarding institution
The University of SydneyShare