What Is Integrated Curriculum?

Recall when you were a student in high school. You probably shuffled from subject to subject, with each class having its own unique goals, requirements and assessments. Ms. Gorman’s English class looked and felt very different from Ms. Crask’s math class.

However, today, teachers and administration are seeing that there are cross-cutting themes, both in content and skills, that span all classes at school. Many schools are seeking to implement integrated curriculum, where different academic teachers collaborate to create integrated lessons to strengthen students’ skills and achievement. These can be seen as whole-school projects, writing initiatives, whole-school debates and more. Today, we’re going to look at the steps needed to implement this type of curriculum in your own school.Before you can start any new plan, you first need to figure out what your strengths and challenges are in terms of student learning. The entire staff should be involved in choosing a problem of practice, or an area of growth, that the staff wants to focus on. The staff might choose to improve literacy, writing or math skills. Staff should brainstorm together to decide on the most pressing problems by using both qualitative observations and data, such as those from standardized tests. Staff members also need to consider what the best outcome could be. What is the vision for the plan, and what are some action steps you can take to achieve your goals?Determine the Current State of Student Achievement