……The Roots of Integrated and Interactive

Curriculum

Inquiry Questions:

What historical connections are there between progressive education and active/interactive curriculum?

Who have been the influential leaders of education, both past and present?

What have we learned from these educational leaders, and how can we apply this to our own teaching?

Learning Outcomes:Students will examine the roles and influence that historical educators have had on current curriculum paradigmsStudents will create a visual representation of one educator using various web 2.0 toolsStudents will evaluate a integrated unit presentation using UBD principles

John Dewey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjq-TZ9hJ_M

Dewey’s designs embedded learning

in experience (1938)

He demonstrated the importance of

giving children the responsibility for

their own learning (e.g. projects); he

believed that the teacher’s role was to

direct children rather than control them

Dewey believed that learning was

lifelong and that it should take place in

a social environment. He advocated

field studies and immersion in

experiences to stimulate learning.

We see Dewey’s influence in

community service and civic projects

(e.g. service learning)

United States

”Learn by Doing ”

Jean Piagethttp://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12980773/jean-piaget-

interview

Piaget’s work influenced teachers

through designs of discovery learning

(1970)

Piaget believed that students learn

best by manipulating subject matter

and objects and interpreting their

findings

We see Piaget’s influence in science

inquiry experiments, problem-based

learning models, and case studies

Piaget believed that discovery

learning should be “hands on”

Switzerland

“To understand is to invent…discover”

Paulo Freirehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Vu29XNQKA&feature=plcp&context=C3409f79UDOEgsToPDskJtDGkQ7w

TtYbHZLnod3UGq Freire’s work influenced teachers through

designs of problem-posing education (1972)

Freire’s central premise is that education is

not neutral; whether it occurs in a classroom

or community setting, the interaction of

teacher and student does not occur in a

vacuum.

Freire believed that education starts from the

experiences of people.

Freire proposed a dialogic approach in

which everyone involved (students and

teachers) participated as colearners; the goal

being critical thinking through a problem-

posing model. This model involved three

steps: 1) listening, 2) dialogue, and 3) action

Brazil

“Education involves ‘banking’ –making deposits in your intellectual

bank”

Lev Vygotskyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOc3L_fAc2Y

We see the influence of Vygotsky’s

designs through the many studies of

classroom interaction patterns (1978)

Vygotsky’s theory suggests that we

learn first through person-to-person

interactions and then individually

through an internalization process that

leads to deeper understanding

(reflection).

We see Vygotsky’s influence in

cooperative learning and in interactive

strategies such as debates, discussions,

and effective questioning practices

Vygotsky believed that students are

guided by others including the teacher,

mediator or advanced students

Russia

“Two Heads are Better Than One”

Reuven Feuersteinhttp://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12978441/historical-

figurez-movieFeuerstein performed ground-

breaking work in cognitive

modifications with traumatized

children of the Holocaust (1980).

Feuerstein’s learning theory refutes

the concept of an unchanging IQ, and

leads to an examination of how the

classroom affects students’

metacognition (ability to think about

“thinking”).

Feuerstein believed that the discovery

process requires intervention from the

teacher to guide learning to provide

students with a deeper understanding

and reflective transfer. Teachers

should lead students to think about

their thinking.

Romania (Jewish)

”Learning is more than thinking…it is thinking about thinking”

Howard Gardnerhttp://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12965182/the-great-

mind-of-howard-gardner Gardner’s work has influenced teachers

through his conceptualization of intelligence

as multidimensional; he has identified eight

realms of intelligence: verbal, logical,

spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal,

intrapersonal, and naturalist (1983)

Gardner defined human potential in terms

of the ability to solve problems by using a

variety of intelligences when executing

complex tasks

We feel Gardner’s influence not only in

understanding that there are many ways of

knowing about the world and making

personal meaning, but also in recognizing

that there are many ways of expressing what

students know and are able to do; this

includes valuing performance assessments as

an authentic evaluation of student learning.

United States

“It is not how smart you are, but how you are smart”

Elliot Eisnerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7UmlS9pFz4

Eisner’s work has influenced teachers as

well as middle school philosophy (1984)

Eisner believed that teachers should

focus more on “how” to teach students

rather than on “what” they are teaching

Eisner believed in hands-on experience

and integration which would make

learning more personally satisfying for

students. This should be accomplished

through a variety of frameworks (e.g.

inquiry projects, problem-solving) which

allows students to see different

perspectives.

Eisner believed that there are infinite

ways to evaluate, and that children should

learn how to learn (metacognition”)

American

”Learn how to Learn”

Marian Diamondhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-XULa_ttKo

The 1990s has seen an explosion of

research on the brain and learning.

Neurobiologist Marian Diamond’s

work on the growth of dendrites in the

brain as been very influential (1998)

Diamond believed that dendrites grow

in a stimulus-rich environment, and

whither in an impoverished one.

We see her influence in creating

enriched environments where the

learner is mindfully managing input in

a changing environment filled with the

sights and sounds that cause dendrites

to form neural pathways of insight.

United States

“Use it or Lose it”

Thinkers of the 21st Century• Marcia Tate

• Robert Marzano

• Will Richardson

• Daniel Pink

• Marian Diamond

• Harvey Silver

• Sir Ken Robinson

• Alfie Kohn

• Carol Ann Tomlinson

• Eric Jensen

…….and many others

Wise Words of the Week