Curriculum Integration in Service Programs
About this article
How can you integrate curriculum from many different content areas into the service program at your school? Here are some guiding principles from a school that has worked in this direction for over ten years!How can you begin working toward curriculum integration with your service program? Consider the following principles as a good guide.
Connections- Get to know the curriculum in other content areas.
- Study the program of studies of your school.
- Look at textbooks and materials from other departments.
- Read educational journals.
Conversations
- Discuss curriculum with your colleagues.
- Show your interest in what others are teaching.
- Ask students to make connections with other classes.
Invitations
- Ask a teacher to partner or team with you on an assignment.
- Invite another department to meet with yours to look for ways to collaborate.
Persistence
- Don't give up! Keep asking and inviting!
- Be enthusiastic!
- Know that it takes time.
Experimentation
- Try something on your own that is interdisciplinary.
- Get students involved in designing projects.
- Share your successes with other departments and the administration.
- Try new things.
Evaluation
- Look for more effective ways to integrate.
- Include students in the evaluation process.
Acknowledgments
Published April 20, 2001.
