Young Children - March 2008 - (Page 46) Conclusion We’ve found that a classroom using an integrated curriculum is a great place for teachers as well as for children. Learning and teaching are more meaningful and interesting when they evolve around concepts rather than pages in a workbook. Like weaving, learning takes time, patience, effort, skill, and attention. Children are curious, interested, and deeply involved. The process can open a child’s mind to discovery and knowledge. The search for answers is ongoing and exciting. An integrated classroom at the primary level is filled with intricate tapestries woven by the teacher and the children as they create together. The weavers can enjoy, use, and build on their learning throughout life. The children tell their own stories, bringing together their learning, skills, experiences, interests, and home cultures. References Hinde, E. 2005. Revisiting curriculum integration: A fresh look at an old idea. The Social Studies 96 (3): 105–11. Maynard, C. 2001. Kitchen science. New York: Dorling Kindersley. Shonkoff, J.P., & D.A. Phillips, eds. 2000. From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. A report of the National Research Council. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Wolfe, J. 2000. Learning from the past: Historial voices in early childhood education. Alberta, Canada: Piney Branch Press. Wortham, S. 1996. The integrated classroom: The assessment-curriculum link in early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Weaving a tapestry Weaving a tapestry is one way to describe the teaching and learning in an integrated curriculum. Start with the warp—the fixed strands on a loom. These are the big ideas, the knowledge, skills, and concepts children must understand, acquire, and internalize. They are the values and beliefs we hope they will embrace, the foundation for their future success. These are the starting point for the tapestry. Teachers provide the threads—activities, resources, materials, books, and instruction. Children add their own colors and textures. The themes are the patterns the children weave; they form the overall design. As the year progresses, children’s skills develop and their knowledge increases. Early learning standards tighten the weaving. The tapestries take shape. What do the final tapestries look like? Through the designs the children tell their own stories, bringing together their learning, skills, experiences, interests, and home cultures. Copyright © 2008 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp. 46 Young Children • March 2008 http://www.journal.naeyc.org/about/permissions.asp
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