Cross-curricular learning

Cross-curricular learning is “when skills, knowledge and attitudes of a number of different disciplines are applied to a single experience, them or idea” (Barnes, 2011, p.10).      

Cross-curricular learning has been used within education since the very beginning, and educators believed that cross-curricular was in-cooperated in order to “understand aspects of the physical, personal, or social world” (Barnes, 2011, p.12).                                

Throughout the UK, the current National Curriculum is different for each country. However, it is essential that each curriculum currently includes:

·         Communication

·         Application of number

·         ICT

·         Working with others

·         Improving own learning and performance

·         Problem-solving (Barnes, 2011, p.250).

According to Barnes (2011 p.45), Dewey suggested that “children should be deeply and personally involved in the creation of knowledge through problem solving and experiment, and that community would be enriched by individuals whose personal experience had been enlarged through education”. This argument is supported by Donaldson (2015), who proposed that numeracy, literacy, and digital competence should be cross-curriculum responsibilities, and the teachers need to ensure that “children and young people develop high levels of competence in these aspects and have frequent opportunities to develop, extend and apply them across the curriculum”.                                                                 

During one of our AOLE seminars a couple of weeks back, in groups we had to create a cross-curricular project that would be based around Autumn.                                              

My group came up with a project that would be based all around Princes and Princesses during the med-evil times. After discussing our ideas with each other, we decided that our project would be most suitable for pupils in Year 1 class.                                                     

We used the app ‘My Popplet’ to create a spider diagram to show a plan of lessons that would take place throughout the coming weeks, here it is:

 

We ensured that this project was cross-curricular by discussing every subject within the curriculum and seeing how it can be in-cooperated. This project included Drama; because we were going to role-play how we thought princesses and princes were in the med-evil century; which then also links in with history as the whole topic is based around the med-evil times. We also combined maths and art together when making the crowns in the outdoors by having the pupils to find “1 orange leaf, 2 green leaves, 2 brown leaves” etc. This activity included art as the pupils had to create their own crown using their own creative skills. We also ensured that Digital Competence was in-cooperated into the project by using the internet to research the history behind Princes and Princesses in the UK, and by creating a short story based on Princes and Princesses using different apps and the green screen to bring the story to life. By creating a story, we are ensuring that English literature and language is being covered, and music is being used as we are creating sounds using ‘Garage Band’ to put into our video. Finally; we are ensuring that geography will be used throughout this project as we will be going into the forest and exploring the outdoors to create our crowns, and we will also be researching where the Princes and Princesses used to live throughout the UK.  

We discussed how we would begin the project with a ‘WOW’ event for both parents and children to get them interested and excited. The ‘WOW’ event would involve a real-life prince and princess coming into the classroom and telling a story to the pupils and asking for their help.

The purpose of a WOW event is to provide the children with meaningful experiences that give them the desire to become involved within learning (Barnes, 2011, p.74).

Bloggers, please reflect upon this quote within the comment section:

“If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow” (Dewey, 1902).

Reference List

All Saints (2017) ‘If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow’ Available at: https://www.all-saints.org/page/news-detail?pk=912745 (Accessed: 10^th December 2017). 
Barnes, J (2011) Cross-Curricular Learning 3-14. London: SAGE Publications.

Donaldson, G (2015) ‘Successful Futures – Report on the Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales’ Available at: http://www.uwtsd.ac.uk/media/uwtsd-website/content-assets/documents/wcee/successful-futures.pdf (Accessed: 18^th November 2017).