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Getting Started...
For Classroom Teachers
Individual teachers must try to become carefully acquainted with the curriculum and the subject they teach. Ask yourself, what are the enduring understandings and skills I want students to leave this class with? Think carefully about how students are going to demonstrate that they have accomplished this goals. Then, think about the activities and resources that will get them there. Understanding by Design is an incredibly useful approach for clarifying your thinking about what and how you teach. Whether you are delivering the curriculum through a subject-based, interdisciplinary or integrated approach, backward design is a tremendous approach to design units and courses that develop and deepen students' understanding.
For Administrators
Whenever possible, make time available for teaching staff to collaborate, to plan, to discuss curriculum. This is of fundamental importance for improving what happens in your school. I strongly believe that at the heart of a good school is good teaching. If you want your teachers to improve the way they deliver curriculum, mandate curricular discussions. It takes a long time, but when you create a culture focused on constant improvement, things can only get better.
For Middle School Staff
I have a powerful, powerful belief in the value of middle school philosophy. There are two excellent ways for all middle school teachers, administrators and support staff to become familiar with this philosophy. The best way is to read This We Believe, published by the National Middle School Association (2003). This monograph should be widely available in every middle school, for it contains the absolute essence of what middle schools should strive to accomplish. A second excellent way to learn more about the NMSA is to visit their website - there is a reason it is listed in several locations on my web page. It is a tremendous repository of information that is useful for administrators, teachers, students, parents and anyone else who might be interested in middle school philosophy.
For Teachers in Interdisciplinary Teams
If you are fortunate enough to be working with a team of teachers that meets regularly, you have overcome one of the main barriers to dissolving the boundaries between subject areas. I propose that the first item on any team's weekly meeting agenda should be "What Are You Teaching This Week"? Knowledge of what is happening in the other subjects lends itself to natural connections. My personal experience is that true integration is difficult to achieve. However, by starting small, you might be amazed what could happen. The most amazing teaching experiences of my life are the direct result of involving students in planning and pursuing a real-life practical problem. You might be surprised what you can accomplish!
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