CSNS Integration Model

This integrated curriculum model has been developed over many years at College Street Normal School in Palmerston North, New Zealand. It is the combination of professional learning from experts in this area and many hours of reflection and refinement from teachers across the school.  

Experts include:

• Kath Murdoch
• Art Costa
• Lane Clark
• Trudy Francis

OUR LEARNING JOURNEY

For each Integrated unit at College Street Normal School...

• Children co-construct a matrix so they can see where they are at and identify their next learning steps. 
• Children develop a deep understanding of the big idea they are learning about.  "Big Ideas impinge on the lives of young people and are directly related to the world in which they are growing up. They are related to society and to the future of the planet." (Dufour, 1990.) 
• Children develop new dispositions and skills.
• Children use a range of thinking tools to make their thinking visible. 
• Children are empowered to follow their own lines of inquiry.
• Children are challenged to apply and transfer their knowledge and skills. 
• Children take action because they know they can make a difference.

Our Integrated Curriculum Model is described below in detail.  You will notice clear links to Kath Murdoch's stages of inquiry.

IGNITE

Tuning In

• Emotionally hook the children to ignite their passion for new learning.
• Collect baseline data by establishing what the children currently know.
• Identify misconceptions.
• Connect the new context to the children’s lives.
• Provide a sense of purpose for inquiry.
• Co-construct the learning journey so children can see where they are at and identify their next learning steps.
• Encourage the children share their initial wonderings/questions.

INQUIRE: Phase One - Whole Class (Teacher Directed Inquiries)

Finding Out

• Children develop new content knowledge and dispositions for learning through exploring a range of significant questions.  
• Children will be guided through the action research cycle and co-construct the thinking process of great researchers.

Sorting Out

• Before moving to a new question, children are challenged to apply their new learning. 
• Press the Pause Button - Draw conclusions and make connections. 
• Refer back to the big idea and learning journey described on the matrix. Provide opportunities for children to share evidence that will support their position on the matrix. 
• Encourage children to share new wonderings/questions. (Children will be able to follow these lines of inquiry during Phase Two.)

INQUIRE: Phase Two - Personalising Learning - Personal and Small Group Pathways of Investigation (Student Driven Inquiries)

Children follow through the thinking process of Great Researchers by following their own line of inquiry within the big idea of the integrated unit.

Finding Out

• Deciding - Select a wondering/question. Identify - What do you know? What do you need to know? 
• Planning - Develop a research plan.
• Finding - Gather information from a range of sources (books, internet, family members, experts etc.)

Sorting Out

• Analysing - Analyse the information - Have you found out what you need to know?
• Communicating - Record and present your new learning in a way that will engage your audience. 
• Evaluating - Did you achieve your research goals? Why? Why not?
• Press the Pause Button - Draw conclusions and make connections. 
• Refer back to the big idea and learning journey described on the matrix. Provide opportunities for children to share evidence that will support their position on the matrix. 

INTERPRET

Drawing Conclusions - Press the Pause Button

• Check children's depth of understanding of the planned deep understanding.
• Identify what has been learnt - ask children to express their new understandings and explain the development of new skills.
• Make meaning of the process the children have been through as thinkers and learners.
• Re-tuning in: Have we achieved the purpose for inquiry set in the Ignite stage? Linking back to the big picture. 
• Metacognition focus - Review thinking by asking children reflect on themselves as a learner.  Can the children articulate how their thinking has changed? E.g. How has my thinking changed? What do I know now that I didn’t know before? What skills do I have now that I didn’t have before?

Going Further: So what?

Extend children’s understanding by challenging them to apply and transfer their knowledge and skills in order to solve a range of rich tasks. 

• Provide opportunities for children to apply and transfer their learning.
• Help children to see the bigger picture and how their learning links to developing their understanding of the world around them.
• This may result in a further inquiry.

Ask children to:

• Make connections between their new understandings and their understanding of the world around them by exploring relationships.
• Generate solutions for problems. 
• Predict the future. 
• Pose further questions. 
• Explore alternatives. 
• Invent products.
• Make recommendations.
• Debate provocative questions.

INSPIRE

Taking Action: Now what?

• Ask: Using what we know, how can we apply our learning to make a difference to our community?
• Children generate possible ideas for taking action. 
• Children put their interpret ideas into action. 
• Children make the choices and carry out the process. 
• Children use their new knowledge and skills to make a difference in their life or in the lives of others (classroom, school, wider community, globally).
• Children evaluate and reflect on the process and impact of their taking action. 
• Children develop a belief that they can be active participants in society.