This study aims to explore what experienced teachers passive to adopt integrated curriculum go through and how their recognition changes, when carrying out 'integrated units' introduced for the integrated curriculum revised in 2007.
For this study,...
This study aims to explore what experienced teachers passive to adopt integrated curriculum go through and how their recognition changes, when carrying out 'integrated units' introduced for the integrated curriculum revised in 2007.
For this study, a teacher with 7-year-teaching-experience career to teach children in the first grade for the first time, was selected as a subject and three integrated units for the second semester of the first grade were implemented with assistance from the researcher, when needed. Then, the process of teaching of integrated units conducted by the subject was examined through interview and observation and concrete data were collected and analyzed using interview transcription and written records .
Changes in teacher's practical knowledge on the integrated curriculum during the process in which she carried out integrated units, are as follows. First, the teacher taught integrated units in a segmented form as the timetable showed, before teaching them, since she had a fixed viewpoint of subject. Although her understanding of integrated units was improved, when designing them at the early stage of research, she still preferred subject-specific instructions and found it difficult to carry out them, when establishing concrete plans. However, she was able to devise and manage plans for integrated units easily, as her experience in teaching them increased, over time.
Second, the participant went through a variety of experiences during 'starting of thematic learning - implementation of thematic learning - finishing of thematic learning' to teach integrated units. To put it concretely, she mapped out a words-web which integrates three subjects, thought and tried to integrate listed period, found the possibility of integrating them with other subjects, could prepare for lessons in a more thorough way, used merits of cooperative research, discovered students who relate them to real life by themselves, felt burdened by re-organization of them, found untimely activities and felt burdened by research due to tasks.
Third, teacher's practical knowledge of the integrated curriculum changed after carrying out integrated units. In relation to textbooks and curriculum, teacher recognized strong points of integrated units and newly understood the integrated curriculum. Also, she realized the necessity for the integrated curriculum in the lower grades, and acquired an eye to discover poor contents from integrated units. In addition, she figured out strengths of student-centered words-web and also, students recognized the integrated curriculum after learning integrated units.
key words: integrated units, integrated curriculum, practical knowledge