Towards an Integrated Curriculum

Understanding one subject in the context of a greater body of knowledge is essential to a good education. Growing up I went through the local public school system, and I cannot deny that I had some excellent teachers along the way. Still, one of the greates shortcomings that I have since observed was the automatic pigeonholing of the different subjects by every teacher, whether consciously or not. I drifted from one subject to the next without being aware of any common thread. I would step into science class without giving thought to the history class I just left, and it never occurred to me that there could be any link between geography and English besides the fact that I studied them in the same building. School consisted of many unrelated parts, not a continuous whole.

After years of this pigeonholed style of learning I eventually grasped the fact that subjects are related, and that it is important to recognize those relations. I can't take credit for this insight on my own, though. I distinctly remember a discussion with my grandfather after I had been taking music lessons for a few years. He explained to me how math is essential to music by detailing why "whole notes," "half notes," "quarter notes," and "eighth notes" are called what they're called. I could read music by this time and translate note values into rhythm on the piano, but I did not realize that a "half" note is called such because it is half the value of a whole note. Nor did I realize that "quarter" and "eighth" notes are always one-quarter and one-eighth the value of a whole note, respectively. Furthermore, many musical expressions are written in Italian, so reading music also includes a measure of language skills.

Although the relationship of math to musical rhythm or the Italian language to musical expression may have been more obvious to some music students, I needed guidance to see that music is not an isolated subject, separated in every way from all other areas of learning. Your children may need that guidance as well. You can help them to understand that the subjects they study in school are not meant to be solitary, unrelated pools of learning, but rather one great reservoir of interrelated knowledge from which they can benefit greatly.

Encourage your child to recognize that subjects relate to each other. Freely share your own observations and applications as my grandfather did for me. Ask questions geared at getting your kids to think along these lines on their own. And, once again, studying a subject in its historical context is an excellent way to see how it relates to other subjects. Many modern educators insist, for example, that certain debates such as evolution vs. intelligent design belong in the philosophy classroom rather than the science room. Yet, historically, science was considered as part of the realm of philosophy, not a separate, unrelated subject, making such a debate completely appropriate for a science class.

In addition to relating one subject to another, relate all subjects to every day life. Don't neglect the daily opportunities to help your child see that there are a myriad of lessons from any subject which can benefit them in non-academic settings. Something as simple as cooking a double batch of cookies can be a practical exercise of math skills. Cleaning chores can become a mini-chemistry lesson by watching the reaction of baking soda and vinegar as a basic cleaning agent, as well as learning why ammonia and bleach products should never be mixed. Economics may become an enlightening study on human nature. The discipline instilled by daily music practice can prove beneficial in helping your children achieve their goals. The possibilities are endless!

There are so many benefits to be gained from understanding how subjects relate to each other and by applying classroom lessons to every day life. Even if some teachers neglect the importance of an integrated curriculum, students can learn to integrate for themselves. Then these benefits can be theirs.