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Tapping into the curious minds of students and teachers
“Our Lady Queen of Peace School, Airdrie: a learning environment where grade seven teachers embark on a collaborative journey of integrated curriculum (IC) nurturing student learning.”
Jean Parker, teacher and former businesswoman, initiated the integrated curriculum (IC) program at Airdrie’s Our Lady Queen of Peace School because “the future of the business world requires creative, flexible and critical thinkers to solve complex issues. We need to make this a living experience in the classroom.”
Parker and teacher partners Jan Mele and Kathy McLaughlin go beyond the core curriculum, allowing for beneficial risks in learning. First, through collaborative work, professional inquiry is viewed as an interdisciplinary, generative, personalized and creative undertaking. Second, and most important, teachers learn alongside their students. Cooperatively, teachers and students identify themes by connecting world issues linking humanities, religion, science and health. This cross-curricular approach embodies voice and ownership, flexibility and choice, as well as inquiry and collaboration.
Students gain knowledge of themselves as learners and apply this awareness to take ownership of their learning, bringing their unique voices to topics of study. Recently, students prepared a video explaining their integrated curriculum experience:
I have grown as a visual learner. I like picturing things in my mind. I have developed as a writer.
—Brooklyn
You know about yourself as a learner. I learned that I was a kinesthetic and visual learner, and that means I learn more when I do things and see what it means. It helps me understand the world more with pictures.
—Lexie
What I know about myself as a learner is that I am shy sometimes, sometimes an avoider, and sometimes an accommodator. But I also give my ideas sometimes, and I like to work in groups rather than by myself. I know that I am a kinesthetic learner.
—Sarah
Fostering student voice and ownership is challenging and takes encouragement. Flexibility is an integral part of students’ day as they decide which learning environment will best support their learning. Students have a choice between teachers, groups and classroom settings. The workshop setting provides an open space for design and building projects, including the option to work on floor mats or on a stationary bike. The café setting is a creative and relaxed classroom with a couch and art materials. The academy setting is a traditional classroom with desks and academic materials. An example of the integrated curriculum is a study undertaken by students of the first contact between First Nations peoples and Europeans. Students self-organized and chose projects that best suited their learning styles and preferences: (1) painting landscapes depicting environments, (2) building 3-D living structures for First Nations peoples and Europeans and (3) creating silent movies showing first contact. This innovative approach wove together humanities, fine arts and technology.
Students develop a deep understanding of the topic, which provides an opportunity for teachers to bring in their strengths and passions as they facilitate the process. Cale, a boy in Grade 7, says he likes that “we get to choose what class we want to work in for the project. It feels like we have freedom and choice.”
Through inquiry and collaboration, students become owners and designers of their own learning. Students also generate inquiry questions that relate to real-world issues. For example, the workshop setting sees students investigating war, conflict, work accidents, learning, adolescent issues and racism. Bea, a girl in Grade 7, comments that the inquiry questions “come from the curiosity of our minds.”
Weekly, students and teachers gather for a town hall meeting, where students exchange curriculum connections and world happenings with each other. “My favourite part of town hall is preparing articles for our Town Hall trifold. It makes me feel that I am helping out with something important,” says Taylor, a boy in Grade 7. Meanwhile, Germaine, a girl in Grade 7, says her favourite part is “listening to other people present because I get tips on how to present.”
Ongoing collaboration takes place between district personnel and consultants, school administrators and teachers. Collaboration includes conversations on the shift in learning practices in Alberta and subsequent changes to curriculum. At the school level, structural challenges with scheduling, physical space and pedagogical dialogue will continue to be a priority for the success of this program. Michael Panić, principal of Our Lady Queen of Peace School, says: “School leaders need to open the doors to educational possibilities, allowing liberty for all students and staff to experience engaged learning. Moving forward, we need to involve all stakeholders in understanding that IC develops engaged thinkers, ethical citizens and an entrepreneurial spirit.”
The look and feel of an IC classroom is unique. Students are engaged, taking ownership of their learning by partnering with their peers and their teachers. Justin, a boy in Grade 7, best sums up the program’s success: “The best way I like to learn is through a hands-on experience. Others may like reading about something rather than doing it themselves. IC fits all people’s needs and wants.”
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Lynn Leslie, Jean Parker and assistant principal Adriana Wild are teachers at Our Lady Queen of Peace School, in Airdrie. Michael Panić is the school’s principal.
