Integrative Studies: Teaching for the Twenty-first Century

THE INTEGRATIVE STUDIES MODEL for classroom activities that I propose and illustrate in this article combines the chronological focus of traditional disciplines with the thematic orientation of an interdisciplinary approach. A theme or pattern acts as the vehicle for organization. Students are presented with a variety of information about this theme, such as excerpts from government documents or newspapers, letters or bits of diaries, statistical information, poems, music, pictures, cartoons, works of art, common objects or archeological artifacts. The materials chosen should require different modes of perception in a rich multi-sensory context. Depending on the theme of the lesson, this information should not all come from one time or from one place. Some of it might even be current rather than from the past. The idea is to have the class develop an integrative paradigm that highlights the development over time of relationships between data. Rather than isolating specific bits of information and hoping that patterns of meaning will emerge, this model helps students recognize the interrelationships that shape their world. These patterns (themes) provide a context for understanding history and linking it relevantly to today. Thus, history will be remembered because students perceive it as meaningful and useful. Each mode of perception offers different insights into understanding the theme. Mathematics and the natural sciences offer literal, precise representa-