The Challenges when Integrating Curriculum Subjects

A lesson integrating chemistry and dances or Lithuanian literature and biology - Pagiriai gymnasium exploring creative learning by integrating curriculum subjects.

Pagiriai gymnasium located in the district of Vilnius participated in the Change School programme and was focusing on integrating curriculum subjects in 2012- 2013 school year. The gymnasium has been already for the two years in CPL.

In the view of the first year experience the gymnasium decided to experiment in changing the methods of education structure in their school.

During the first year, one class of Pagiriai gymnasium ninth-graders – the most active and hardly controllable one – took part in the Enquiry School programme in 2011-2012. The school wanted to find a way to direct their energy towards learning. There were many leaders in the class thus making it difficult to work collaboratively and for teachers to control and lead the learners forward.

Although the beginning was difficult, last year’s integrated lessons yielded positive results: children and teachers found a common language, the grades of the students improved.

Starting the Change School programme this year, the three tenth-grade classes participated in decided integrated subjects project. The classes were very different: the one was continuing creative learning experience from the last year, another was distancing itself from everything what was going on in the school, while the third one felt isolated because of the language barrier (their studying language was Polish).

Integrating curriculum subjects it was decided to keep to separate every sessions` theme and make Integrated subject days.  Each of the Integrated sessions was lasting for 1h 30min. The  given day all lessons and subjects in the timetable were combined: chemistry and dance or music, the Lithuanian language and physical education and the like. 

For example in a Lithuanian language + chemistry + visual art lesson children were to write an article about chemistry and then to illustrate and project it. While in chemistry + music lesson the task was to create a rap song about carbohydrates.

This was biggest challenge for the teachers  in the first place. They were cooperating and working with the colleagues trying to make the new lesson: to combine the goals of often very distant subjects and at the same time make it interactive, engaging the class as well as developing creative skills of the learners.

Learners admitted - this way was a  much more intense learning process also tiring  but exiting and engaging. They brought up that it was difficult to be engaged and follow the lesson all the time and realised that often in an ordinary lesson they managed to hide  under each other and stay passive.

Teachers say - integrates lessons changed learners attitude towards learning. Children feel like playing but they are also learning a lot. The changes are evident in Pagiriai gymnasium and it is only a start accelerated by Creative partnerships.