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Impact of an Integrated Methods Course on Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives of Curriculum Integration and Faculty Instructors’ Professional Growth

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Abstract

Many of today’s educators support integrated curriculum. To prepare preservice teachers to teach an integrated curriculum in elementary schools, a methods course that covered multiple disciplines was offered to preservice teachers registered in the teacher education program of a public university in the city of New York. Through observations and reflective journals, this study investigated how this course influenced preservice teachers’ perspectives on teaching science, mathematics, and music in an integrated way. Results indicate that preservice teachers’ understandings of curriculum integration were enhanced by the course. They also demonstrated high enthusiasm for curriculum integration during their teaching practice. Faculty instructors’ professional growth in the process of the planning and teaching of this course is also highlighted.

Résumé

Nombre d’enseignants et de didacticiens sont aujourd’hui en faveur des curriculums intégrés. Afin de préparer les futurs enseignants à l’enseignement d’un curriculum intégré à l’école primaire, un cours de méthodes couvrant de multiples disciplines a été offert aux étudiants inscrits au programme de formation des enseignants d’une université publique de New York. Grâce à une série d’observations et de réflexions notées sous forme de journal, cette étude examine l’influence de ce cours sur la perspective des enseignants en formation en matière d’enseignement intégré des sciences, des mathématiques et de la musique. Les résultats indiquent que le cours a permis aux futurs enseignants de mieux comprendre la portée des curriculums intégrés. Ils ont également manifesté un grand enthousiasme pour l’intégration des curriculums au moment de leur stage et de leur pratique de l’enseignement. En outre, la planification et l’enseignement de ce cours a favorisé la croissance professionnelle des professeurs de didactique.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, N9B 3P4, Canada

    George Zhou

  2. College of Staten Island, The City University of New York, New York, New York, USA

    Jinyoung Kim

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  1. George Zhou
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  2. Jinyoung Kim
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Correspondence to George Zhou.

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Zhou, G., Kim, J. Impact of an Integrated Methods Course on Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives of Curriculum Integration and Faculty Instructors’ Professional Growth. Can J Sci Math Techn 10, 123–138 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1080/14926151003778266

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14926151003778266

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