Summary of Pring’s paper on ‘Integrating the Curriculum’

 

Richard Pring’s paper on integrating the curriculum talks about how the school curriculum was being integrated and presents his critique by discussing some realistic scenarios. He starts the discussion by explaining what integrating of curriculum is and what it is not and how it has anything in common with other integrated curricula. His discussion mainly stems out of answering three questions. They are –

What is being integrated?

How is it being integrated?

Why does one want to integrate?

He discusses, critically, the integration in light of these three questions and furthers to indicate his opinion on what a good curriculum could be. He mentions the subject based curriculum as fragmented into isolated teaching units. He discusses the problems of subject based curriculum for the reader to understand this stand point in a better way. The criticism mentions insufficient account of pupils’ experience, understanding, perception and interest, failure of linking pastoral care of school with curricular activities, trust that needs to exist between the teacher and pupil, lack of worthwhile enquiry, learning difficulties due to constant switch of subject matter, lack of practical understanding of common issues which are interdisciplinary in nature, sudden transition from primary to secondary modes of operating and discouragement of pupil’s initiative.

He discussed the underlying proposals for integrating the curriculum of which he said were educational rationale and the reflection of important differences in theory about the nature of knowledge. There is mention of few practices which help overcome the misgivings of the fragmented curriculum.

 

 

 

Integrating the curriculum-

In this segment he discusses how subjects can be integrated and why the integration really shows an impact. He questions the reader about the basics of knowledge with absolute exclusivity of subjects. For instance, he asks how technological knowledge is a requirement for an understanding of urbanization. Here, he explicitly states that it cannot be doubted that one subject area frequently uses the material of another or makes assumptions about understandings within another.

Integration through themes, topics or ideas-

The author elaborates how ideas, themes and topics provide the integrating element within any curriculum. The explorations happen in an interdisciplinary manner and the disciplinary differences smudge when the integration happens.

The author here mentions the concept of supra-subject which dictates the knowledge imparting and makes the subject its subordinate. Here , he presents the examples of social sciences which were brought under the name of humanities. This was to integrate otherwise distinct disciplines into an organized learning and to relate knowledge more closely to the personal concerns of the learner. This also helps in exploring complex human issues easier.

Here, sometimes, the disciplines might be presupposed. This only shows the interconnection between or among different disciplines. Also, sometimes, the integration does not make a lot of sense or the purpose of integration is not quite clear. There were instances when the integrating themes do not make sense at all or are very trivial in nature.

The rationale behind the integration should be clearly explained to the student. The learner has to have a clear applicative understanding of the overarching idea and should be able to use it in their life. But, can this be the justification of the integration of curriculum?

He goes on to describe what a theme can be in the process of integration and how it is practical in nature and picks a range of questions which include different disciplines.

Integration in Practical thinking-

Here, the author discusses about how the learning can be more practical in relating to the real time problem scenarios of the learner. This leads us into whether the integration is explicitly sought or was it to resolve the difficulties identified by the learner that demand the integration. In this type, the integration is attributed to the practical thinking.

The essential features of this integration, as mentioned by the author, are that it is

-multidisciplinary
-induces enquiry
-dives into important and controversial issues
-based on evidence
-present in areas of practical living

 

 

Integration based on learner’s own interested enquiry-

The author here describes the learner’s enquiry or the ability and interest to question as the integrating factor. The learner is supposed to be encouraged to acquire the powers of mind and habit of thinking by the teacher. This is pupil initiated learning and cane become the focal point of curriculum organization. This would be pursuit of interested enquiry, which is not preconceived or planned by the teacher, but by the learner who continues the same even beyond the limitations of the subject matter or the physical classroom.

 

 

 

Conclusion-

The author concludes the discussion by not making any statement but by asking the readers to consider the possibilities of all the types of integration he mentions earlier and to extend a comment on each of them.

He adds saying too much organization and preplanning and too much preconception cannot be educative as it does not facilitate any thought of the learners. He further says that if openness and flexibility is what people mean by integration, he would favor more integration.