Curricular Differentiation and Integration

Objectives

1 – To discuss the teacher’s role as a curriculum manager who may differentiate and integrate the curriculum, considering his or her status as a “single teacher” and the professional profiles of pre-school and primary school teachers;

2 – To discuss the foundations of different kinds of curriculum differentiation and integration;

3 – To analyze instances of curriculum differentiation in ways that reveal mastery of key-concepts and ability to mobilize them in various situations;

4 – To analyze instances of curriculum integration in ways that reveal mastery of key-concepts and ability to mobilize them in various situations.

Program

1. The professional of basic education
1.1. The professional profile of teachers in general and the specific profiles of pre-school teachers and teachers of the first stage of elementary education
1.2. Curriculum management in a "single teacher" context

2. Curriculum differentiation
2.1. Curriculum differentiation as a response to different dimensions of difference among students;
2.2. Different meanings of curriculum differentiation – stratified curriculum differentiation and inclusive curriculum differentiation;
2.3. Approaches to curriculum differentiation in the classroom (alignment with learning styles, independent
projects, tiered assignments, portfolios...);

3. Curriculum integration
3.1. Justifications for an integrated curriculum;
3.2. Dimensions of curriculum integration (integration of knowledge, integration of experiences, and social integration);
3.3. Tools for curriculum integration (integration activities, research-oriented problems, and projects).

Teaching Methodologies

The students will become familiar with recent research on the topics addressed by the curricular unit, including studies conducted in Azorean schools on curriculum integration and differentiation. Findings from those studies will be discussed, together with descriptions of practices, in order to promote the characterization of different approaches. Such characterization will be connected to an analysis of relevant documents, especially with regard to the teacher’s profile, and to a systematic presentation of key-concepts, aimed at the construction of a solid theoretical basis for the discussion of situations of differentiation and integration.

Summative assessment will be based on the following elements: comments on a research report on curriculum differentiation (which accounts for 30% of the final grade); comments on a research report on curriculum integration (30%); a generic plan of curriculum differentiation (20 %); a generic plan of curriculum integration (20 %)

Bibliography

Alonso, L. (2002). Para uma teoria compreensiva sobre integração curricular: O contributo do projecto "PROCUR".
Infância e Educação - Investigação e Práticas (5), 62-88.
Beane, J. (2002). Integração Curricular: a concepção do núcleo da Educação Democrática. Lisboa: Didáctica
Editora.
Dinis, R. (2010). 'Desenvolvimento Curricular Integrado na Escola: lógicas de gestão colegial em duas Escolas
Básicas Integradas dos Açores'. Tese de Doutoramento, Universidade dos Açores.
Pacheco, J.A. (2000), Políticas de Integração Curricular. Porto: Porto Editora.
Roldão, M.C. (2003). Diferenciação Curricular Revisitada. Porto: Porto Editora.
Roldão, M.C. (1999). Gestão Curricular: Fundamentos e Práticas. Lisboa: ME-DEB.
Roldão, M.C. (1999). Os professores e a Gestão do Currículo. Porto: Porto Editora.
Santomé, J.T. (1994). Globalización e Interdisciplinaridad: el curriculum integrado. Madrid: Morata.
Sousa, F. (2010). Diferenciação Curricular e Deliberação Docente. Porto: Porto Editora.