Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 4
Hello highly esteemed instructor and peers,
What is cross-curricular approach to teaching
For me, cross-curricular approach to learning, is a practice that comes naturally because of
the high premium I place on my progressive philosophy, which is a ‘doing’ approach.
According to (Jacobs, 1989), cross-curricular approach is a conscious effort to apply
knowledge, principles, and/or values to more than one academic discipline simultaneously.
The disciplines may be related through a central theme, issue, problem, process, topic, or
experience."
Cross-curricular learning involves more than one academic subject area. It might combine
vocabulary and science, mathematics, social studies and art, or history, literature, and
science. Cross-curricular learning helps students make connections between different things
they are learning, and can foster real-life connections, (Persson, 2022).
Benefits of a cross-curricular approach for learners
1. Cross-curricular learning can help students improve, take risks, or expand learning in an
area they feel less confident in when they are encouraged by a subject they are deeply
interested in. For example, a student who loves to cook may be more inspired to work with
fractions to half a recipe than to work through a set of fraction problems during a math
lesson. A student might learn more in a science subject via a comprehension passage in
literacy that talks about the topic. For example a reading comprehension passage that
describes the process of rock formation could help the student get used to the key words and
vocabulary in the lesson about rock formation.
2. Cross-curricular approaches can help students to not just absorb the facts but actively
gear up to confront real-world challenges. Instead of isolated learning, students thrive on
connecting the dots across various subjects to understand how their knowledge becomes a
valuable tool in practical scenarios. Students develop into problem-solvers as they effectively
communicate and collaborate on projects. They learn to address issues, look at them from
multiple perspectives, and develop creative solutions. This problem-solving skill set is
essential in navigating the challenges they may face in their personal and professional lives.
As our students connect their learning to the world around them, they naturally become more
prepared for their future careers.
Benefits of a cross-curricular approach for instructors
1. cross-curricular learning can save time for a teacher by letting the teacher cover more than
one thing at once. For example, a teacher can teach literacy, geography and science at the
same time through the reading comprehension passage cited earlier. For example, a natural
disasters research project has students studying science through the lens of weather along
with skills related to research and writing a research paper. Such a project could also possibly
bring in geography related to particular disaster types, such as earthquakes or flooding;
history, such as the effect of the disaster historically or relating a current disaster to a historic
one; and math related to statistics or other data such as wind speed, volume of water, lives
lost. A teacher could even focus on literacy and science, with natural disasters vocabulary.
One project could help students develop comprehension, vocabulary, summary writing, text
marking, and critical thinking skills, along with scientific knowledge that you can map to your science standards. Shift the topic and you can get all the same literacy learning with a
different set of subject standards attached. (Persson, 2022)
2. Teachers of different subjects can join forces to teach in a single classroom together.
(Kelly, 2019). Instead of students having two separate classes, they learn the two subjects at
the same time in one class. For example, a Literacy teacher and Science teacher can combine
to teach a lesson on types of rocks. The students could be expected to write poems about
rocks describing their features while the science students take note of key vocabularies in the
topic and learn more about their application in science.
3. Teachers are able to improve students engagement via cross-curricular approaches. The
curiosity of navigating from one subject to another and still on the same topic brews some
kind of curiosity in the students that more involvement in the lesson that leads to more
engagement (Hughes, 2012). As the connections unravel for each subject, the learners
become motivated to follow through the whole lesson and make efforts to think critically so
as to participate fully in the learning process which leads to self efficacy and ownership of
the learning. Hughes, A. (2012, March 15). Cross-curricular teaching and the benefits you need to know
about. www.Teachinginbluejeans.com. Retrieved December 25, 2024, from
Classroom-Ready Resources for Student-Centered Learning: Basic Teaching Strategies for Fostering Student Ownership, Agency, and Engagement in K–6 Classrooms
Classroom-Ready Resources for Student-Centered Learning: Basic Teaching Strategies for Fostering Student Ownership, Agency, and Engagement in K–6 Classrooms
