SPIRIT Journey: Integration
“Integration”, means “the act of bringing together the parts of a whole,” from Late Latin integrationem “renewal, restoration,” and from past participle stem of Latin integrare “make whole, renew, begin again”.
There is a lot of talk in education about integration, but in many different, and sometimes confusing, ways.
Integration (with inclusion) means that exceptional students are being partially taught in the mainstream classroom and that activities are adapted so that these students can “fit in” with their mainstream peers…to make part of the whole.
Then, there is an integrated curriculum, which allows children to pursue learning in a holistic (whole) way and brings out the interconnectedness of all curricular areas.
Integrated skills focuses on the four language skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking through a holistic communicative language teaching approach bringing all these skills together and not used in isolation.
There’s also integrated lessons, integrated technology, integrated classroom, integrated schools, integrated teaching, integrated learning, integrated data, integrated systems, integrated “you name it”.
There are so many buzz words in education that incorporate the word "integrated". So, why is that? And is the word "integration" related to the word "integrity"?
The concept of making connections and bringing those parts together to make a whole lot of sense out of things when learning so that we can move up Bloom’s Taxonomy and apply them to our lives and the real world is the key to lifelong learning and becoming a whole, well-rounded, self-actualized (Maslow’s Hierarchy) human being.
But are we truly applying the concept of integration faithfully and truly in education? Are we maintaining our integrity in the use and application of the word?
No Child Left Behind, Every Student Succeeds Act are movements in education that imply a desire to meet the needs of every child and to create wholeness in the child and in the system. ESSA even goes as far as saying that its intention is to create a “well-rounded child”…a whole child.
There is much more separation and isolation in schools than there is integration, in so many ways.
We have fragmented, fractured and frazzled the child and the teacher into pieces.
As a result, there is fear of vulnerability and lack of authenticity because we are trying to avoid shame and having our pieces “exposed”.
We have created teacher PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) forcing teachers to communicate and collaborate together in an attempt to create a more whole-some learning experience for children. However, the only thing “whole” that is being created is a whole lot of competition, resentments, anger and uncivil behaviors.
As well, placing more value on and allotting more funding for STEM and core subjects vs. electives has caused a more disjointed or lop-sided curriculum in schools rather than a “whole-some” one.
We are handing out prescriptive plans and forcing all students and teachers to learn the same way, at the same time and expecting the same results and performance from everyone while at the same time preaching differentiation.
One of the biggest misconceptions in becoming a whole person
is that we need to look outside of ourselves for the pieces to complete us…
a grade, an award, an accolade, a material thing, another person
or even “success”, as defined by others…
However, wholeness starts from within. (Sorry, Jerry Maguire, but you do not complete me! )
If integration and creating a whole child are indeed the goals of a valued education, then, we need to stop the competition, judgments, bullying, labeling, separating, excluding, denying, denouncing, degrading, debilitating, and devaluing behaviors in schools.
We need to sharpen our vision and commit to a mission of community through fully developing each part to see its value as part of the whole, as a piece of a bigger picture and not an entitled, separate one that is totally disconnected from the others.
If we could just focus our lenses on the bigger picture of humanity and renew our human spirit from that vantage point of connection, we would realize that we are just a small piece of the bigger whole, but also an integral and essential one because if just one piece is missing, it is not whole. And we are not complete.
Professional development should be personalized for teachers with reflection as a big part of the process. Let them explore, discover and figure out what works for them and their students as long as they see the bigger picture, goal and mission.
Student learning should be personalized with allowances for curiosity, exploration, discovery, reflection, and multiple opportunities to figure things out. They need to have support, guidance and inspiration from the adults in their lives, whether those are teachers or parents or grandparents or community members.
We need to give the power of teaching and learning back to the teachers and to the students.
No Child Left Behind and Every Student Succeeds Act do NOT mean “one size fits all”. Race to the Top does NOT mean competition, bullying, cheating or demoralizing others.
Teachers and students can make education whole again, if you encourage them and let them discover the gifts they have inside that are just pieces of the bigger picture puzzle of humanity.
THIS is my wholehearted wish and dream for all teachers and students.
Follow the spirit of teaching and incorporate INTEGRATION into your lesson plans each day. By doing this, you will be setting your intentions from the heart.
This is what it might look like in your plan book:
Essential Question of the Day: INTEGRATION
What is the bigger picture, and what are the pieces that make it up?
Can Do Statements:
I practice self care and self awareness in order to nurture more whole-hearted connections & experiences.
I seek to make meaningful connections in human relationships and in the greater understandings of learning.
All my experiences give me greater insights to myself and to others.
Best Practices for Today:
My students and I will be curious and explore the WWWWWH in all that we do today.
My students and I will seek to find the truth and real “bigger picture” value in every experience we have in class today.
When my students or I disconnect, we will seek to find a way to reconnect and build our community of learning.
If you would like to read more and be inspired to integrate more wholehearted teaching and learning in your classroom, please read, download, share and post in your classroom Brené Brown’s manifestos here.
Brené’s 10 Guideposts for Wholehearted Living can be found here.
Watch Brené talk about vulnerability and authenticity here.
Take Brené’s wholehearted inventory here.
Photo credit:
“Puzzle” by Milan Nykodym is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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