Assignment 11 (775) - Essay Example

Summary and Reflection Summary and Reflection Action Research in Action Summary of ‘Curricular Articulation and Integrated Instructions’ by Douglas E. ArnoldThe author of this article provides new insights into methods of improving the learning process through the increase in curricular articulation and integration across subject areas in schools. As such, this approach goes against the conventional instructional methods where each discipline is taught in isolation by specific teachers. The author presents an overview of the process of implementation of action research in schools as sampled in Galax (Va.) High School.

In this case, implementation of action research took the form of integration of several disciplines by exploiting the connection between them. The pilot project took the setting of art, physics and geometry classes where most of the teachers and students always ignore the connection between such subjects. A new detailed integrated unit of instructions was designed in order to enhance effective collaboration among the teachers. Workshops, meetings and research were used by the teachers to broaden their knowledge of curricular articulation and integrated instructions.

Assessment and evaluation were conducted at the end of the learning in order to identify encountered challenged with a view to coming up with viable solutions. The project was deemed successful as it allowed both the teachers and students to enjoy learning as well as improving the intellectual and emotional development of the students. Today, many authors are fascinated by action research as illustrated in their articles and projects. There are several methods proposed by different authors on how action research should be defined, understood and implemented and the important factors to consider from the power of student’s reflection, challenges during the implementation process, the method of assessment, resource and time investment to creation of a portrait of its ideal attributes.

As prescribed in this article, integration of instruction requires the collaboration of all aspects of learning such as organization and management, instructions, curriculum, assessment and the culture of the school in order to improve the teaching and learning experience. The application of hands-on activities to link and relate different subject areas such as art, geometry and physics is emphasized in order to increase student comprehension. In action research, the success of education is based on the effectiveness of its curriculum.

Changing the curriculum is an advancement of educational progress by modifying the methodology that allows student to interrelate the different disciples they are taught in school with a view of using the knowledge acquired in one subject to solve the problems faced in another discipline. Curricular articulation and integrated instructions provide educators with a framework for providing conceptual experiences and base for students to learn and understand new and complex concepts by building on their prior knowledge from other disciplines.

Action research, thus, provide educators with a way of solving learning problems in disciples such as geometry and math where most students have difficulty of mastery. This is because curricular articulation and integrated instructions provide new insights into development of the intellectuality of a child through exposure to multiple but integrated settings that allows students to construct meaning and solution by themselves. This articles concludes that comprehension of one discipline can lead to comprehension of other disciplines by extension due to application of knowledge since when a concept is understood, learned and recalled, then it can be retrieved easily in different forms.

Reference Arnold, D. E., (1988), “Action Research in Action: Curricular Articulation and Integrated Instructions”, NASSP Bulletin, 82 (596): 74-78, Sage Publication.