Integrative Model Designed to help students develop a deep understanding of organized bodies of knowledge while simultaneously developing critical thinking skills Closely related to the Inductive Model Based on work of Hilda Taba ( )

Overview Uses organized bodies of knowledge that combine facts, concepts, generalizations, and the relationships among them Teacher begin lesson by displaying information gathered and compiled in a matrix With teacher guidance, students analyze the information in the matrix

Theoretical Foundations Students develop schemas, forms of understanding that exist in memory Concepts are simple schemas When learners link concepts to facts, other concepts, principles, generalizations and academic rules, schemas become much more complex Result is a deeper understanding

Learning Objectives for the Integrative Model Two objectives: (1) deep and thorough understanding of organized bodies of knowledge and (2) use of critical thinking skills Much of what we teach in schools is organized bodies of knowledge Example: Comparing two countries using variables such as climate, culture, economy

Learning Obj. Cont. Developing critical thinking skills requires practice in finding patterns, forming explanations, hypothesizing, generalizing, and documenting the findings with evidence Teachers help make this practice conscious and systematic by identifying topics, specifying objectives, and preparing the data representations (matrix)

Planning Lessons with the Integrative Model Teacher begins with a topic Topics may come from textbooks, curriculum guides, and other sources, including the interests of teachers or students

Planning Cont. Teacher decides on content objectives Teacher must ask: What exactly do I want the students to understand about the topic? Teacher must plan for critical thinking by guiding the students to form patterns, form explanations and develop hypotheses based on the evidence

Planning Cont. Teacher must prepare data representation by organizing a matrix Teachers often direct students to gather data Individual cells of matrix assigned to individuals or groups Teacher can add data Teacher could prepare entire matrix, but students may be less interested in the topic as a result

Planning Cont. Displaying data: two guidelines (1) display the information in as factual a form as possible (2) Provide sufficient information so that students can use data from one part of the matrix as evidence for a conclusion about another part

Using Technology Use databases, which are computer programs that allow users to store, organize, and manipulate information Databases can use both text and numerical data

Implementing Lessons with the Integrative Model Phase 1: The open-ended phase. Learners describe, compare, and search for patterns in data Promotes involvement Ensures success Teacher starts with one cell of information and moves to other cells Teacher records students’ observations or comparisons on the board, overhead, or on chart paper

Implementing Cont. Phase 2: The causal phase Students explain similarities and differences using data in chart to justify conclusions (documenting assertions) Schema production begins Students develop perceptions of competence

Implementing Cont. Phase 3: The hypothetical phase Learners hypothesize outcomes for different conditions (suggested by teacher) Advances schema production Facilitates transfer Students’ self-efficacy increases as they learn to respond successfully

Implementing Cont. Phase 4: Closure and application phase Students generalize to form broad relationships which summarizes the content

Increasing Student Motivation Characteristics of Integrative Model Involvement Success Challenge Perceptions of increasing competence Emphasizes cooperation Emphasizes personalization (students must come up with their own generalizations)

Modifications of the Integrative Model Present information in matrix in picture form for students who lack reading skills Emphasize phase 1 (observation and comparison) with young children) Use existing materials (charts, maps, graphs) to simplify planning time

Assessment Teacher needs to measure content objectives Test items on generalizations Teacher needs to measure critical thinking objectives Test items that require students to apply generalizations to new information Test items that require students to make and defend an argument with evidence