This document discusses the historical influences of several prominent educational theorists on integrated and interactive curriculum. It summarizes the key ideas and influences of theorists such as John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Paulo Freire, Lev Vygotsky, Reuven Feuerstein, Howard Gardner, Elliot Eisner, and Marian Diamond. These theorists advocated for hands-on, experiential, inquiry-based learning and recognizing multiple types of intelligence. Their work has shaped current approaches that focus on interactive, project-based learning tailored to students' varied needs and abilities.

1. ……The Roots of Integrated and Interactive
Curriculum

2. Inquiry Questions:
What historical connections are there
between progressive education and
active/interactive curriculum?
Who have been the influential leaders
of education, both past and present?
What have we learned from these
educational leaders, and how can we
apply this to our own teaching?
Learning Outcomes:
Students will examine the roles and influence that historical educators have had on current
curriculum paradigms
Students will create a visual representation of one educator using various web 2.0 tools
Students will evaluate a integrated unit presentation using UBD principles

4. John Dewey:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjq-TZ9hJ_M
Dewey’s designs embedded learning
in experience (1938)
He demonstrated the importance of
giving children the responsibility for
their own learning (e.g. projects); he
believed that the teacher’s role was to
direct children rather than control them
Dewey believed that learning was
lifelong and that it should take place in
a social environment. He advocated
field studies and immersion in
experiences to stimulate learning.
We see Dewey’s influence in
community service and civic projects
(e.g. service learning)
United States
”LearnbyDoing ”

5. Jean Piaget
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12980773/jean-piaget-
interview
Piaget’s work influenced teachers
through designs of discovery learning
(1970)
Piaget believed that students learn
best by manipulating subject matter
and objects and interpreting their
findings
We see Piaget’s influence in science
inquiry experiments, problem-based
learning models, and case studies
Piaget believed that discovery
learning should be “hands on”
Switzerland
“Tounderstand isto
invent…discover”

6. Paulo Freire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Vu29XNQKA&feat
ure=plcp&context=C3409f79UDOEgsToPDskJtDGkQ7w
TtYbHZLnod3UGq
Freire’s work influenced teachers through
designs of problem-posing education (1972)
Freire’s central premise is that education is
not neutral; whether it occurs in a classroom
or community setting, the interaction of
teacher and student does not occur in a
vacuum.
Freire believed that education starts from the
experiences of people.
Freire proposed a dialogic approach in
which everyone involved (students and
teachers) participated as colearners; the goal
being critical thinking through a problem-
posing model. This model involved three
steps: 1) listening, 2) dialogue, and 3) action
Brazil
“Education involves ‘banking’ –
making depositsinyourintellectual
bank”

7. Lev Vygotsky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOc3L_fAc2Y
We see the influence of Vygotsky’s
designs through the many studies of
classroom interaction patterns (1978)
Vygotsky’s theory suggests that we
learn first through person-to-person
interactions and then individually
through an internalization process that
leads to deeper understanding
(reflection).
We see Vygotsky’s influence in
cooperative learning and in interactive
strategies such as debates, discussions,
and effective questioning practices
Vygotsky believed that students are
guided by others including the teacher,
mediator or advanced students
Russia
“TwoHeads areBetterThanOne”

8. Reuven Feuerstein
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12978441/historical-
figurez-movie
Feuerstein performed ground-
breaking work in cognitive
modifications with traumatized
children of the Holocaust (1980).
Feuerstein’s learning theory refutes
the concept of an unchanging IQ, and
leads to an examination of how the
classroom affects students’
metacognition (ability to think about
“thinking”).
Feuerstein believed that the discovery
process requires intervention from the
teacher to guide learning to provide
students with a deeper understanding
and reflective transfer. Teachers
should lead students to think about
their thinking.
Romania (Jewish)
”Learning ismore thanthinking…it
isthinking aboutthinking”

9. Howard Gardner
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12965182/the-great-
mind-of-howard-gardner
Gardner’s work has influenced teachers
through his conceptualization of intelligence
as multidimensional; he has identified eight
realms of intelligence: verbal, logical,
spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal,
intrapersonal, and naturalist (1983)
Gardner defined human potential in terms
of the ability to solve problems by using a
variety of intelligences when executing
complex tasks
We feel Gardner’s influence not only in
understanding that there are many ways of
knowing about the world and making
personal meaning, but also in recognizing
that there are many ways of expressing what
students know and are able to do; this
includes valuing performance assessments as
an authentic evaluation of student learning.
United States
“Itisnot how smartyouare,buthow
youaresmart”

10. Elliot Eisner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7UmlS9pFz4
Eisner’s work has influenced teachers as
well as middle school philosophy (1984)
Eisner believed that teachers should
focus more on “how” to teach students
rather than on “what” they are teaching
Eisner believed in hands-on experience
and integration which would make
learning more personally satisfying for
students. This should be accomplished
through a variety of frameworks (e.g.
inquiry projects, problem-solving) which
allows students to see different
perspectives.
Eisner believed that there are infinite
ways to evaluate, and that children should
learn how to learn (metacognition”)
American
”LearnhowtoLearn”

11. Marian Diamond
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-XULa_ttKo
The 1990s has seen an explosion of
research on the brain and learning.
Neurobiologist Marian Diamond’s
work on the growth of dendrites in the
brain as been very influential (1998)
Diamond believed that dendrites grow
in a stimulus-rich environment, and
whither in an impoverished one.
We see her influence in creating
enriched environments where the
learner is mindfully managing input in
a changing environment filled with the
sights and sounds that cause dendrites
to form neural pathways of insight.
United States
“UseitorLose it”

12. Thinkers of the 21st Century
• Marcia Tate
• Robert Marzano
• Will Richardson
• Daniel Pink
• Marian Diamond
• Harvey Silver
• Sir Ken Robinson
• Alfie Kohn
• Carol Ann Tomlinson
• Eric Jensen
…….and many others

15. Wise Words of the
Week