The Integrative Model is designed to help students develop a deep understanding of organized bodies of knowledge while also developing critical thinking skills. It is based on the work of Hilda Taba. Teachers begin by displaying information in a matrix. Students analyze the information to form schemas and link concepts. This results in a deeper understanding. The goals are to understand organized knowledge and use critical thinking by finding patterns and forming explanations. Teachers guide students through open-ended exploration of the data, making causal explanations, hypothesizing, and generalizing to increase understanding and motivation.

1. 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 (1965-67)

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. 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)

16. 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

17. 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