Negotiating the complexity of curriculum integration: Metalanguages as levers that shape the innovation process
This paper describes an instrumental case study that examined interactions amongst school teachers and curriculum leaders in the midst of developing integrated curriculum. Using the dual framework of curriculum as a socio-cultural entity and of curriculum as praxis, the study found that the school-wide curriculum vision that anchored the curriculum integration process catalyzed teachers’ negotiations and collaborations. This intensified attention to learners’ thinking and creative production during lessons. Teachers began to question their personal connections to other disciplines which prompted them to re-consider their routine instructional practices. Analysis of teacher exchanges and interviews pointed to metalanguages, an assemblage of abstract ideas and symbols that supported and sustained the process of curriculum integration. We argue that understanding the ways that metalanguages tie together subject matter considerations, teachers’ perspective of teaching the subject and their desire to meet learners’ needs inspires greater meaning and commitment for all stakeholders during curriculum integration.