ABSTRACT
By the end of this chapter, you will have:
Explored what is meant by ‘cross-curricular’ teaching and learning
Reflected on the ways in which a cross-curricular approach could benefit your teaching
Considered the role of cross-curricular teaching and learning in the twenty-first century and its place within the National Curriculum
Reflected on your reasons for undertaking cross-curricular work
Explored the distinct characteristics of your own subject area
There is little doubt that the way we live our modern lives could be described as cross-curricular. Many of the skills we use in one area of life can be utilised and put to work in another without much planning or forethought. It is interesting therefore that as teachers we are, more often than not, required to teach in distinctly separate topics and themes. Artificial barriers can be created through a curriculum disconnect – barriers that do not realistically represent the nature of twenty-first-century life. However, by applying a theme across two (or more) disciplines we are able to allow pupils the opportunity to form meaningful connections between subjects that better reflect the real world. The formation of links between seemingly separate curriculum subjects can enhance pupil learning and impact upon both cognitive and meta-cognitive understanding. It can also have a major impact on the development of core and transferable skills, which become useful both for a learner and for an active social citizen. This approach is known as cross-curricular teaching and learning although it can also be described as curriculum integration.