Introduction to Beane's Philosophy
At the foundation of every curriculum there are ideas and concepts that students are to learn. These concepts are often decided for us. In the core curriculum, there are standards that must be met, but what is the best way to go about teaching them to young adolescents? Beane refers to the concepts of a democratic and integrative curriculum that provides a organization of knowledge based on constructs of meaning. This includes the idea that curriculum should be developed around themes or questions that are important to young adolescents in order to provide opportunities for thinking and exploration in multiple subjects. The diagrams below show the concstruct of Beane's Curriculum Integration concept.
