A Study On Susan M.drake’s Theory Of Curriculum Integration

Susan M.Drake is the first curriculum researcher to combine curriculum integration with curriculum standards.In the context of the basic education reform campaign,the standardization campaign and the quality education campaign in Canada,Drake supported by Dewey’s empirical educational philosophy,Constructivist’s view of knowledge,and the reverse design rules of Wiggins and Mc Tighe,taking the curriculum integration practice conducted by Beane,Jacobs and many countries or regions of the world as a practical reference,setting up a unique set of curriculum integration thought system,and achieving a breakthrough innovation in curriculum integration research.Drake’s curriculum integration thought is of important guiding significance for building a comprehensive curriculum based on curriculum standards,which is a precious resource in the field of curriculum integration both at the level of theory and practice.The purpose of exploring Drake’s curriculum integration thought is to sort out the formation process and main content of her ideas,explore the key characteristics,and combine them with the current situation of curriculum integration in China,so as to provide reference and inspiration for deepening the research of curriculum integration in China.In the heated discussion about interdisciplinary courses,the problem of curriculum integration has attracted wide attention around the world.Drake joined the curriculum integration research camp,actively learning and absorbing the successful experience of school curriculum reform in North America,constantly looking for ways to break through the disciplines’ boundaries,then she developed a curriculum-integrated story model.At the same time,the standardization campaign was also in full swing in the United States,Britain,Canada and other western developed countries,making curriculum standards become the baton of curriculum reform.It prompted Drake to start thinking about the relationship between curriculum standards and curriculum integration.Gradually,Drake formed the theory of implementing curriculum integration based on curriculum standards,and designed a highly operational model and scheme to realize curriculum integration.With the changes and developments of the era,Drake has focused curriculum integration research on the ability and globalization wave in the 21 st century.Adapting to the new requirements of curriculum integration in the new era,she enriched the connotation of curriculum integration and improved the story model and comprehensive curriculum’s construction path.Based on previous research and self-exploration,Drake interprets curriculum integration as a gradual process from discipline to integration starting with curriculum standards.She advocates that the integration work should be carried out according to the steps of analyzing curriculum standards,determining curriculum integration objectives,designing evaluation tasks and organizing learning activities.Through repeated practice and reflection,Drake established a scientific and systematic curriculum integration theory system and methodology system,including the curriculum integration idea based on curriculum standards,the curriculum integration framework combined "know / do / be",the hierarchical progressive curriculum integration design,the curriculum power view of multi-subject cooperation,and the curriculum integration model bridging with story.Drake’s thought of curriculum integration has distinct characteristics,which adheres to the curriculum standard as the criterion in terms of value,points to the students’ academic success in terms of goal,emphasizes on the coexistence of integration and division in terms of content,and highlights the student-centered in terms of operation.Analyzing Drake’s thought based on the background of curriculum integration in China,it can be found that introducing and learning Drake’s thought helps to promote the deep integration of national educational will and curriculum integration,strengthen students’ main position in the process of integration and provide operational solutions for us to construct comprehensive curriculum.However,it is not easy to reference and apply Drake’s thought of curriculum integration.In addition to facing the challenge of maintaining consistency among curriculum,teaching and evaluation in practice,we should also be alert to the risk of "integration for testing",and solve the adaptation problem of teacher quality and curriculum integration.Only in this way can we truly grasp the implication and value in Susan M.Drake’s theory of curriculum integration.