Curriculum Infusion Insights from the National Curriculum Infusion

Curriculum Infusion Insights from the National Curriculum Infusion Project Prepared by Tricia S. Jones, Ph. D. Dept. of Psychological Studies Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122 Tel/fax: 215 -204 -7261/6013 E-mail: tsjones@temple. edu copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Curriculum Infusion o o The process of teaching conflict concepts and dynamics in terms on regular, ongoing curriculum ( e. g. , in language arts, math, science, social studies, art, etc. ) This removes the idea of CRE as an “addon” program and makes it something that is emphasized and relevant throughout the educational experience. Requires teacher skill and commitment Requires administrative support copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

National Curriculum Integration Project o The National Curriculum Integration Project (NCIP) provides teachers with a process for infusing the critical life skills inherent in conflict resolution education into formal and informal curriculum (www. ncip. org) copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Best Practices o School Selection n n n Devote necessary time and money to teachers involved Be academically stable; experience suggests that schools in academic trouble cannot concentrate on program innovation efforts like NCIP Have a relatively cohesive staff Have a collaborative leadership style Have an emphasis on on-going staff development Have basic CRE programming already in place, or at least have basic training already provided Be willing to commit to a long-term process copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Best Practices o Teacher Selection: Several factors are key to teachers being successful at this process: n n n n Being willing to volunteer for the program Having good basic teaching skills; no obvious skill deficits Being willing to change and take risk Being committed to student-centered learning Having a fundamental belief in their students’ abilities Being open to working in a team process Having basic background and training in conflict resolution education copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Best Practices o Orientation Processes: It is essential that administration, staff and teachers are effectively oriented to the nature of the program. Some guidelines for each population are as follows: n n n Administrative orientation should be prolonged Teacher orientation should provide information about the amount of time and effort required Staff orientation should involve full staff and should present an overview of the program and the ways it may connect with other efforts at the school. copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Best Practices o Planning and Goal Setting: It is essential for teachers and administrators to be more involved in the planning and goal setting processes for their school. They should: n n n be taught basic planning processes engage in planning and goal setting meetings to clarify what they want their program to achieve be encouraged through this discussion to identify markers of success, “ways they will know” when the success has occurred, when the goal has been accomplished. copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Best Practices o Training: For maximally effective training: n Assess teachers’ CRE knowledge and basic skills levels first n Involve as much experiential learning as possible n Have longer initial training sessions (perhaps 4 -5 days) for skill development and bonding n Have role-playing with colleagues in the training. n Target the training and lesson development to specific disciplines first. n Ongoing training, with emphasis on time available for in-class co-teaching of lessons where trainers can model lessons for teachers. copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Best Practices o Team Process: Assuming that resources are forthcoming, there are several keys to making the team process effective: n n Provide the team with training on team development. Provide teachers with communication infrastructures. Provide an ongoing team check-up so teachers can evaluate their progress as a team, their own ability to “build community” within the teaching team. Make new member orientation a high priority for team process. copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Effectiveness of Curriculum Infusion o NCIP had a very strong, positive impact on classroom climate. n n n Students in NCIP classes taught by returning, experienced, NCIP teachers consistently reported more positive climate than students in classes taught by new NCIP teachers. Students in either NCIP class perceived much more positive climate than students in control classes. NCIP impact on classroom climate increased throughout the year while perceived climate in control classes usually became notably more negative throughout the year. copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Effectiveness of Curriculum Infusion o NCIP had a profound influence on students’ perceptions of their learning environment: n Students felt empowered as learners. n Students took more responsibility for their own learning. n Students felt learning was more connected with “real life”. n Students learned effective ways of working with others. n Students felt respected by teachers n Students respected teachers more. n Students emphasized respectful and accepting behavior toward other students. n Students felt a sense of community within the classroom that enhanced the learning process. copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones

Effectiveness of Curriculum Infusion o Teacher’s Integration of NCIP Concepts into Curriculum: n n n There is clear evidence of a learning curve for teachers, indicating that it takes sustained effort for a teacher to progress to optimal levels of integration and infusion. It is clear that teachers can effectively mentor other teachers to achieve these levels. Developing complex and valuable integrated lessons for use in English and Language Arts was much easier than Math and Science. copyright 2003, Tricia S. Jones