Integrative Model

1
Integrative Model

• Designed to help students develop a deep
  understanding of organized bodies of knowledge
  while simultaneously developing critical thinking
  skills
• Closely related to the Inductive Model
• Based on work of Hilda Taba (1965-67)

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Overview

• Uses organized bodies of knowledge that combine
  facts, concepts, generalizations, and the
  relationships among them
• Teacher begin lesson by displaying information
  gathered and compiled in a matrix
• With teacher guidance, students analyze the
  information in the matrix

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Theoretical Foundations

• Students develop schemas, forms of understanding
  that exist in memory
• Concepts are simple schemas
• When learners link concepts to facts, other
  concepts, principles, generalizations and
  academic rules, schemas become much more complex
• Result is a deeper understanding

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Learning Objectives for the Integrative Model

• Two objectives (1) deep and thorough
  understanding of organized bodies of knowledge
  and (2) use of critical thinking skills
• Much of what we teach in schools is organized
  bodies of knowledge
• Example Comparing two countries using variables
  such as climate, culture, economy

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Learning Obj. Cont.

• Developing critical thinking skills requires
  practice in finding patterns, forming
  explanations, hypothesizing, generalizing, and
  documenting the findings with evidence
• Teachers help make this practice conscious and
  systematic by identifying topics, specifying
  objectives, and preparing the data
  representations (matrix)

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Planning Lessons with the Integrative Model

• Teacher begins with a topic
• Topics may come from textbooks, curriculum
  guides, and other sources, including the
  interests of teachers or students

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Planning Cont.

• Teacher decides on content objectives
• Teacher must ask What exactly do I want the
  students to understand about the topic?
• Teacher must plan for critical thinking by
  guiding the students to form patterns, form
  explanations and develop hypotheses based on the
  evidence

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Planning Cont.

• Teacher must prepare data representation by
  organizing a matrix
• Teachers often direct students to gather data
• Individual cells of matrix assigned to
  individuals or groups
• Teacher can add data
• Teacher could prepare entire matrix, but students
  may be less interested in the topic as a result

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Planning Cont.

• Displaying data two guidelines
• (1) display the information in as factual a form
  as possible
• (2) Provide sufficient information so that
  students can use data from one part of the matrix
  as evidence for a conclusion about another part

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Using Technology

• Use databases, which are computer programs that
  allow users to store, organize, and manipulate
  information
• Databases can use both text and numerical data

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Implementing Lessons with the Integrative Model

• Phase 1 The open-ended phase. Learners
  describe, compare, and search for patterns in
  data
• Promotes involvement
• Ensures success
• Teacher starts with one cell of information and
  moves to other cells
• Teacher records students observations or
  comparisons on the board, overhead, or on chart
  paper

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Implementing Cont.

• Phase 2 The causal phase
• Students explain similarities and differences
  using data in chart to justify conclusions
  (documenting assertions)
• Schema production begins
• Students develop perceptions of competence

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Implementing Cont.

• Phase 3 The hypothetical phase
• Learners hypothesize outcomes for different
  conditions (suggested by teacher)
• Advances schema production
• Facilitates transfer
• Students self-efficacy increases as they learn
  to respond successfully

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Implementing Cont.

• Phase 4 Closure and application phase
• Students generalize to form broad relationships
  which summarizes the content

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Increasing Student Motivation

• Characteristics of Integrative Model
• Involvement
• Success
• Challenge
• Perceptions of increasing competence
• Emphasizes cooperation
• Emphasizes personalization (students must come up
  with their own generalizations)

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Modifications of the Integrative Model

• Present information in matrix in picture form for
  students who lack reading skills
• Emphasize phase 1 (observation and comparison)
  with young children)
• Use existing materials (charts, maps, graphs) to
  simplify planning time

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Assessment

• Teacher needs to measure content objectives
• Test items on generalizations
• Teacher needs to measure critical thinking
  objectives
• Test items that require students to apply
  generalizations to new information
• Test items that require students to make and
  defend an argument with evidence