Research on Curriculum Development for Promoting Integrated Learning : An example of a social studies curriculum in a middle school

In the rapidly changing modern society, citizens who are able to integrate various aspects and find the best solution under the given circumstance are very much needed. This study aims to develop a curriculum for promoting student integrated learning in middle school social studies. A 7th grade unit in world geography was developed and implemented to promote student critical thinking abilities. Data suggest that strategies to help students ask critical questions such as question starters and fish-bone diagrams actually help them look at the problem more critically from different perspectives. Extensions of the study for strengthening student argument by including the evidence for their logic are discussed