SUBJECT-INTEGRATED PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH: THE THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
SUBJECT-INTEGRATED PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH: THE THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Abstract
The study is aimed to present the theoretical background of subject-integrated pedagogical approach, its structural and substantive elements. The relevance of the study is due to the need for a theoretical rethinking of approaches to interdisciplinary learning in accordance with new requirements for higher education implying the professional competences in several subject areas formation. The integration of subject areas is described in many studies, mostly with an integrative and an interdisciplinary approaches implementation providing a parallel study of two subject areas. In practice, however, more often students who have formed competencies in one subject area use this area as a tool to study another field, which makes the presented approaches irrelevant in some cases. In order to solve the stated problem, it is assumed that a pedagogical approach based on the model of the CLIL method can be applied for interdisciplinary training in different subject areas.
The results of the study can be used in the development of teaching methods and technologies within the framework of interdisciplinary training. Subject-integrated approach allows to extend methodology of interdisciplinary training organization and to diversify methodological possibilities of modern educational process in different subject areas.
1. Introduction
Modern labor market is forming new requirements for high school graduates, they are developed soft skills, digital literacy, advance knowledge of the subject area, and etc. The list of «professions of the future» is also changing, and one of the main trends is the emergence of an increasing number of interdisciplinary jobs that are in the intersection of two or more subject areas. For instance, in the “Atlas of emerging jobs 3.0” more than 300 new professions in the next 10–15 years in spheres from mining to entertainment are presented
. Most of them require competence in several subject areas, regarding jobs like energy auditor, science-artist, neuromarketologist, IT-geologist and others.Requirement changes for future professionals have had an impact on the higher and vocational education system. The Education Strategy to 2040 is currently under development, and it is important to note that its focus is on interdisciplinary links and tools of educational programs development enhancing. Furthermore, the Federal educational standards of higher education in Russia (in rus.FGOS VO-4) presents the link between knowledge, skills and abilities in various subject domains at the level of universal, general and professional competences.
These socio-economic and pedagogical requirements presented for the future specialists training make it urgent to develop effective methods of interdisciplinary training aimed at the formation and development of competences in several subject areas. Integrated training methodology research primarily based on using interdisciplinary
, , , and integrative , , approaches. Both approaches consider the parallel development of knowledge, skills and abilities in two related fields.However, the list of universal and general professional competencies of a modern graduate often includes skills that are not related to the main subject area (digital skills, teamwork skills, knowledge of basic analytical programming, and etc.), as well as in practice students often master additional educational programs and areas (foreign languages, pedagogy, information technology and others) and implement the knowledge of this “additional” subject spheres to the “main” subject sphere, or sometimes they can integrate already-developed subject skills to developing ones to make the learning process easier and more effective. In the mentioned cases, widely used integrative and interdisciplinary approaches to interdisciplinary training are not fully appropriate. Thus, there is a need to develop a methodology aimed at the formation of competences in one subject area (“developing”) through already formed competences in another subject area (“instrumental”).
Thus, the purpose of the study is to describe the theoretical background of the pedagogical approach for the interdisciplinary type of professionally oriented education, which provide the use of “instrumental” subject area to form the “developing” one, as well as to describe structural and substantive components of this approach.
2. Research methods and principles
The study is based on a system and functional approaches, methods of analysis and systematisation. The article analyzes main approaches to interdisciplinary learning, presents contradictions and development paths in interdisciplinary learning. Based on the results obtained, the possible solution was proposed, namely subject-integrated pedagogical approach. The suggested approach is based on the CLIL method, whose application has been extended and theoretically rethought.
Furthermore, structural and methodological components of proposed approach are described. They are aim component, content and methodology component, evaluation criteria component.
3. Main results
3.1. Approaches to interdisciplinary learning
Theoretical substantiation of the described approach should be introduced with an analysis of currently applied methodology which is based on interdisciplinary and integrative approaches. The interdisciplinary approach involves building learning content around broad or global themes of fundamental importance, and interdisciplinary generalization as a common idea that is true to several areas of knowledge (disciplines); generalization not focused only on one of the subjects, sections or topics studied. His definition emphasizes that “thematic interdisciplinary integration — a way of organizing the content of education, which is based on the integration of objects of study, topics, problems, sections from different areas of knowledge through their substantive linking with common ideas of an interdisciplinary nature that”, in turn, reveal the meaning of some broad (global) subject . Two strategies are generally accepted in the interdisciplinary approach. The first is the link between two or more disciplines with related terminology, research system, objects of these studies, etc. This set helps to study the research problem more broadly and thoroughly, creates a vast field for scientific projects, and the knowledge system for training future specialists. Secondly, an interdisciplinary approach allows to expand areas of knowledge that cannot be fully explored by already existing scientific disciplines. Thus, at the intersection of two disciplines a new one emerges, for example, the history of economics emerged from the general economy itself and the history of economic schools. And, of course, interdisciplinary approach in the first helps to solve scientific problems, in the second — deepening knowledge when the subject is too complex, and the scientific problem posed is large for one specific discipline
.An interdisciplinary approach is undoubtedly an effective approach to interdisciplinary learning, which allows for the creation of a methodology for the study of disciplines at the intersection of different subject areas. The approach is designed to develop the competencies necessary for effective professional activity in a cross-subject area.
The integrative approach. The idea of an integrative approach is to form a holistic multi-faceted understanding of the object under study, considering all possible subject relationships. According to many authors, integration is one of the most promising areas for improving the learning process, as the approach allows you to consider the subject area holistically, identify and form the necessary knowledge, skills and skills for this field. Implementation of integrative approaches is described in many investigations
, , , . The integrative approach is one of the main approaches to organizing interdisciplinary training, due to the need to develop a training methodology suitable for all subject areas under consideration.The integrative approach aims to develop competence for a better understanding of the subject studied. With this approach, the required competencies are developed gradually and in parallel for practical use.
Both approaches are widely used and allow the necessary professional competencies to be effectively developed. However, the competency-building process, i.e. for specific interdisciplinary tasks or required cross-subject competencies, does not always meet all students' requirements. Currently there is an increase in popularity of numerous advanced training courses, additional courses and programs that provide knowledge, skills and abilities in a different subject area from the main one. For this type of training, the approaches discussed above will not be relevant, as both do not require parallel development of two competences. Competence building in such a case is in most cases by applying competence in one subject area as "instrumental" to the formation of another. Another mechanism is needed, namely the use of formed competence as a tool to form another. We propose the use of the mechanism designated by Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as the basis for developing an approach suitable for this training.
3.2. CLIL Method: application of the “instrumental” subject field to form a “subject” one
The idea of forming competences of one subject area through “instrumental” subject area is embedded in one of the most frequently used methods when learning foreign languages - CLIL method (Content and Language Integrated Learning). The studies based on CLIL are widely presented in pedagogical sciences as an LSP method
, , . The method of subject-language integrated teaching consists in organizing teaching of the subject area through a foreign language, for example, economics, political science, history, etc.According to D. Coyle and P. Hude, a foreign language becomes not only a subject of study (language of learning), but is a tool for acquiring new knowledge, analyzing information (language for learning) and increasing linguistic competence through the study of the subject area (language through learning)
.According to CLIL implementation researchers, it is characterized by a number of key characteristics that make it a special and effective teaching method, they are:
- Integration of language and content: The main idea of CLIL is to integrate language learning and teaching material. Students learn subjects in a foreign language, which allows them to develop both language skills and subject knowledge.
- Academic authenticity: CLIL’s learning material and assignments aim to be as close as possible to the real tasks and situations that students face in real life. This helps to create an authentic learning experience.
- Active participation and interaction: students actively participate in the learning process, work in groups, discuss material, solve problems and create projects. This contributes to the development of collaborative and communication skills.
- Critical thinking development: CLIL aims to develop students' critical thinking. They learn to analyze information, formulate conclusions and substantiate their opinions in a foreign language.
- Assessment and feedback: the assessment in CLIL is carried out both on language and subject competences. Teachers provide feedback that helps students improve their language and subject skills
.These characteristics make CLIL a unique and effective teaching method that contributes to the development of both language and subject competences of students, as well as their preparation for the modern world.
The mechanism for implementing the CLIL method involves using a foreign language as an "instrumental" subject area to study another subject area. The application of this method implies not only rapid development of competences of the formed subject field but also allows to develop competencies of "instrumental" subject field through its active use. Тhe method is widely used in the study of a foreign language and can be applied, in our opinion, to the study of other disciplines.
3.3. Main results
As a possible solution to the problem, we introduce a pedagogical approach, defined as a subject-integrated approach. We propose to base the approach on the idea outlined in the CLIL method, providing applying the existing skills are instrumental and are developed during the learning process. The "instrumental" subject field used in many modern studies, for instance, in foreign languages
, , , , methodology of teaching various disciplines , , , tourism , engineering , , finance . Moreover, it is noted that the field of information and communication technologies is not possible without “instrumental” soft skills for effective formation of professional competences . The widespread introduction of artificial intelligence reflects its use in investigation and learning process in different spheres , . The examples we examined confirm the possibility of applying the algorithm of the CLIL method in practice using other “instrumental” fields.It is also important for us to justify the terminology we have chosen. We refer to the methodological unit described by us as “approach”, but not “method” or “pedagogical technology”. In modern pedagogy there are several definitions of “pedagogical approach”, so, for example, the term “approach” is used to refer to a set of ideas, principles, methods underlying the solution of problems. Approach is a methodology for solving the problem, revealing the main idea, socio-economic, philosophical, psychological-pedagogical prerequisites, goals, principles, stages of achievement of goals
. Approach to the educational process as “complex multi-level tools designed to help solve any global problem in education” .Because the problem outlined by us involves the development of a tool that can be effectively used in the practice of interdisciplinary training, in our opinion, a justified idea is the designation of the desired unit as a pedagogical “approach” that includes principles, methods, pedagogical conditions and other components relevant to the implementation of the approach.
Theoretical background description of a pedagogical approach includes its structural and content components. The content of the subject-integrated approach seems relevant to us in terms of the following components:
3.3.1. Aim component
The objective of a subject-integrated approach, in our view, is to form and develop the subject area through the direct use of another field of knowledge as a tool for learning. Thus, for example, developed soft skills (teamwork skills, activity planning skills, time management, etc.) and digital services skills (application of digital programs for information collection and analysis, presentation of results in an interactive format, organization of videoconferences, text chats, etc.) are «tools» for mastering the skills of project activities.
The aim of the approach is to build significant competencies in one subject area based on already existing knowledge, skills and abilities in another subject area. A sufficient level of proficiency in one subject area is required to enable the use of existing knowledge, skills and abilities as a tool for mastering another subject area.
3.3.2. Content and methodology component
The content and methodological component includes the pedagogical principles, methods, conditions, forms of organization of training, stages of training necessary for implementation of the approach. The subject-integrated approach, in our view, includes the following significant elements.
3.3.2.1. Principles
After A. V. Shchukin under the principles of education we understand “the basic position, which is implemented in the content, organization, methods, training techniques, defines the strategy and tactics of education”
. To implement a subject-integrated approach along with general principles (principle of the connection between theory and practice, principle of systematicity, principle of maintaining high motivation, principle of activity, etc.) we consider necessary the following private methodological principles:- The principle of sufficient mastery of one subject area, allowing it to be used as a tool for studying the second subject area;
- The principle of the possibility of integration of selected subject areas, involving the study of identical or related objects within each of the subject areas, which makes their integration acceptable;
- the principle of interdisciplinary learning process, which means the application in teaching pedagogical methods, tools, technologies that are characteristic for both subject areas;
- the principle of simultaneous development of competences in the «instrumental» subject area and formation of competences in the “developing” subject area, aimed at preparation of training materials, evaluation activities, etc. taking into account the knowledge, skills and abilities of both subject areas (for example, the development of educational texts on economics («studied» area) in English («instrumental»).
3.3.2.2. Methods
The main method for implementing the described approach is the CLIL method, which involves learning a foreign language in a professional context, studying subject matter in a foreign language in parallel and using it as an «instrument». The CLIL method under the subject-integrated approach is intended to be used not only in teaching English for special purposes (ESP) or foreign language for special purposes (LSP). In our opinion, the «instrumental» field can not only speak a foreign language. For example, advanced digital skills allow the translator to learn machine translation.
Furthermore, Case-study is relevant for the implementation of the described approach. The method is aimed at engaging students in active activity through the solution of a specially developed educational case
. Setting real professional tasks will increase motivation to study the subject area and allow develop already existing skills of «instrumental» field. The application of cases of a certain professional field, written in a foreign language and involving subsequent discussion of the problem also in a foreign language, allows both to form the subject (professional) and to develop the language competence of students.Setting interdisciplinary tasks is an important stage of training based on the approach described above. The TBI (Task-Based Instruction) method, which consists in setting a real professional task requiring the application of certain professional skills, is, in our opinion, effective when teaching several subject areas
, . Setting a task from the subject area being studied, taking into account already existing skills in another subject area, allow to apply skills for the development of desired skills. Thus, the results of many studies are now presented in the form of statistical data and mathematical models, that is, the authors used a familiar subject area (mathematical analysis, statistics) to analyze the results of the studied field (pedagogy, linguistics) , .A substantial method for presented approach is a Flipping class. It is a method for students’ work organization which involves students in active practice through changing the functional role and active involvement of students in the learning process. It includes a special form of training in which students' self-sustained work is carried out by studying new material, preparing for active discussion of a problem issue in class. The teacher in such training changes his role to an observer, and the active role is given to students
. This pedagogical method is important in the implementation of a subject-integrated approach, as when applying the method of studying the subject material is allocated to the independent study of students, which reduces the workload on the classroom work. n addition, the study of a subject area will be predestined for active involvement of students in its study, and the need to present one’s point of view and delay its application increases the motivation to study it.3.3.2.3. Teaching conditions
Implementation of the approach requires the formation of certain internal and external pedagogical conditions, among which we consider, first, the maintenance of high motivation of students through the use of active and interactive teaching methods, preference for group, rather than a front-line form of educational activity, the inclusion of practice-oriented tasks. Second, the teacher’s expertise in both subject areas or the use of subject matter specialists to advise and assist in the development of training materials. Thirdly, it is necessary to create a holistic system of independent and classroom work of students, as well as the organization of platforms for independent and group work, in the role of which modern Internet platforms are most often.
3.3.3. Evaluation criteria component
The assessment of learning outcomes based on a subject-integrated approach should include both subject areas. Evaluation, in our opinion, should be carried out by means of comparative analysis and carried out in 3 stages:
1. Initial assessment of knowledge — an assessment of knowledge in both subject areas, one of which should be assessed as «sufficient» to use it as a tool for the development of another subject area,
2. An intermediate assessment that measures the development of skills in the “instrumental” area and the building of skills in the emerging area. After the mid-term evaluation, it is possible to make changes in the learning process based on the results of the interim measurement of competence formation,
3. Final assessment (verification of the formation of competences in the subject area (object) and development of skills and abilities in the instrumental subject area.
Learning based on our proposed approach can be considered successful, if the indicators of competence development (subject and instrumental) increased compared with the initial assessment of knowledge.
The evaluation criteria may be the formation of significant competencies within the two selected subject areas. For example, if the subject area is chosen to use one of the programming languages and “instrumental” foreign language area, then the following indicators can be used as evaluation criteria:
- subject area (programming): the ability to solve practical problems with the help of the programming language, mastery of the basic principles of building the algorithm of the program’s work, knowledge of the technical component of the work of the program.
- Instrumental area (foreign language): development of the ability to search and analyze information in a foreign language, knowledge of subject terminology in a foreign language, ability to present and discuss the results of work performed in a foreign language.
In connection with all of the above, topical theoretical justification, description and further methodological analysis integrated approach in training for the formation of effective methods and technologies of teaching various disciplines and training demanded specialists in modern conditions of social, educational and professional environment.
4. Conclusion
The results of the study can be used in the development of teaching methods and technologies within the framework of interdisciplinary training. Subject-integrated approach allows to extend methodology of interdisciplinary training organisation and to diversify methodological possibilities of modern educational process in different subject areas.
The subject-integrated approach to learning is driven by changes in educational standards competency development requirements, as well as changes in the labor market and students’ preferences and needs. Presented in this article approach allows to develop the necessary basis for the development of a multidisciplinary teaching methodology. The basis of the described method is proposed to put the mechanism of the CLIL method including in its subject field not only foreign languages. Based on the analyzed studies, it was concluded that subject areas such as IT-sphere, statistics and mathematic analysis, soft skills and others can be used as an “instrumental” field. Thus, the mechanism of CLIL method has a larger subject area, than just foreign language one, and it is possible to enhance it to a pedagogical approach aimed at solving the issue of interdisciplinary training methodology developing.
The subject-integrated approach has structural and content components (target, content, methodology and evaluation criteria) that ensure an effective organization of the educational process. Introduction of the pedagogical approach described by us into scientific circulation will allow us to more accurately build a didactic model, applicable to today’s current interdisciplinary education.