Science Learning Area - Case Studies - Clarkson Community High School

Science
Updated: Feb 2000

Teaching & Learning | Case Studies of Integrated Teaching | Clarkson Community HS |
Enabling Factors

Case Studies - Clarkson Community High School High School
Enabling Factors

Teachers at Clarkson Community High School see several factors that have enabled the process of integration to occur. These can be loosely categorised into factors related to being a new school, recruitment, professional development and planning, administrative support and the learning community structure.

Being a New School
Recruitment, Professional Development & Planning
Administrative Support
The Learning Community Structure

Enabling Factors - Being a New School

The Principal commented that because the school was new when they were establishing the curriculum there was no need for a transition from old to new. Everything, including the curriculum was new from the beginning.

The biggest enabler for us is not having a previous established school. You can start from scratch. We have opened up the idea that school doesn't have to be the way other big schools are and there has been a terrific support across the parent group.

Enabling Factors - Recruitment, Professional Development & Planning

Teachers at Clarkson Community High School are not appointed centrally as they are in other government schools in Western Australia. Rather, the recruitment and selection process is school based. New teachers have a 2-day induction at the end of the year prior to commencement.

We recruited from other schools so most have really traditional skills. We put in the applications and we interviewed after we had gone through the pile. The package that people get describes a bit about the school so they understand they are not coming to a traditional school and most said they are happy about that. They can see the problems in the traditional system and they want to do something different and they are motivated.

This process has resulted in a cadre of motivated teachers who are employed knowing the system in place at Clarkson Community High School. This motivation is maintained through relevant professional development.

The other enabler is teachers' professional development. We have just had our four Level 3's go to a course and they have come back absolutely on top of the world. So that really meant they have gone back to their people, and talked about what has gone on. Okay, they do a lot more work, they are very committed.

One of the key factors that teachers mentioned that enabled them to integrate successfully between the learning areas is planning.

You need a bit of prior planning because I will be starting with a new theme next year, so over the holidays I will get that theme done.

Enabling Factors - Administrative Support

The teachers were appreciative of the support they received from the Principal and associate Principals for the integrated approach to curriculum.

As far as administration's concerned, they are right behind us because whatever we want to try, we have their support.

The Principal also commented that support from the Education Department was a strong factor that has maintained the momentum of the new curriculum.

Enabling Factors - The Learning Community Structure

The learning community structure at Clarkson Community High School resulted in the teachers from each community being housed together in their own staff room. The teachers from Grey Learning Community commented that because they were all in the same office communication was naturally enhanced. Communication between teachers responsible for different areas of the curriculum was a key factor enabling integration.

Well we are all in the same office for a start where we do work around each other. If someone really wants to do something in one subject area but can't quite fit it in then he transfers it to someone else in another subject area who can. They just manipulate it into whatever they can.

You can use any subject area to incorporate within your own. Normally people are so focused on their own area that they don't think to use social studies or they might not think it fits into what [they are] doing and what they are familiar with. [Whereas here], to bring it into my class, it just fits really well.

Although the communication in the learning communities is spontaneous and ongoing, teachers and the Principal emphasised the need for communal time in the learning community timetable that is designated as collaborative planning time. The teachers found that the learning community structure also enhances the communication with the students and their parents.

I think that the students appreciate that they have got the same teachers who really get to know them quite well although its more a primary school type set-up as far as the kids having teachers, instead of having just the one teacher all the time they have got 6 or 7 teachers that speak to their parents.

If they know that we are talking among each other and we are making sure that we are keeping up with the kids and what we are doing in each subject, well they can't slack off in one subject area and keep up on the other. It's a two way street.

The teachers generally found that the learning community structure breaks down the barriers between traditional subject departments and helps teachers and students to see the links between learning areas. The learning community structure also accommodates a timetable independent from the rest of the school which allows teachers flexibility that in turn allows for more in-depth integration.

We can shuffle it around, I will take science at this time if I can put my kids into maths and swap it around like that. It's just negotiating... And being able to chop and change is terrific. It is really good not to be stuck to a timetable. If we want to go on an excursion we just organise whatever day, and staff can decide.

The care ethos that is a cornerstone of the learning community system was mentioned as a factor that helped enable the integrated system. Teachers and students get to know each other more quickly and better and this promotes more productive communication and hence further integration. Finally the focus on an outcomes-focused curriculum resulted in teachers being able to notice similar outcomes early in the term and plan for integration.

The availability of teaching materials has already been mentioned as a difficulty by a mathematics teacher in preparing the integrated curriculum. The same teacher commented that the sharing of materials within and between learning communities is an advantage because it reduces the teacher's workload and also allows teachers to share experiences about teaching particular units of work within the themes.

We sat down just before the end of last term and said, okay, well what are you doing in decision making and I am doing enterprise, then we swap.