The consideration on the promoting condition regulating the management of Interdisciplinary Curriculum

Abstract

The propose of the theses is to make clear the promotion factor of the Interdisciplinary Curriculum in America through the conceptual framework of Curriculum Management in Japan. Through a series of an empirical research, the following points have become clear.

First, the concept of Curriculum Management that has been cultivated in Japan has been in most testified in the theory and the practice of Interdisciplinary Curriculum. The key concept of Interdisciplinary Curriculum and Curriculum Management has in common which is "relevancy （connection）", "collaboration" and "Interdisciplinary Curriculum leaders".

Both of the concepts of Interdisciplinary Curriculum and Curriculum Management would be shown as follows : the former was made and the latter was reorganized by the author, but the original concept of Curriculum Management was created by Dr. Nakadome.

"Curriculum Management" will be actualized when curriculum as content, method and function of educational activities and management by providing and maintaining the condition are effectively complementary to each other. The type of combinations of relevancy and collaboration should be patterned and its necessary conditions should be extracted.

The concept of the curriculum embodied in Interdisciplinary Curriculum is the theme learning integrated the interest and concern of the students, centered connected curriculum. Through developing the various kinds of problem-solving and inquiry activities, interdisciplinary collaboration among teachers would create systematically planned, organized, and constructed learning.

Second, Interdisciplinary Curriculum has been functioned in the middle schools.

Third, the function of the curriculum leaders has in common. Especially, the function as the curriculum coordinators is intensely required. By way of case studies, these points have been clarified.

In a theory and practice, the construction of Interdisciplinary Curriculum should be required as a necessary condition, which has aims or missions. But in the concept of Interdisciplinary Curriculum, aims in general fail in. That is to say, the site-based educational purpose in the Interdisciplinary Curriculum has been deficient in practice, though it has the function of the curriculum. Discipline or subject takes first priority.

Therefore the mutual and sincere negotiation among the teachers in the charge of the subjects may be liable to cause misunderstanding as product of the compromise.

The theses and the practice of Interdisciplinary collaboration based the understanding of the realization of educational purpose would be required.

The developing task of this research needs comparative study among the kinds of schools, such as elementary, middle and high schools. In addition to the organizational study of the management, each sphere of man, materials, management and money, and the correspondence of "curriculum & instruction" would be essential for the study of Interdisciplinary Curriculum.