Cross-Curricular Engagement

Q: What do you get when you cross a computer and a life guard?  

Wait, wrong question. Q: What do you get when you focus on cross-curricular engagement? Lots of powerful learning!

First things first - what is cross curricular engagement? The way I like to define it is when you take content from one curriculum area and address it in an "unrelated" curriculum area. Like when you talk about reading during math class. Or when you ask kids to solve a math problem during tech class and they say "Ms. Diem, I thought we were doing technology, not math!"

True story.

If we want things to stick, it helps to make connections. So when we're asking kids to read a science text, it's helpful to remind them of reading strategies. Or when we're designing a model in art class, it helps to remember how to measure precisely.

And technology is one of those unifying tools that can make cross-curricular engagement super-duper powerful. As a matter of fact, this week, I got to speak with the people at Osmo for an upcoming episode on their podcast! It was so much fun to speak with Michael and Ross about how engagement soars when learning isn't siloed. 

For example, sequencing comes into play in every. single. subject. To introduce sequencing to kids, or to review it, try using something like Osmo's Coding Awbie, or even Osmo Numbers!  Then you can remind students when they're reading, to put things in order like they did with Awbie. Or in science, to follow the steps of the scientific method.  There are so many tools, Osmo and beyond, that weave content together in a way that creates a new level of engagement.

The more we connect learning experiences to other learning experiences, the more memorable, and powerful, they become!

A: A screensaver!