Interactive Activities among Students of Different Grades in Integrated Learning Classes and Change in Awareness of Teachers

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A characteristic of integrated learning is that learners take initiative in developing study materials. Because learners take initiative in developing study materials, the resulting materials go beyond the scope of existing subjects but form cross-curriculum learning. Therefore, even if the resulting study materials are extremely similar to existing materials based on existing subjects, the process of material development is an integrated learning process as long as the main activity is proactive development of study materials by learners. In trial implementations of such integrated learning classes, various methods are used in order to inspire learners' initiative. However, teachers tend to feel uncertainty about leaving the essential part of learning to learners alone. As a result, teachers often set a rough outline and leave only a part of learning process to learners. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that some of the essential part of learning can be left to learners alone by combining learners of different grades, rather than teaching learners of single grade. As a result, we found that combination of learners of different grades can introduce interactive learning activities that are often seen in club activities also to classrooms. In long-established clubs, learners of higher grades take leadership based on an annual plan developed through traditions. Meanwhile, learners of lower grades learn what they should do in the next and the following years by looking at the senior learners. This study demonstrates that such learning system can be established in actual integrated learning classrooms and can also change awareness of teachers by showing the results of our trial implementations in elementary schools and colleges.