Exploratory Workshop Subject Integration and Cross-curricular Education

Together with Johan Sterken, Vivian Knols and others, I am involved in a national working group—set up by Dutch conservatoires and teacher training colleges through the MuziekOpleidersAkkoord. We have been exploring how teachers and partners in education can approach this theme.

Since 2020, the working group has initiated various activities to develop and share knowledge on cross-curricular teaching, including a lesson design competition, the production of knowledge clips, articles in professional journals, and workshops at study days, conferences, primary schools, and, like yesterday, cultural institutions.

The common thread in all these activities is a shared theoretical framework that identifies different forms of cross-curricular teaching, each varying in complexity. The key is to make conscious choices and ensure equality between the subjects you aim to connect.

In this workshop, we explore how cultural organisation can support schools in bringing subjects together, using this framework and the materials we have developed. We also discuss what cultural organisations might need to take on this role effectively.