Abstract:

The specific subjects we are studying in school belong to some definite scientific areas such as: Mathematics, Physics, Geography, History, Economics or Engineering. But these scientific domains are organized academically, without specifically aiming to develop any links to practical human interests. To break up this traditional way of conceiving disciplines, the Romanian educational reform has adopted the curricular model in organizing schools, meaning a curricular integrated knowledge is promoted. The accelerated evolution of the various fields of knowledge requires a corresponding adaptation of the specific learning process. We have to make connections between the different cultural areas and this human intelectual need goes along with the process of connecting different sciences around some deffinite criteria. To develop integrated knowledge in their pupils, the Romanian teachers have to build some convergent links between information, skils, values and atitudes they are developing in their pupils. To facilitate the teachers` effort of creating an integrated knowledge, the Romanin curriculum is organized in seven curricular areas such as: Language and Communication, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Human and Society, Sports, Arts, Technologies or Counseling and Education. They allow different types of knowledge integration (a complementary one, between related disciplines belonging to the same curricular area and a parallel one, between disciplines belonging to different curricular areas). To realise these integrated knowledge we have to develop new integrative didactics. The paper we are presenting refers to a new comprehensive didactics of „Human and Society” curricular area. It is an interdisciplinary approach meant to define the specific transversal didactic skills necessary to the future History, Geography, Citizen Education and Religion teachers, as well as to those of socio-human sciences.This didactics is also subordinated to some specific finalities, defined as the dominants of „Human and Society” curricular area, presented in the first section of our paper. We also develop the problem of redefining the official documents we use in schools and universities to organize the learning process, describing the competencies teachers have to develop in their pupils by teaching the enumerated disciplines, The third part of this paper reffers to the process of integrating the contenents in specific notions and concepts. We describe the process from a didactic point of view, underlining the characteristics giving specificity to historical, geographical, social or political concepts. Then we present two integrative didactic strategies (case study and problem solving) applied to the study of History and Economics in high-school or univerisity. The last section of the paper is analysing the process of an integrative evaluation of the learning process for the disciplins of Human and Society curricular area. To facilitate such an evaluation the Romanian Learning System uses the Preformance Curricular Standards, indicating the degree to which the disiplinar curricular objectives are achieved. Focused on students` formation the evaluation process should demonstrate the progress made by students in achieving information and special competencies.The evaluation process should be a continuous one no matter to what degree it refers.The conclusions of the paper underline advantages and limits of the new integrated curriculum.

Keywords:

integrated knowledge, curricular areas, transversal didactic skills, the official school.