LESSON STRUCTURE IN THE PROCESS OF INTERDISCIPLINARY INTEGRATION: AN AUTHORIAL SIX-STAGE MODEL FOR CURRICULUM PLANNING

Abstract

Interdisciplinary integration is one of the significant directions in contemporary curriculum planning because educational problems and real-life situations often require learners to combine knowledge from several academic disciplines. This article examines how lessons can be structured in the process of interdisciplinary integration and proposes an authorial practical model entitled the Six-Stage Interdisciplinary Lesson Structure. The study is based on a conceptual analysis of scientific literature on integrated curriculum, interdisciplinary learning, backward design, and constructive alignment. The article draws on the theoretical works of Fogarty, Jacobs, Drake and Burns, Biggs, Wiggins and McTighe, Boix Mansilla, and other scholars. The analysis shows that interdisciplinary integration should not be understood as a mechanical combination of subjects. Rather, it should be planned as a gradual pedagogical process in which students move from a meaningful problem to disciplinary inquiry, then to synthesis, product creation, and reflective assessment. The proposed six-stage model includes problem orientation, activation of prior knowledge, disciplinary exploration, interdisciplinary connection, integrative production, and reflective assessment. The article argues that this model can help teachers organize integrated lessons without weakening disciplinary depth. The findings also indicate that effective interdisciplinary curriculum planning requires clear learning outcomes, coordinated assessment criteria, teacher collaboration, and meaningful links between school knowledge and real-life contexts.