Finally, it is important to give your students time. No topic can be generative if your students do not have enough time to explore the material, make connections, and develop their understanding. Students should be allowed the time they need to explore essential content rather than covering large blocks of less generative material. It can be, if the themes you choose to focus on are accessible to students, central to a domain or discipline, and have connections to students' experiences both in and out of school. One key difference is that thematic approaches to teaching tend to be interdisiplinary, but generative topics can be approached either across disciplines or through a single discipline.
Some teachers try putting a new spin on an old topic.
For instance, ponds, cells or the desert - typical topics for biology and general science classes might be taught as part of a unit on interdependance. The Teaching for Understanding Guide . Jossey-Bass, San Fransisco. Please provide us with feedback on this site.