What exactly are ‘interdisciplinary connections’? Veronica
Boix-Mansilla (1996) describes them as “integrating knowledge or modes of
thinking from two or more disciplines (fields of study) in order to create
products, raise questions, solve problems, and offer explanations of the world
around them in ways that would not have been possible through single
disciplinary means’.
Through interdisciplinary studies students are presented
with a curriculum that engages them in authentic learning, project-based
experiences that are not bound by the traditional subject-silo teaching methods
that are still so prevalent today. Instead they have the opportunity to follow
their own interests and develop critical thinking skills in order to solve real-world
problems.
Jones (2010) describes other advantages of this curriculum
delivery method as encouraging the development of lifelong learning and having
more direct student involvement in their own learning which leads to becoming
independent learners while blending the traditional stand-alone subjects. He
acknowledges that while there can be a few drawbacks, such as being it being
time-consuming for teachers to prepare, the advantages and benefits of it
leading to more innovation and higher order thinking in the future outweigh
these negatives.
At my school we are still in the post-industrial era model
of education where subjects are taught in isolation, although there are groups
of teachers who are trying to break this mold by working across two faculty/subject
areas, such as the annual Y13 combined Geography/Biology field trip based in
the Central North Island.
This year I am the science teacher for the newly introduced
Sport in Education (SIE) class at Y9. The ‘core’ subject teachers of this class
meet weekly to plan and integrate the learning experiences as much as possible
while still covering the curriculum as outlined by our respective faculties,
with an emphasis on active/activity-based learning. We were able to do one
major integrated unit based around the Lions Tour this winter which culminated
in group presentations to their teachers and parents. While there were some
teething problems (access to computers, students learning how to collaborate
fully, lack of verbal & visual presentation skills for many) and it did
take extra time to plan and coordinate across the subjects, there were also
some benefits. These included having an authentic audience to present to (their
parents!), gaining confidence in presenting to an audience, and that every group
in the class rallied together in the end.
Next year I would like to trial another interdisciplinary
project, preferably with my colleagues on staff who have done the Mind Lab
course with me in 2017 as between the five of us we cover science, social studies,
maths and design & visual communication (DVC). In order for this to happen
a few things are required: a growth mindset (this is a ‘given’ as we’ve already
demonstrated this through doing Mind Lab!), a commitment to broadening horizons
and crossing the subject silos, and being given time for us to properly plan
and implement the process. In all likelihood it will be the latter point that
is the most difficult to achieve! In their conceptual model for
interdisciplinary collaboration Mulligan and Kuban (2015) describe the need for
three elements to be present for a successful collaboration. If one element is
missing the project will be challenging to complete. Appropriate planning time
would fit under the element of workplace conditions. This is the aspect that is
out of our (collaborators) control and without which an interdisciplinary
project will difficult, although not impossible.
Another probable constraint to using an interdisciplinary
approach in 2018 is that there will be no fixed core class rolls in Y 9 &
10, instead the students in a class may differ from subject to subject
depending on their strengths and weaknesses in any particular area. This will
make teaching with an interdisciplinary approach messy and challenging - but
not impossible. After all, we owe it to our students to move towards an
interdisciplinary model in order to properly prepare them for their working
lives beyond school. If we are to fulfil our duty to our students, we need to
keep the following words from Daniel Pink (cited in Interdisiplinarity and
Innovation, 2011) in mind:
“We need to prepare kids for
THEIR FUTURE, not OUR PAST.”
References
Boix Mansilla, V., Miller, W. C., & Gardner, H. (2000).
On disciplinary lenses and interdisciplinary work. Interdisciplinary
curriculum: Challenges to implementation, 17-38.
Jones, C. (2010). Interdisciplinary approach-advantages,
disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary
studies. ESSAI, 7(1), 26.
Mulligan, L. M., & Kuban, A. J. . (2015). A Conceptual
Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Retrieved from http://acrlog.org/2015/05/14/a-conceptual-model-for-interdisciplinary-collaboration
ThomasMcDonaghGroup. ( 2011, May 13). Interdisciplinarity
and Innovation Education.[video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDdNzftkIpA
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