Designing Interdisciplinary Learning Experiences

Interdisciplinary learning in the context of secondary education refers to an educational approach that integrates knowledge, methods, and perspectives from multiple disciplines to explore complex topics, issues, or problems. This approach goes beyond the traditional subject boundaries, encouraging students to make connections between different fields and hone higher-order skills by engaging in questions that they don’t have a prescriptive answer to. The idea here is not to replace disciplinary learning, which has its place, but to also make space for integrating these learnings in real-world, interdisciplinary contexts. To spark your imagination, here is an example using the theme of sustainable agriculture.

Benefits

Interdisciplinary learning offers a range of benefits that enhance students’ educational experiences and prepare them for complex real-world challenges. So if, apart from disciplinary objectives, your curriculum targets the below skills and abilities, making space for interdisciplinary learning can help you achieve them.

1. Holistic Understanding: Interdisciplinary learning allows students to explore a wider range of topics and understand multiple viewpoints, leading to a more comprehensive worldview.
2. Critical Thinking and Cognitive Skills: It fosters critical thinking, the ability to recognize biases, tolerate ambiguity, and analyze ethical concerns. These cognitive skills are essential for addressing complex problems.
3. Creativity and Innovation: By integrating knowledge from different disciplines, students are encouraged to think creatively and develop innovative solutions.
4. Problem-solving Abilities: Interdisciplinary learning equips students with the skills to approach and solve complex problems using multidimensional approaches.
5. Collaboration and Communication: It promotes effective communication and teamwork, as students often work in diverse groups to synthesize ideas from multiple disciplines.
6. Real-world Relevance: This approach connects academic concepts to real-world applications, making learning more relevant and preparing students for future careers.
7. Global Perspective: It encourages students to consider global issues and diverse perspectives, fostering empathy and cultural sensitivity.
8. Lifelong Learning Mindset: Interdisciplinary learning nurtures a love for learning and curiosity, encouraging students to continuously seek connections and expand their knowledge.

Design Process

Here is a suggested process for designing and implementing interdisciplinary learning:

Step 1. Establish an Interdisciplinary Team

Bring together faculty (and students!) from different disciplines to collaboratively design the interdisciplinary project. This team can also extend beyond the school to include community organizations, businesses, and experts in various fields. This team should have a shared vision and commitment to interdisciplinary education.

The team should analyze the needs of potential students, societal needs, institutional priorities, and available resources to inform the scope of the project. Interdisciplinary collaboration can be challenging due to differing schedules, priorities, and teaching styles, so building a collaborative culture and effective communication is key to overcoming obstacles.

Faculty can co-design units and deliver them within their classes, or project weeks or project times within a week can be allocated for more simultaneous working.

Step 2: Identify Common Themes

Identify a complex, real-world problem or overarching theme that requires the integration and intersections of multiple disciplines to understand and address it fully. For example, under a theme like sustainable agriculture, students can explore the intersection of environmental science, economics, social studies, and technology to propose solutions that promote ecological balance, economic viability, and social equity.

One of the most challenging aspects is striking the right balance between enough disciplinary knowledge and a broader interdisciplinary perspective. Achieving this balance ensures that learners gain comprehensive insights while still meeting academic standards.

Step 3: Develop Essential Questions

Develop essential questions that will guide students’ inquiry and exploration. These questions should encourage students to make connections across disciplines and think deeply about the theme or problem. Boost engagement and relevance by incorporating students’ interests into the unit and actively seeking their feedback. This approach helps tailor the educational experience to better meet their learning needs.

Step 4: Develop Learning Outcomes

Develop interdisciplinary learning outcomes that reflect the integration of disciplinary knowledge, skills, and perspectives required to address the identified problem or theme. Aligning the goals of different disciplines can be complex, especially when they have different methods, epistemologies, and assessment standards. The ability to discuss and link subject matter from diverse disciplines is crucial. Advancements in AI can greatly help reduce the load here by synthesizing outcomes and comparing them to existing databases. The outcomes should also emphasize the development of skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving, in addition to content knowledge.

Step 5: Design a Learning Arc

Next, establish phases and a timeline for the project, including key milestones and deadlines. Utilize problem-based, collaborative and reflective pedagogies. For example, you can plan the learning arc in phases to build foundational knowledge and curiosity, develop deeper understanding through focused study within each discipline, synthesize knowledge from different disciplines to address the complex problem, and present final projects and reflect on the learning experience. Digital tools can help connect students with resources and experts from around the world, provide platforms for collaboration, and offer new ways to present and share their work. Here is an illustration using the same theme.

Step 6: Develop Feedback Mechanisms

Every learning loop should be accompanied by a meaningful assessment. Traditional assessment methods may not adequately capture student learning in interdisciplinary units, and educators often need to budget time to develop new assessments that can evaluate both subject-specific skills and the integration of interdisciplinary knowledge. This might include project-based assessments with rubrics and portfolios. Encouraging students to reflect on their learning experiences helps them understand the connections between disciplines and the value of an interdisciplinary approach. Reflection can be facilitated through journals, discussions, and self-assessment .

Step 7: Foster a Collaborative Learning Environment

Creating a supportive environment that fosters curiosity, open-communication, and respect for diverse perspectives is essential. This includes providing resources, guidance, and encouragement for students on how to collaborate and explore interdisciplinary connections. Allow students to take an active role in their learning by exploring their interests and passions within the context of the interdisciplinary theme. Remain adaptable in your teaching approach to accommodate unexpected insights or shifts in the learning trajectory. This flexibility is crucial for capitalizing on the dynamic nature of interdisciplinary education.

Step 8: Reflect and Revise

After the project, reflect on what worked well and what could be improved. Gather feedback from students and colleagues to inform future interdisciplinary projects. Make necessary adjustments to the questions, activities, and assessments based on the feedback and reflections.

Designing interdisciplinary learning experiences in secondary education is not just a pedagogical strategy but a transformative approach that prepares students for the complexities of the real world. By integrating traditional silos of subject-based learning, educators can cultivate a more holistic, creative, and problem-solving mindset in their students. This approach not only equips learners with the necessary skills to tackle multifaceted challenges but also fosters a lifelong love for learning and an appreciation for diverse perspectives.