One of my current interdisciplinary connections is with my teaching team. In our team of four we have teachers with a special interest or expertise in a variety of disciplines like the Arts, Sport and PE, Social Science, Science, Mindfulness and Growth Mindset. We plan together and I think we deliver a rich, varied, integrated and highly engaging curriculum.
Casey, J. (2010) states that interdisciplinary techniques are not only important for a student to learn any one single discipline or solve problems in a synthesized manner, but it also enriches a student’s lifelong learning habits, academic skills, and personal growth. I recently saw a great example of this. This term my team completed a wearable arts unit. My colleagues and I were reflecting on the learning that had taken place. In eight weeks our students learned about the design process, the importance of following a brief and of planning and making models. They learned art skills like paper mache and painting. They also learned about performance, lighting, choreography, stage presence and their audience. Most importantly they learned about values like teamwork, collaboration, leadership, problem-solving, resilience and perseverance. There was a real sense of camaraderie amongst our students. They got a huge amount of satisfaction from their work and were incredibly proud of themselves and their peers.
One of my potential interdisciplinary connections is with my Community of Learners or COL. My 'near future goal' would be to simply connect with students and my colleagues from across the COL. I remain cynical about the COL concept. I have questions about the leadership, funding, accountability and logistics to name a few. However after having a few anecdotal conversations with my colleagues I have began to look for the positives and the advantages of being a part of a COL.
In our COL there is one secondary school Years 8-13 and several contributing and full primary schools, and one special character primary school. The COL has the potential to be an exciting opportunity for staff and students to collaborate, plan together, share expertise and resources. For example, I know that the college in our COL has an impressive music/arts department and I am the not so impressive Teacher-in-Charge of the Arts at my school. It would be wonderful to invite some of the senior choir/music students from the college to work with my younger choir.
For our recent wearable arts unit we invited two senior students from the college to help with the construction of the costumes. On the day of the performance we asked if a couple of the college students could come and set up a lighting rig for the show, they agreed and stayed on to control the spotlight, this is something my colleagues and I have no experience with and would have been unable to do.
Some senior college students help run our sports/arts interchange on a Friday afternoon. Our students involved in the interchange have challenging behaviours and the college students have helped to provide some extra supervision, and acted as role models and mentors. Another example of us working with the college is there are a small group of boys in my class that really need extending in maths. So once a week the boys attend a maths extension/GATE class at the college.
When I reflect on the things we have done with the college I realise we have made a good start. However so far I have only made connections with the college not the other COL schools. Also while the college have been very kind to us, I wonder what we can offer them? Can we work together to solve problems like truancy etc? I am excited about what being a part of the COL could mean/do for our staff and students, our learning and our personal growth.
References
Jones, C.(2009). Interdisciplinary approach - Advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary studies. ESSAI7 (26), 76-81. Retrieved from http://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=essai
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