When Chris Terrill, the executive director of Crosstown High—an XQ school in Memphis, TN—was diagnosed with high cholesterol, he went straight to his students for help. He didn’t just want an explanation for why his cholesterol might be high—he wanted a plan to lower his cholesterol moving forward. His students delivered, applying insights from biology, health, and product research to come up with a comprehensive health plan. Show
This project is an example of real-world interdisciplinary learning in action. The Crosstown students synthesized perspectives from multiple subjects to solve a problem. In doing so, they not only learned relevant academic content, but also honed skills like critical thinking and communication. At XQ, we believe high schools should prepare students to succeed in a world that’s always changing. We’re on a mission to transform high school so that every student has access to meaningful, engaged learning—learning that is deeper, more flexible, and more interconnected than traditional high school curriculum. Interdisciplinary teaching and learning is a way to do just that. What Is Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning?Interdisciplinary teaching and learning is exactly what it sounds like: students combine learning from multiple disciplines to come up with new ways to think about issues and solve problems. Teachers looking to create these opportunities for students might ask, what is an interdisciplinary approach? Compared to traditional approaches, an interdisciplinary approach expands what students learn by allowing them to tackle problems that don’t fit neatly into one subject. It also changes how students learn by asking them to synthesize multiple perspectives, instead of taking what they’re told by a teacher at face value. For an example of interdisciplinary learning, take this project from the theater program at Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts (TAPA) in Providence, RI. ShaLayla Simmons, theater teacher and artist-in-residence, led students in writing, staging, and directing plays based on their own life experiences, interests, and natural curiosities. The students also studied well known plays from across history—a Greek drama, a play by Tennesse Williams, and a play by Lorraine Hansberry. This project was interdisciplinary in that it connected literature with historical perspectives, creative work, and material from students’ own lives. In doing this project, students made deep connections between their own identities and the plays they read, gaining new insights into both. As this example from TAPA shows, much of the power of interdisciplinary learning lies in how it teaches students to think and make connections. In partnership with the National Science Foundation, The Science and Research Institute at Carleton College (SERC) identified four major cognitive skills that interdisciplinary learning teaches students, including the ability to:
These cognitive skills are crucial for high schools looking to transform learning and prepare students for success after graduation. Daniel Allen, former executive director of school renewal with the Santa Ana Unified School District, explained, “The economy right now favors the weird; favors the new; favors the out-of-the-box thinkers.” Interdisciplinary learning helps students learn creatively and apply knowledge across disciplines. Challenging Student Biases With Interdisciplinary Learning and TeachingLike all of us, students bring pre-existing ideas, biases, and prejudices into the classroom. These can affect what students learn, how they learn, and how they apply what they learn in school to their lives. Interdisciplinary learning challenges these biases. It asks students to consider multiple perspectives and, in doing so, trains students to think more critically about their own identities. This approach engages students because it forces them to set aside preconceived notions, enabling them to:
At Círculos, an XQ school in Santa Ana, CA, students like Alexies experienced the perspective-widening benefits of interdisciplinary learning. Círculos uses interdisciplinary learning as part of its mission to empower students to become more active in their community. Along with a classmate, Alexies completed a research project at the intersection of culture and public health, focusing on the mental health challenges experienced by students whose immigrant parents faced deportation. Through this research Alexies not only learned about the social, political, and psychological factors affecting families impacted by deportation—she also gained a new perspective on her own life. She explained, “It really made me appreciate the opportunities I have, that I’m not constantly in fear I’ll be separated from my parents. I am very grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given.” Why Is Interdisciplinary Learning Important?When students graduate, they should be able to evaluate complex information to come up with their own ideas and perspectives—a.k.a., critical thinking. Interdisciplinary learning supports critical thinking by helping students:
This last bullet point, “structural knowledge,” is a term used by interdisciplinary education expert Dr. Allen Repko. As shown in the table below, it refers to the level of knowledge students need to get to a point of forming their own ideas and solutions to a given problem.
Problem-Solving With Interdisciplinary ApproachesMany of the biggest challenges high school students will face in their education, careers, and communities don’t have clear answers. That’s why one of XQ’s Learner Goals is “original thinkers for an uncertain world.” Comfort with uncertainty and ambiguity is built into the fabric of interdisciplinary learning, where students constantly analyze multiple, sometimes conflicting, perspectives. By asking students to consider problems through multiple perspectives, interdisciplinary approaches bring an ethical lens to learning. Asking students to express their thoughts and beliefs is a great way to engage student learning in the moment. A focus on ethics also prepares students to pursue justice in their lives outside of school. When shelter-in-place orders first took effect, Da Vinci RISE High engaged students in questions of ethics through a three-month interdisciplinary project. Students created an identity wheel to explore how voting affects people with different heritages, genders, and sexual orientations. They then presented their final products and narrative at an online student exhibition. This interdisciplinary project engaged students during the challenging time of the pandemic. It also explored the ethics of systematic disenfranchisement and empowered students to speak out on the issue. How Interdisciplinary Teaching Promotes Meaningful, Engaged LearningAll of these processes—interrogating bias, thinking critically, embracing ambiguity, and analyzing ethical concerns—require deep student engagement. In traditional high school classrooms, the teacher is at the center delivering knowledge. We know that this model does not do enough to engage and empower students. Interdisciplinary learning changes the dynamic, placing students in a much more active role by:
Teachers at Círculos capitalized on these benefits of interdisciplinary learning when they planned a project to welcome incoming 9th graders to the school. In the six-week series, “Ash and Feather: Stories Inside Out,” 9th grade students explored how to tell the story of who they are by looking at examples from a range of disciplines, including creative writing, photography, and painting. Then, students worked to find the best way to represent their own story. Student Abdiel described how his project, which focused on social and economic justice, evolved from a piece of visual art to a poem with the encouragement of his teachers: “They helped me find my voice. They showed me how to express myself using the simplest of words, and find a kind of beauty.” Abdiel was not the only student who engaged with this project at a deep level. “At the debrief circle, students started crying,” explained Deborah Park, Círculos’ curator of projects and partnerships. “They said it changed their whole perspective. It helped them realize we’re more similar than different.” How to Teach Using an Interdisciplinary Learning ModelAfter considering all the benefits of interdisciplinary learning, you might be wondering—how can I actually implement it in my classroom? The Science and Research Institute at Carleton College put together this step-by-step approach:
To see these steps in action, explore SERC’s example of how to apply these steps to teach about the racial wage gap. Advice From Teachers on How to Create Interdisciplinary ProjectsHow do teachers who’ve made the shift to interdisciplinary learning feel about it? And what would they say to other teachers starting out on their interdisciplinary learning journey? At Purdue Polytechnic High School, an XQ school in Indianapolis, Indiana, teachers (or “coaches”) say interdisciplinary learning has made a big difference for their students. Humanities Coach Alicia Johnson described how the shift was a“productive struggle”—but said that despite the difficulty, she wouldn’t want to go back to traditional school. “I don’t know that I felt that way in the beginning,” she said. “I think it might have been a relief to have some familiarity, but now I couldn’t live with myself going back to that.” Two big themes educators at PPHS emphasized for creating interdisciplinary learning are collaboration with other teachers and constant self-evaluation and innovation. Lead Instructor Andrew Goodin explained, “The fact that [teachers and students here] are scheduling on a weekly basis allows us to iterate really, really rapidly. Then the nature of the space causes serendipitous interactions all the time. You know, because we are sharing a classroom space, we’re able to just hop on over, ask a quick question and then use that real-time to adjust course.” Educators at PPHS also offer these tips to guide your interdisciplinary lesson planning:
For more tips from educators, check out these lists compiled by Latitude High School and Da Vinci Rise High, with ideas like:
Student Benefits From Interdisciplinary Teaching and LearningInterdisciplinary learning benefits students at all levels of learning. Here are several areas where interdisciplinary learning is particularly powerful, in the words of teachers and students:
Final Thoughts on Interdisciplinary LearningWhen Josue Alcaide graduated from Círculos, he had this to say: “My most valuable lesson learned at school is that no matter how hard things might be, or how irrational life may get, trust in the process and keep your head held high. You have to persevere to thrive.” Without using the words “interdisciplinary learning,” Josue touched on learning themes that are hallmarks of Círculos’s interdisciplinary focus, like trusting in the process of learning and persisting in the face of ambiguity. Interdisciplinary learning empowers students as thinkers, collaborators, and problem-solvers, in high school and in the world at large. We hope you use interdisciplinary learning to engage students, educators, and community partners around meaningful learning experiences. Are you curious about how to rethink the high school experience? Are you hungry for more resources to help you do just that? XQ has you covered! Subscribe to Give Me Five and get best-in-class resources curated by XQ to help you reimagine high school education in your community. What is interdisciplinary instruction in education?Interdisciplinary instruction relies on multiple content cogs working together to develop student knowledge, problem-solving skills, self-confidence, self-efficacy and a passion for learning while supporting students' various learning styles, diverse backgrounds, interests, talents, backgrounds, and values.
What is integrated and interdisciplinary education?What Is Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning? Interdisciplinary teaching and learning is exactly what it sounds like: students combine learning from multiple disciplines to come up with new ways to think about issues and solve problems.
What are the characteristics of effective instruction?Characteristics of Effective Instruction. make learning a long-term, thought-centered process;. engage students in assessment for learning processes;. support learning with representations and conceptual models;. teach for learner differences;. induct students into the discipline; and.. teach for transfer (Perkins, 1993).. What are the main characteristics of direct instruction quizlet?What are the critical features of Direct Instruction that should be incorporated into teaching scripts? highly sequenced Instruction, clear and concise directions, teacher guidance, active student participation, and assessment probes.
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