Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

2018 will see many teachers in our school working more collaboratively in FLE’s. This will also be an opportunity for teachers to look at their pedagogy and make changes. My potential ‘near future goal’ (short term) is  to work with a teacher to implement a shared programme,  two afternoons per week, for our classes based on a model  of teaching that could be described as ‘integrative.’

At present my programme  following the matrix, (p13) by  Mathison and Freeman, could be described as a mix of ‘partially  interdisciplinary’ as explained by  Jacobs , (p.8) as methodology and language from more than discipline to examine a central theme, issue, problem, topic or experience. This term I am basing the learning on a topic. The content, methods, processes or skills taught remain bound to the primary discipline from which they come - science, reading, writing and some mathematics. However with the expectation of meeting  National Standards, I am conscious of ensuring there are explicit acts of teaching which are at times more inline with traditional curriculum pedagogy.

On Friday we do ‘electives’ where children can choose  from a list  of topics which they would like to do. I would class this  as ‘Integrated’ as the curriculum content is more fluid and the teacher is a visionary guide.

The integrative model that my ‘team teacher’ and I will base the student’s learning will see both ourselves and the students being partners in curriculum design. It will be based on a theme.  It will have much in common with the Interdisciplinary approach as we will connect several learning areas, it will be an inquiry based, authentic, and student centred. As teachers we will be facilitators, provide resources and guide the inquiry to ensure students are developing areas in which they have little knowledge or interest. What will set it apart from the other models will be the extent of the collaboration and decision making  by the students that it will involve.  As teachers we can draw on each others strengths and interests to guide the students.  Ruhl talks about a time when teachers were free of Standards and testing and could teach to inspire This is what we want to do. He lists the 5 c’s, choice, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and adds a 5th, caring.

This will be an exciting venture as we move into a model that will give the students more agency, ownership and allow them to follow their interests and passions. Maybe we are too radical and going too wide and losing the purity of curriculum areas. There won’t be the depth of learning. Setting educational goals will be important and we will need to ensure there is a structure and it doesn’t become as Jacobs refers to as a ‘potpourri problem’, a little bit of this and that. In Jones, it states that with Interdisciplinary Instruction, “ students can become independent, confident individuals who ‘learn how to learn’ and develop lifelong learning skills.”

Whatever model is chosen from the matrix, there is an argument for advantages of Interdisciplinary learning  over traditional approaches

Jones states, “These are: The 'intellectual argument,' which suggests that any field is enriched by ideas or methods from other fields; the 'practical argument,' which suggests that the real-world of knowledge is connected and new ties are formed every day; and the 'pedagogical argument,' which suggests that learning is seriously hindered by the current fragmented system.” The current fragmented system he is referring to is teaching using traditional approaches of focusing on knowledge and separating curriculum areas for instruction.

By beginning in small steps, trying something new, we can take it further as the opportunities to teach collaboratively become more manageable with the upgrade to our classrooms.

Whatever  model, or level of integration we choose to do on the matrix, we want positive outcomes for our students. That’s where caring comes in!