Interdisciplinary Curriculum

 “Relating to more than one branch of knowledge”

 “Involving two or more academic, scientific, or artistic disciplines”

What is interdisciplinary study?

This type of study allows the student to learn by making connections between ideas and
concepts across different disciplinary boundaries. Students learning in this way are able to
apply the knowledge gained in one discipline to another different discipline as a way to
deepen the learning experience. The most effective approach to interdisciplinary study
enables students to build their own interdisciplinary pathway by choosing courses which
make sense to them. For example, it is not too difficult to find a theme which crosses over
disciplinary boundaries in literature, art and history or science and mathematics.

Interdisciplinary Curriculum
"Interdisciplinary" is a fancy word academics like to use to show that they can pronounce a
lot of syllables and read books from two different sections of the library.
But it's also a way to help add cohesion to a class's learning experience by focusing several
lessons from several subject areas around a common theme.
An interdisciplinary curriculum combines several school subjects into one active project or is
organized to cut across subject-matter lines, bringing together various aspects of the
curriculum into meaningful association. It focuses on broad areas of study since that is how
children meet subjects in the real world—combined in one activity. In the interdisciplinary
curriculum, the planned learning experiences not only provide the learners with a unified
view of commonly held knowledge (by learning models, systems, and structures) but also
motivate and develop learners’ power to perceive new relationships and thus to create new
models, systems, and structures.
However you slice it, interdisciplinary integrates topics and approaches that otherwise may
not cross paths. And showing students connections between areas that are usually spoiled off
can help them develop their own skills in making creative links and provide a more accurate
and engaging reflection of what real-life research—and real life in general— can look like.
Heidi Hayes Jacobs literally wrote the book on Interdisciplinary Curriculum: Design and
Implementation and this is what she says:
Interdisciplinary learning incorporates "a knowledge view and curriculum approach that
consciously applies methodology and language from more than one discipline to examine a
central theme, topic, issue, problem, or work"

Goals of Interdisciplinary curriculum

 Allow students to expand their areas of knowledge and apply different disciplines in
their careers
 Allow students to choose courses that are of their interest and helpful for their stages
of personal and professional development
 Allow student to have a broader perspective and to be more adaptable in an ever
changing world

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Examples of interdisciplinary curriculum:

Geography/Art: create a map of a country

Problems facing in Interdisciplinary Curriculum:

Two problems in content selection often plague courses:
1. Many units, being a sampling of knowledge from disparate disciplines,
interdisciplinary design lacks inherent scope and sequence, so developers must design
a content scope and sequence for any unit.
2. One of the problems of interdisciplinary is that of polarity which results in a lack of
clarity, and real tensions among teachers as some feel highly threatened when new
views are promoted.

How to solve?
To resolve these problems, effective interdisciplinary must meet two criteria:
A. Having carefully conceived design features: a scope and sequence, a cognitive
taxonomy to encourage thinking skills, behavioral indicators of attitudinal change,
and a solid evaluation scheme.
B. Using both discipline-field-based and interdisciplinary experiences for students in the
curriculum.

A Step-by-Step Guide to your Interdisciplinary Curriculum

1. Pick some learning objectives. They should cover a range of whatever topics you
want to cover.
2. If you're in charge of all of those subjects, start thinking of how to make them fit
together. If you'll need to work with the teachers in charge of those other topics, get
them on board this ship before it sets out to sea.

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3. Decide on the central theme (or topic, issue, problem, or work, as Heidi says). All the
topics will need to revolve around that center.
4. Think of ways to get at that theme that simultaneously get at the learning objectives.
5. Develop individual lessons, assignments, and assessments to fill out the unit for your
class.

Advantages:
1. Students are highly motivated.
2. Students can apply skills and knowledge that are learned in various fields easily.
3. Students cover topics in more depth.
4. Critical thinking skills are developed as student compare and contrast concept across
subject area.
5. Help students learn the relevancy of school subjects are tied together and how each
subject build on the other.
6. Improve the learner’s mastery of content.
7. Gives them ownership of their own studies.

Disadvantages:
1. Clash between information that has given.
2. Communication is sometimes a challenge.
3. Personality issues among teachers.
4. Some teachers resist to change.
5. Some students get confused by the integrated disciplines.

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