What is interdisciplinary collaboration?
According to Andrews (1990), interdisciplinary collaboration refers to different professionals, who possess unique knowledge, skills, perspectives and personal attributes coming together to solve problems.
As a primary teacher I collaborate with my colleagues on a regular basis, but because we come from the same profession, we have similar knowledge, skills and perspectives. When it came to identifying the professionals I connect with, I had to think deeply about all of the amazing people with different knowledge, skill sets and perspectives. It is this interdisciplinary collaboration, according to Dr Deana McDonagh, that leads to innovation. Having people come together from different backgrounds and disciplines with a variety of knowledge, skills and attitudes is what makes interdisciplinary collaboration such a powerful tool.
Potential Interdisciplinary Connection
An area of my practice that would be improved through collaborating with one of my identified interdisciplinary connections would be science. Using The Sir Callaghan Science Academy for my unit on bugs paves the way for me to connect with a range of teachers, both primary and secondary, as well as science experts. These people are passionate about science and the website contains a wealth of resources. One of the challenges with this would be the ability to maintain regular communication. Although, it would be easy enough to get in contact with a mentor, I'm not sure how quickly they will reply. Another possibility is to ask on Teachers Facebook for ideas and resources, as there is always someone ready to help.
Interdisciplinary Curriculum
Although we integrate our units, subjects often stand alone and the integration doesn't give each discipline equal credence or look in-depth at an issue to give children a world view. I understand the need for younger children to acquire certain skills and strategies to read, to communicate through the written word and to have a basic understanding in mathematics, so perhaps allowing set times to concentrate on subjects is necessary, especially when students are young. In Heidi Hayes Jacobs book, Interdisciplinary Curriculum (2004), it states "...students cannot fully benefit from interdisciplinary studies until they acquire a solid grounding in the various disciplines that interdisciplinarity attempts to bridge" (Jacobs and Borland 1986).
I would like to try an interdisciplinary curriculum approach when planning my "Bugs" unit. After watching "The Ross Spiral Curriculum" video I am inspired to try something different. I love the idea of 'creating a generation who can heal the planet' and to make learning real. With my colleagues, The Sir Callaghan Science Academy, Teachers Facebook and a parent who is a biologist, we could come up with a unit that would involve looking at bugs from a range of perspectives, bringing in a global view. But because this unit will be interdisciplinary, there is a need for a range of perspectives (not just from a scientific stance), we may look at societies attitude towards bugs (unwanted bugs), or we may look at habitats and mans role in the destruction of these. Mathematics will definitely come into the unit in the form of measurement or statistics (the decline of native species). Perhaps even health could be entwined with looking at the nutritional value of eating bugs.
"If you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got."
I would like to see all of my students deeply engaged in their learning and I will endeavor to equipped them with 21 Century skills in order for them to become the innovators of the future.
References:
Berg-Weger, M., &. Schneider, F. D. (1998). Interdisciplinary collaboration in social work education. Journal of Social Work Education, 34, 97-107.
Jacobs, H. H. (2004). Interdisciplinary curriculum: Design and implementation. Moorabbin, Vic: Hawker Brownlow Education.
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