Creating an Interdisciplinary Project

How to Create an

Interdisciplinary Project

Step by Step Process to a Winning, Authentic Learning Experience for Your Students

Kimberly Hall Curriculm Development, EDLD510ME

INDEX

The Why

Introduction

Scan & Cluster

Topic

Standards

Exploratory Web

Assessment

Essential Question

Know-Do-Be

10

Reclustered Web

Resources

12

Daily Instruction

11

Education is NOT preparation for life; education is life itself.

John Dewey

Interdisciplinary defined:

Interdisciplinary instruction entails the use and integration of methods and analytical frameworks from more than one academic discipline to examine a theme, issue, question or topic (Goldsmith, n.d.).

The Interdisciplinary Approach Builds Critical Thinking Skills

(The Audiopedia, 2016)

(Nadzri, 2019)

(The Audiopedia, 2017)

Procedural Knowlege - students identify and understand the steps necessary to arrive at a solution.

Structural Knowledge - students can combine both declarative and procedural knowledge.

Declarative Knowledge - students learn how and why things work the way they do.

("A Guide for Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning | Rethink Together", 2020)

Why does it work?

Teachers can be creative and set curriculum that is relevant and aligned with student interests (Drake, 2007).

BENEFITS

1. Multiple content areas
2. Mimics real life
3. Increases thinking skills
4. Student focused
5. Highly engaging
6. Increases interest in a variety of areas
7. Increases cognitive development

(Gerstein, 2019)

SCAN & CLUSTER

Used to review standards and identify patterns across subjects (horizontally) and over grade levels (vertically) (Drake, 2007).

VS

(Alazzam, 2011)

TOPIC

What is worth knowing? The topic/theme is the center of the exploratory web and provides the focus of the various disciplines.

Structure of Knowledge

Theories - Understandings - Concepts - Topics - Facts -

(Drake & Burns, 2004)

EXPLORATORY WEB

Used to connect various disciplines to the topic or theme. The "web" provides a visual representation of how the various subjects can be tied to the subject.

Example Exploratory Web

1 = Main Topic 2 = Subjects 3 = Tasks

(Van Tassel-Baska, n.d.)

est. 2019

STANDARDS

States collaborated to develop a basis of common understanding and language to provide a list of what students should know by a certain point in order to be fully prepared for college and/or career.

Click for more info

VIDEO

The Common Core represents the biggest shake-up in educational policy in decades.. Never before has it been expected that students will learn the same concepts at the same grade level - no matter where they live. It is a major shift in education for national standards in an area that has always been controlled at the state or local level.

+info

(Education Week, 2016)

KNOW-DO-BE

What students should understand. (Big ideas/Enduring understanding) What abilities/skills a student should be able to perform. (21st Century Skills) What attitude/actions/beliefs students should display. (Be)

Components of KDB Theory

DO what you can to show what you KNOW and BE your best you.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Used to link the Know/Do/Be expectations to a comprehensive assessment that will demonstrate understanding/skills/beliefs tied to the topic or theme. Big idea + verb + Big Idea = essential question

Link

(Heick, 2021)

ASSESSMENT

The tool/action/task the shows the KDB for the unit/theme. Tools such as rubrics, tests, self/peer assessments and observations can be used as assesments.

VS

+info

+info

10

RE-CLUSTERED WEB

Similar to the exploratory web (section 5) but more focused on the type of learning needed to answer the "essential question" rather than a broad topic or theme.

Re-Clustered

Exploratory

VS

(Goldston & Downey, n.d.)

+info

+info

11

DAILY INSTRUCTION

Activities planned for the day to day progression toward a deep understanding of the topic. Planning involves creating activities that connect standards and assessments to the essential question.

(Roehrig, Dare, Ring-Whalen & Wieselmann, 2021)

Complete lesson plan with daily acitivities and big idea.

12

RESOURCES

RESOURCES

References

A Guide for Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning | Rethink Together. (2020). Retrieved 18 May 2021, from https://xqsuperschool.org/rethinktogether/interdisciplinary-teaching-and-learning/#:~:text=The%20interdisciplinary%20approach%20to%20teaching,in%20more%20than%20one%20way. Alazzam, S. (2011). Curriculum Mapping & Analysis: Basic Definitions. Retrieved 20 May 2021, from https://www.slideshare.net/Suadalazzam/curriculum-mapping-analysis-basic-definitions-9834837 Drake, S. (2007). Creating standards-based integrated curriculum (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Drake, S. (2012). Creating standards-based integrated curriculum (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. Drake, S., & Burns, R. (2004). Appendix A. Interdisciplinary Curriculum Template for the Medieval Times Unit. Retrieved 19 May 2021, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103011/chapters/Appendix-A.-Interdisciplinary-Curriculum-Template-for-the-Medieval-Times-Unit.aspx Education Week. (2016). What is Common Core? [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxRg__r9HLg Gerstein, J. (2019). All Lessons Should Be Interdisciplinary. Retrieved 19 May 2021, from https://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2019/01/13/all-lessons-should-be-interdisciplinary/ Goldsmith, A. Interdisciplinary Approaches to Teaching. Retrieved 18 May 2021, from https://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/interdisciplinary/index.html

References

Goldston, M., & Downey, L. SAGE Books - Your Science Classroom: Becoming on Elementary / Middle School Science Teacher. Retrieved 20 May 2021, from https://sk.sagepub.com/books/science-classroom-becoming-elementary-middle-school-science-teacher/i1206.xml Heick, T. (2021). Many, Many Examples Of Essential Questions. Retrieved 20 May 2021, from https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/examples-of-essential-questions/ Home | Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2021). Retrieved 19 May 2021, from http://www.corestandards.org/ Nadzri, H. (2019). Declarative and Procedural Knowledge [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnmFTBFs3co&t=42s Roehrig, G., Dare, E., Ring-Whalen, E., & Wieselmann, J. (2021). Understanding coherence and integration in integrated STEM curriculum. International Journal Of STEM Education, 8(1). doi: 10.1186/s40594-020-00259-8 The Audiopedia. (2016). What is declarative learning? [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCUERd837pg The Audiopedia. (2017). What is Procedural Knowledge? [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKs2O1MeNQE Van Tassel-Baska, J. Integrated Curriculum Model. Retrieved 20 May 2021, from http://macsaigteacher.weebly.com/integrated-curriculum-model.html

THANKS!

Kim Hall