IDU in MYP

An introduction

Interdisciplinary (ID) teaching and learning in the MYP

4. What are the outcomes of an IDU?

3. Concepts and global contexts

2. Possible entry points to ID planning

1. What is interdisciplinary learning?

Content

1. What is interdisciplinary learning?

-Heidi Hayes Jacobs

" Interdisciplinary: 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. "

TransDisciplinary

interDisciplinary

Multidisciplinary

Disciplinary

Why develop interdisciplinary units (IDU)?

• Each year of the MYP must involve students in at least one IDU.
• Schools must address all strands of all three interdisciplinary objectives at least once per year.

IB standards

• Develops mental flexibility that prepares students to be lifelong learners.
• Models the importance of collaboration and teamwork across disciplines (an important life skill)
• Allows students to use knowledge domains creatively to foster new understanding.
• Supports and promotes transfer of understanding.
• Develops a holistic understanding of disciplinary concepts and contexts

Learning and teaching benefits

Bringing together concepts, methods, or forms of communication from two or more disciplines.

Grounded in disciplines

Integrative

3 Traits of interdisciplinary understanding

Purposeful and useful

Students connect disciplines to solve real-world problems, create products or address complex issues.

Purpose of integration

The purpose of integration is the driving force of IDU. Teachers can include a brief description of:

• How each participating subject contributes to the integrated purpose.
• What synthesis is achieved (why it is worth understanding the real-world issue or idea from an interdisciplinary perspective)?
• The interdisciplinary learning process developed (what students will do).

Skim and scan through the daily newspaper to identify a specific news article about a relevant current problem/issue with interdisciplinary potential.

Explain why the interdisciplinary approach is necessary (purpose).

Consider: What opportunities are afforded by an integrated approach?

Identify which disciplines would be necessary to achieve the purpose, and what each one provides.

Skim and scan through the daily newspaper to identify a specific news article about a relevant current problem/issue with interdisciplinary potential.

Explain why the interdisciplinary approach is necessary (purpose).

Consider: What opportunities are afforded by an integrated approach?

Identify which disciplines would be necessary to achieve the purpose, and what each one provides.

Use the following Padlet to share your outcomes.

2. Possible entry points to ID planning

Teachers can begin to form ideas for and plan interdisciplinary units from multiple points of entry.

KEY AND RELATED CONCEPTS

GLOBAL CONTEXT

CONTENT

3. Concepts and context

Contexts offer the possibility of new perspectives, additional information, and refinements of understanding. Help to create productive discussion within and outside the classroom, often identifying inquiries that are meaningful and relevant to students.

Entering through global contexts

Concepts are abstract ideas that are useful for developing understandings within and across disciplines. Select at least two concepts (one must be a key concept) that both or all participating disciplines can explore during the unit.

Entering through concepts

Achieve an interdisciplinary understanding of a key concept using two or more disciplines.

By modeling the relationships between key variables, statisticians can predict future performance: An inquiry into patterns of world records in Olympic competitions.

• Key concept: relationships

• Disciplines: Physical and health education (PHE) and mathematics.
• Goal: Students will model and predict which world records are likely to be broken at the Olympic Games

Explore the relationship between related concepts from different disciplines to achieve new interdisciplinary understandings

Revolutionary art uses aesthetics to transform politics and society: an inquiry into social or political injustice.

• Key concept: aesthetics

• Related concepts: innovation (visual arts) and revolution (history)
• Goal: Students will create a work of art that provokes responsible action in addressing a contemporary social issue.

4. What are the outcomes of an IDU?

Criterion A: Evaluating

• Analyse disciplinary knowledge
• Evaluate interdisciplinary perspectives.

• Create a product that communicates a purposeful interdisciplinary understanding
• Justify how their product communicates interdisciplinary understanding.

• Discuss the development of their own interdisciplinary learning
• Discuss how new interdisciplinary understanding enables action.

All interdisciplinary assessment in each year of the MYP must be based on the developmentally appropriate version of these assessment criteria

Interdisciplinary objectives

• Can the product or outcome(s) of the summative task(s) create a real-world impact?
• Does the summative task(s) allow students to connect with and influence a real-world audience?
• Does this task(s) allow students to be agents of change in creating a more sustainable, interconnected and peaceful world?

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Formative assessment provides teachers and students with insights into the ongoing development of knowledge, understanding, skills, and attitudes.

• Disciplinary tasks can be assessed with subject-group assessment criteria and strands.

• Students' achievement levels in the subject-group are NOT used to determine student achievement in the ID criteria.

Can there be disciplinary tasks in an IDU?

• MYP Interdisciplinary teaching and learning. https://drive.google.com/file/d/13Ssbp85ofi7N6CgEcawOGHyIeNNe5StZ/view?usp=sharing

• MYP Interdisciplinary Unit. (2021). Retrieved from https://alisonyang.com/myp-interdisciplinary-unit-%CE%B1%E2%84%93%CE%B9%D1%95%CF%83%CE%B7-%D1%83%CE%B1%CE%B7g/
• MYP Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning: 5 Key Questions. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.managebac.com/blog/myp-interdisciplinary-teaching-and-learning-5-key-questions
• Pandey, J., Kaur, G., & Fazio, G. D. (2022). Retrieved from https://learn.toddleapp.com/talk_post/designing-authentic-interdisciplinary-units/

REFERENCES