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What is Interdisciplinary Teaching? 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. Interdisciplinary education makes use of disciplinary approaches to examine topics, but pushes beyond by: taking insights from a variety of relevant disciplines, synthesizing their contribution to understanding, and then integrating these ideas into a more complete, and hopefully coherent, framework of analysis.

In dealing with multi-faceted issues such as teenage pregnancy, new drug development, genetically modified foods, and health care access, interdisciplinary perspectives are needed to adequately address the complexity of the problems and to forge viable policy responses.Interdisciplinary teaching is different from multi- or cross-disciplinary teaching in that it requires the integration and synthesis of different perspectives rather than a simple consideration of multiple viewpoints. Some Definitions

Cross-disciplinary analysis – examines an issue typically germane to one discipline through the lens of another discipline (i.e., how physicists explore music, sociological perspectives on the purpose of religion). Multi-disciplinary analysis – examines an issue from multiple perspectives, without making a concerted effort to systemically integrate disciplinary perspectives.

1. Inter-disciplinary analysis – examines an issue from multiple perspectives, leading to a systematic effort to integrate the alternative perspectives into a unified or coherent framework of analysis.
2. A single disciplinary perspective often has limitations in that it is driven by the norms and framework of a particular discipline without consideration and incorporation of alternative views.

The single disciplinary view can lead to hegemony which prevents critical assessment of both their own and other perspectives. In contrast, interdisciplinary education draws on multiple disciplines to acquire a deep and thorough understanding of complex issues and challenges students to synthesize what each of the disciplines offers before attempting to design efforts to resolve noted concerns.
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What is the meaning of interdisciplinary approach in education?

Interdisciplinary instruction develops strong systems of engaging and efficient whole student experiences. When we think of each content area or academic field as a cog in the instructional system educators can feel overwhelmed by the complexities and expectations of teaching.

By taking an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning, schools can – and should – integrate multiple academic fields. Interdisciplinary instruction relies on multiple content cogs working together to develop student knowledge, problem-solving skills, self-confidence, self-efficacy and a passion for learning while supporting students’ various learning styles, diverse backgrounds, interests, talents, backgrounds, and values.

By focusing on providing interdisciplinary and project-based learning opportunities, student engagement in learning increases, whereby a culture of student-directed learning becomes the norm, not the exception. Shifting instruction and assessment from siloed content area learning to interdisciplinary will provide educators and students unique opportunities to explore learning that is both relevant and interesting to them – cultivating an environment that excites learners and sparks continuous curiosity. There are many different ways to offer students a learning experience that includes knowledge and skills from several disciplines. While none of these approaches are novel, Maine DOE’s support of interdisciplinary learning better prepares our students to find an engaging and rewarding pathway. These are the approaches and how we define each :
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Why is an interdisciplinary education important?

Interdisciplinary Teaching Helps Advance Critical Thinking and Cognitive Development – Interdisciplinary instruction helps students develop their cognitive abilities – brain-based skills and mental processes that are needed to carry out tasks. Allen Repko (2009) identifies a number of cognitive attributes that interdisciplinary learning fosters.

Acquire Perspective-Taking Techniques (Baloche, Hynes, and Berger 1996) – the capacity to understand multiple viewpoints on a given topic.

The Gain – students develop an appreciation of the differences between disciplines on how to approach a problem and their discipline specific rules regarding viable evidence. This leads to a broader understanding of the issue under investigation.

Develop Structural Knowledge – both declarative knowledge (factual information) and procedural knowledge (process-based information).

The Gain – each of these forms of knowledge are needed to solve complex problems. Thus, as students enhance their knowledge formation capacity, teachers can engage them in conversations dealing with more complex issues.

Integrate conflicting insights from alternative disciplines.

The Gain – a host of disciplines attempt to understand the same or related problems, but each disciplines adopts different mechanisms of analysis and approaches to evaluating the viability of their insights. Obtaining a clear understanding of problems with roots in multiple disciplines requires the capacity to integrate ideas and this skill is advanced by interdisciplinary learning.
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What is interdisciplinary and examples?

Something that’s interdisciplinary covers more than one field of study. If you take an interdisciplinary science and literature class, you might read a science fiction novel and then explore the scientific ideas behind it. The word interdisciplinary can be broken into its parts: inter-, which means “between” in Latin, and disciplinary, which is from the Latin disciplina and means teaching or knowledge.

adjective drawing from or characterized by participation of two or more fields of study ” interdisciplinary studies” “an interdisciplinary conference”

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Why is it called interdisciplinary?

The prefix inter means ‘between, among, in the midst,’ or ‘derived from two or more.’ Disciplinary means ‘of or relating to a particular field of study’ or specialization. So a starting point for the definition of interdisciplinary is between two or more fields of study (Stember, 1991, p.
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What are examples of interdisciplinary learning?

Interdisciplinary learning enables teachers and learners to make connections across learning through exploring clear and relevant links across the curriculum. It supports the use and application of what has been taught and learned in new and different ways. It provides opportunities for deepening learning, for example through answering big questions, exploring an issue, solving problems or completing a final project. ‘Building the Curriculum 3′ states: “Effective interdisciplinary learning: can take the form of individual one-off projects or longer courses of study > is planned around clear purposes > is based upon experiences and outcomes drawn from different curriculum areas or subjects within them > ensures progression in skills and in knowledge and understanding > can provide opportunities for mixed stage learning which is interest based.” Building the Curriculum 2 (p.11) There are two broad types of interdisciplinary learning which, in practice, often overlap.

Learning planned to develop awareness and understanding of the connections and differences across subject areas and disciplines. This can be through the knowledge and skill content, the ways of working, thinking and arguing or the particular perspective of a subject or discipline. Using learning from different subjects and disciplines to explore a theme or an issue, meet a challenge, solve a problem or complete a final project. This can be achieved by providing a context that is real and relevant, to the learners, the school and its community.

For example, this may mean:

Teaching probability in mathematics co-ordinated with science work on DNA and genetics – so that pupils better understand both probability as a mathematical concept and its application to genetics. A project for P6/P7 to create informative and attractive information brochures (or a website) for pupils in schools in a twin town in France, by using knowledge and skills developed in the study of local history, geography, art and design and French language.

Education Scotland is working with a range of schools to provide further examples of interdisciplinary learning to support professional development. These will be added to our online support on a regular basis. To be genuinely interdisciplinary, learning must support learners in using knowledge and skills from different disciplines and in applying and deepening their learning in relevant contexts, and help them to make real connections across subjects and disciplines, where appropriate.
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What is the main aim of interdisciplinary?

Learn About Interdisciplinary Research A virtual reality wall displays interactive visualizations of protein at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology at the University of California, San Diego. The definition of a “discipline” and the varieties of cross-disciplinary research — from multidisciplinary, to interdisciplinary, to transdisciplinary — are constantly evolving.

Although there is not always agreement on these definitions, it is clear that areas of research are dynamic: continually emerging, melding and transforming. What is considered interdisciplinary today might be considered disciplinary tomorrow. A working definition of interdisciplinary research can be found in the U.S.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s report, : Interdisciplinary research:

• Integrates information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge.
• Can be done by teams or by individuals.
• Advances fundamental understanding or solves problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline or area of research practice.

NSF invites interdisciplinary proposals that are not targeted by a program solicitation, as long as they are, Depending on its focus, such a proposal may:

• Be reviewed by a single core program.
• Be co-reviewed by more than one program.
• Extend beyond the scope of any current program.

See “” to learn how to submit an unsolicited interdisciplinary research proposal. NSF has numerous programs supporting the development of the next generation of researchers. The support from these programs is in addition to the support for undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to conduct research on NSF-funded grants. Examples of these programs include: NSF sponsors forums designed to promote interdisciplinary perspectives and research. Follow the guidance below for how to submit a proposal with ideas that are in novel or emerging areas extending beyond any particular NSF program.
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