Activity 7-Week 31

My interdisciplinary connection map 

One of my current interdisciplinary connections involve working with teachers from other departments to create interdisciplinary learning experience for the students. I teach Science/Maths for Years 9-13 and work alongside all of the teachers within the school.

As mentioned in my previous blog, my school uses Te Aho Matua as the foundation for the teaching and learning that takes place. Currently this term we are following Te Ira Tangata, where the student develops physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing, an awareness of his or her individual uniqueness and knowledge and respect for him or herself and others. There are a list of criteria that students should have or be gaining knowledge in the following:

• The student is enthusiastic about learning in a nurturing environment based on traditional Māori values, beliefs and concepts. 

• The student values his or her identity, is self-confident and displays positive self-esteem.

• The student is physically, spiritually and emotionally confident.

• The student accepts and respects gender difference.

• The student is caring, considerate and cooperative.

• The student is focused on and accepts responsibility for learning. 

An example from Physical Education is working as a team, obviously playing sports with each other, English they are learning about the difference in gender in History; Woman's rights to vote, Science is the brain and how we have emotions and what makes us the way we are as individuals and Maths is working as a group and being able to communicate how we achieved out answers.
I found the video on Interdisciplinary Learning was exactly what we are doing as a school. In this video it talks about the core subjects all teaching the same theme, but using their own subject-specific language and skill set.  At our school the students see the connections between subjects clearly and this is evident in the video as well. 

One of the potential interdisciplinary connections from my map as my near future goal is working with the Community, especially the caregivers or parents of the students who attend this school. 

According to the Video Interdisciplinarity and Innovation Education, "not being an expert in all these fields is an advantage." For my teaching, I know I am not an expert at everything. I know I have skills and others have theirs. We live in a rural community and when I teach something new,  I don't teach something because I know it 100%, I teach it, because I know the students will have some enjoyment from it. I like to look for the practical side of the subject. So finding people in the community who have the skills or knowledge to help support the teaching and learning  within the class would be an advantage for me, especially the practical side of the subject. 

 “A Conceptual Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration” post talks about communication which is essential to collaboration. I feel that without communication you cannot work together as one, you cannot find common goals or find out who has particular strengths in particular areas. The question I want to ask, is how do I find out who in the community has the necessary skills and the confidence to be in front of a group of students?

References :

ACRLog. (2015). A Conceptual Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Retrieved from http://acrlog.org/2015/05/14/a-conceptual-model-for-interdisciplinary-collaboration

American Association of Colleges of Nursing.(2016). Interdisciplinary Education and Practice. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/interdisciplinary-education-and-practice

Berg-Weger, M., &. Schneider, F. D. (1998). Interdisciplinary collaboration in social work education. Journal of Social Work Education, 34, 97-107. 

Hardré, P. L., Ling, C., Shehab, R. L., Nanny, M. A., Nollert, M. U., Refai, H., ... & Wollega, E. D. (2013). Teachers in an Interdisciplinary Learning Community Engaging, Integrating, and Strengthening K-12 Education. Journal of Teacher Education, 64(5), 409-425.

Mathison,S.. & Freeman, M.(1997). The logic of interdisciplinary studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, 1997. Retrieved from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/mathisonlogic12004.pdf

ThomasMcDonaghGroup. ( 2011, May 13). Interdisciplinarity and Innovation Education.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDdNzftkIpA