Teaching for UnderstandingMaking the Connections - Interdisciplinary Learning

Session 5

Reflective Questions

• What is interdisciplinary learning?

• What interdisciplinary learning do you deliver? Why? How?

• Which connections do you tend to make?

• How do these connections further pupil understanding?

• How could your practice evolve to take greater advantage of connected learning?

Learning Intention

• We are learning how to develop pupils’ ability to transfer and connect their skills and understanding

Success Criteria

I can:• Plan and deliver interdisciplinary learning which is

relevant and purposeful• Plan learning experiences which allow pupils to

demonstrate transference of skills and knowledge within unfamiliar contexts

• Ensure interdisciplinary learning progresses pupil understanding in a range of skills and knowledge

• Recognise and take advantage of connected learning as a vehicle for the progression of Higher Order Skills

Baseline Evaluation

• How would you rate your current understanding of connecting learning effectively for pupils?

• Rate your current level 1 – 6

• 1 being low understanding

• 6 being high understanding

Pre-task• None

Format :

• Interdisciplinary Quiz

• Video

• Sharing of IDL practice

• Exploring skills across learning

• Viewing exemplar video clips

• Action Plan for next steps

Interdisciplinary Learning Quiz

Predict & list words, phrases & ideas likely to appear in National guidance on interdisciplinary learning:

1.Interdisciplinary Learning & Curriculum for Excellence

2.Why interdisciplinary learning?

3.What is interdisciplinary learning?

4.What is effective interdisciplinary learning?

C f E & Interdisciplinary Learning?

“The curriculum should include space for learning beyond subject boundaries, so that children and young people can make connections between different areas of learning...Revisiting a concept or skill from a different perspective deepens understanding and can also make the curriculum more coherent and meaningful from the learner's point of view.”

Building the Curriculum 3 (p 21).

Why 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.

Education Scotland website

What is interdisciplinary learning?

There are two broad types of interdisciplinary learning which 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

Education Scotland website

What is 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 3 (p 11).

Interdisciplinary Learning - Impact

Video Clip - Brian Boyd - has worked in the Faculty of Education at the University of Strathclyde for 13 years. He has been involved in Curriculum for Excellence and is co-founder of Tapestry.

http://www.journeytoexcellence.org.uk/videos/expertspeakers/interdisciplinarylearningbrianboyd.asp

What IDL have you delivered?

Sharing of previous interdisciplinary teaching & learning:

• What you did

• How you did it

• Why you did it that way

• How it impacted on pupil learning

Individual, then group sharing

Whole Group Task

Linking skills across learning for transference:

• Show video clip 5.2 - Mosshead Primary applying maths skills in a citizenship context - discuss

• Show video clip 5.3 – Grange Academy developing skills for life by linking disciplines - discuss

How could your practice evolve?

Plenary discussion in small groups – share with whole group:

1. How could our practice evolve to take greater advantage of connected learning?

2. How can we develop our ability to enable pupils to transfer and connect their skills and understanding?

What do we do next?• Identify opportunities to develop

interdisciplinary learning which would allow pupils to demonstrate transference or skills and understanding.

• Deliver and document if possible and bring along evidence of impact.

• Plan ideas for re-versioning a lesson or unit of work is another option if teaching is not possible at this time.

Extension Tasks

Extension reading if desired:

• Reading 1 - extracts from Education Scotland guidance and research summaries

• Reading 2 – Jacobs, H. H., Interdisciplinary curriculum: design and implementation

Evaluation

• How would you rate your current understanding of connecting learning effectively for pupils?

• Rate this session 1 – 6 to show any impact it has had