Objective #2: Describe features of exemplary interdisciplinary learning experiences.
Interdisciplinary instruction is very important in the education process because it allows students to be taught in multiple subject areas during one lesson. The integration and goal of the teacher’s lesson is to enhance the students learning in not only one specific subject area, but in multiple. Teachers should work with their colleagues in creating this type of learning because it allows the teachers to implement many ideas into one lesson, or input different ideas into many different subject areas that they may specialize in. interdisciplinary instruction also allows students to gain an exciting learning experience and helps them to discover a new way to look at what it is they are learning. Each portion of the lesson acknowledges the integrity and distinctiveness of each area that is being studied or taught. It also gives the students a connection with how each subject could be related.
Each subject when using interdisciplinary instruction is still made up of specific skills and knowledge that students will need in their future education. Students will gain these skills and learn to apply and demonstrate them in their learning. As a teacher it is important to recognize which topics or subjects can correlate with what is being taught so that interdisciplinary learning can take place in the classroom. Aside from ensuring that students learn the content of multiple subjects in one lesson, interdisciplinary learning is helpful for teachers in some regard as well. It allows teachers to build their understanding of other subject areas and gives teachers a chance to expand their knowledge from other staff members. Planning as a team for teachers allows the lessons to be precise as to what the students are learning and with exceptional information from each subject area contained within the lessons. Creating a theme from many subject areas assists in the teaching process as students learn to grasp the concepts. From the many examples of teachers and the interdisciplinary instruction taking place in classrooms, students will be able to understand and recognize their skills in one subject area and can then begin to transfer their knowledge into another which then assists the students in applying their knowledge to their own life experiences (Aviation For Kids, 2008)
Personally, I have seen many examples of physical education integrated with many subjects, and could easily be integrated with any subject. Kindergarteners can learn their ABC’s and letter sounds by creating a dance and acting out the movements as each letter and sound is sang by the class. Students have also learned how to use sign language when learning the letters and sounds to enhance their fine motor skills as they learn the alphabet. In one specific classroom I observed last semester, the teacher had the students use magnetic “money” on the white board in the front of the classroom to practice their math skills and understanding of the value of each dollar or coin. After the students called out the correct amount of money that the teacher had placed on the board, the teacher would ask the students to identify the president on each coin or dollar bill. The interdisciplinary instruction of both math and social studies is easy to integrate and helps students to learn more than one concept throughout a lesson.
The lesson I posted below is an example of how to use interdisciplinary instruction with grades k-5 and focuses on the subjects of computer technology skills, English language arts, guidance, and social studies. Not only does this lesson include various subjects for the students to learn about but focuses on students being hands on using technology. This skill is also important for students to learn because many students may not have access to computers at home and be able to learn these skills on their own. I feel like this lesson will allow students to expand their thinking and discover many aspects of their lives that they may not have been exposed to previously.
The next lesson I have included is another example of how to use interdisciplinary instruction in a second grade classroom by integrating social studies, language arts, and English language development. The lesson centers on the natural resources in our country and how humans’ actions affect the resources. The students will practice their understanding of the topic by having a discussion, writing out their ideas, and reading different pierces of literature. Students will learn the importance of the natural resources and how we use them in our everyday lives and how to preserve the resources.
According to Ellis, a great characteristic of projects is that of interdisciplinary instruction. When having students do a project it is important to incorporate other subject areas into the project as well. He gives an example in the text: “A project on ‘Activities of the Night’ will use music, art, mathematics, language, science, and most of all social studies”. He also states the complexity of a project compared to reading out of the text book and that students need all the help they can get from various areas of the curriculum (Ellis, 2010) .
This final website is an excellent resource in using interdisciplinary instruction across the span of many different subjects. It would be a very useful science, mathematics, fine arts, technology, social studies, and language arts lesson to use in grades 2-4. The lesson has to do with flight and describes how the lesson would be beneficial for the subjects listed above.
From my experiences in elementary school and middle school, I do not specifically remember a lesson where many subjects were integrated into one. The subjects seemed to be very segregated from any other subject when being taught. I feel like if my teachers had used more interdisciplinary instruction in the classroom, I would have been able to better understand the concept matter by applying to the other subjects in the lesson. In one of my Spanish classes in high school, my teacher would always play music when we had independent work. I feel like that was one idea of interdisciplinary instruction that I did not notice at the time. She would play songs that were in Spanish and print out the Spanish as well as English lyrics so that the class could follow along and see the connection between the Spanish and English words.
I know that as a future teacher, it is extremely important for the students to be able to connect their ideas with others, thus including multiple subjects into one lesson will allow them to do so. As a teacher it is also helpful that I communicate with my colleagues to hear their ideas of specific subject and possible gain some tips on good ways to use integration in the classroom in numerous ways. Students will learn many different skills such as how to converse with classmates and so forth when being taught through interdisciplinary instruction. I look forward to making my lessons engaging for the students so that they can become excited to learn and make those connections with various subjects and overall learn more about themselves as an individual, as shown in the lessons I have posted. I feel like those lessons are an excellent example of just two ways that integration can occur. Interdisciplinary instruction does require creativity, but I believe that if the lesson is looked at in depth, a teacher can find many different subjects to include in any lesson.
