I got my first taste of interdisciplinary learning when I was in the seventh grade. The fact that I can remember the lessons, the outcomes and the experience itself more than 40 years later is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary and experiential learning.
When I was in my student teaching immersion in college, I worked with an amazing mentor teacher who allowed me to see the joy of this learning model from the other side. The questions students asked and the amount of engagement we saw solidified what I already knew: Educators must get children involved in the learning process.
This week on the Education Evolution podcast, I’m sharing some of the research out there around interdisciplinary education and what it looks like in real time. Every child in schools today will grow up to be part of the larger world. Don’t we owe it to them to allow them to use the skills they’re learning right away, rather than relying on rote memorization?
Jump Through the Conversation
[1:12] How Maureen experienced experiential learning in 7th grade
[3:11] What, why and how of experiential learning
[3:38] Why teachers should go through the work of creating interdisciplinary lessons
[7:53] How LEADPrep prepared to “go interdisciplinary”
[10:20] What our version of interdisciplinary will look like for the fall
[13:25] Tapping into educators with more experience
[14:32] Maureen’s Magic Wand: The isolated silos of each subject becomes real-world blended and relevant for our learners
Links and Resources:
- Open Learn’s Benefits of Interdisciplinary Studies
- Interdisciplinary Learning Works: The Results of a Comprehensive Assessment of Students and Student Learning Outcomes in an Integrative Learning Community
- The University of the Future Will Be Interdisciplinary
- Bank Street College of Education graduate institution in NYC
- Bank Street K-8 Demonstration School
- Bank Street – Sky’s the Limit: elementary unit in NY studying own models of multipurpose skyscrapers
- Bank Street – Studying the Subway: first grade interdisciplinary study
- Juliani’s Launch Model – design thinking
- Andy Smallman
- Amanda Kern Chambers of the Teton Science School
- Learn more about multi-tiered systems of support
- Find out about LEADPrep’s multi-tiered systems of support
- Email Maureen
- Facebook: Follow Education Evolution
- Twitter: Follow Education Evolution
- LinkedIn: Follow Education Evolution
- Maureen’s book: Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids
Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.
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