APC. 7 Breaking Boundaries ....

 The Interdisciplinary Learning Environment 

“The time has come to realise that an interpretation of the universe—even a positivist one—remains unsatisfying unless it covers the interior as well as the exterior of things; mind as well as matter. The true physics is that which will, one day, achieve the inclusion of man in his wholeness in a coherent picture of the world.” (Chardin, 1955, p. 36)

The very word ‘Interdisciplinary’ brings a rush of memories down through years of study and reading from within two worlds. The world of science and the world of faith.  For the purpose of this post I’m going to frame my reflections and thoughts  with the words of PierreTeilhard de Chardin. At the risk of going off topic my reflections on this post are based on an understanding of knowledge systems and values that were once more holistic and then divided during the Renaissance into two distinct and even opposing bodies of knowledge and in the 20^th century have begun the slow and challenging journey back to unity.

Over the last twenty years I have studied at Masters level both education and religion so that the understandings and illumination that I have received from the combining of these two disciplines is the crucible of my reflections in this post. The two greek words symballein and diabellein are fundamental to my understanding of the importance of interdisciplinary work. The dichotomy below shows two ways of approaching knowledge and knowing.  Knowledge that was once unified has become broken into two quite disparate ways of knowing. One has assumed pre- eminence over the years and judgments are made around the quality of knowing and knowledge.

Symballein – whole, symbol	Diabellein – spread apart, broken down
Coming together Synthesis Combining Partnership Collaboration Wide focus Holistic Generalist Esoteric Faith Belief Somatic knowing Intuitive	Analysis Specialisation Fragmentation Narrow focus Expertise Factual Empirical Knowing Scientific methodology Rational Factual Qualitative research

There is now a global drive and push towards unity and wholeness in every aspect of our lives both personally and professional. The desire for collaboration, social connection and community are fundamental to being human and to be able to prioritise this in our professional world as educators is to give space and place for those aspects of living that support us to be fully alive 

In my work as an Resource Teacher of Learning  (RTLB)it is essential to think holistically for the students in special education as their needs may be physical, emotional, neurological, psychological or intellectual. When multiple disciplines collide in a spirit of understanding and good will there is often an explosion of understanding and new knowledge. (Wiley, 2001). Creativity and innovation are born in either a point of collision or a long brooding phase. Increased innovation comes from increased connectivity.” Chance favours the connected mind.” (Johnson, 2010).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU  Where good ideas come from

Steven Johnson,  2010

Interdisciplinary, integrated and integrative teaching are separate methods that are unified in that they are all driven by an inquiry approach (Mathison & Freeman, 1997) Interdisciplinary teaching is teacher driven to combine disciplines in order to enhance both disciplines where the specific value of each discipline is usually maintained. Integrated teaching is usually teacher driven and organised around themes or global issues  in comparison to integrative teaching where students and teachers are co-constructers in curriculum design. (Mathison & Freeman, 1997) Skillful and respectful communication is essential for successful interdisciplinary work.

My Professional Disciplinary Map

Working in a More Interdisciplinary Environment

Challenges	Benefits
Time needed for collaboration Loss of specialisation Loss of depth of knowledge Need to have a working knowledge of multiple disciplinary language Time lost on specialised disciplines How to evaluate the learning outcomes How to maintain integrity of each discipline	Opportunities for collision of ideas leading to innovation Connections to daily realities Collaboration with diverse peoples Cognitive dissonance opening doors for new understanding Global comprehension of interdependence Improved critical thinking and problem solving Synthesis of ideas Development of multiple perspectives Promotes co-operative learning Increased motivation

(Jones, 2009) (Mathison & Freeman, 1997)

I work as a collaborative team member in all my casework and this necessarily involves working with other disciplines for the wellbeing of the student. I have experienced all of the challenges and the benefits of interdisciplinary work in the table above at different times. The people involved in interdisciplinary work are the deciding factor on making the work successful by the reciprocity of respect and value that is given to all members of the team from the Principal to the teacher aide. Misunderstandings can easily arise when parents are given inaccurate or misleading information. One example of this is the assumption of a Paediatrician that the RTLB service would provide a teacher aide for a student. When a teacher aide was not forthcoming the parent became vocally upset. When a multi disciplinary team is working well the support for teacher and student becomes evident and powerful changes can take place. 

http://www.azquotes.com/author/2738-Pierre_Teilhard_de_Chardin

Chardin, P. T. (1955). The Phenomenon of Man. London: Collins.

Johnson, S. (2010, July 2). Where Good Ideas Come From : The Natural History of Innovation. New York: Riverhead Books a member of Penguain Group (USA) Inc.

Jones, C. (2009). Interdisciplinary approach -Advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits of interdisciplinary studies. ESSAI, 76-81. Retrieved June 29, 2016, from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/mathisonlogic12004.pdf:

Mathison, S., & Freeman, M. (1997). The Logic of Interdisciplinary Studies. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Chicago. Retrieved June 30, 2016, from http://www.albany.edu/cela/reports/mathisonlogic12004.pdf:

TEDx Talks. (2001, April 6). TEDxBYU - David Wiley - An Interdisciplinary Path to Innovation. Retrieved July 1, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ytjDongp4