The more I read and listen about this topic, the more I am reminded of
Mrs Hinton’s 6th from Biology classes (She’s still going I hear.
LEGEND!). The food webs that a species belongs to in an eco-system can be
linked to Jones (2009) and Mathison and Freeman’s (1997) definitions of
Interdisciplinary practice. The education ecosystem involves a combination of
policies, government, curriculum, community, school leadership, and individual
teachers co-existing with the ultimate goal to provide students with the skills
they will need when they leave school.
Why Interdisciplinary
Practice?
“Interdisciplinary techniques are not only
important for a student to learn any one single discipline or solve problems in
a synthesised manner, but it also enriches a student’s lifelong learning
habits, academic skills, and personal growth.” Laura Duerr, (2008)
I like this quote because it links to the old saying that
“It takes a village to raise a child.” I can’t help but think about Russell
Bishop’s concept of “Societal Debt” as well- where a society will become disadvantaged
by a minority of the population. As educators what can we do to reduce the
societal debt? Who can be drawn on now to give the next generation the
opportunities that they are entitled to?
How is my practice
Interdisciplinary
Andrews (1990)
definition of interdisciplinary collaboration "when different professionals, possessing unique knowledge,
skills, organizational perspectives, and personal attributes, engage in
coordinated problem solving for a common purpose" begs the
question of how interdisciplinary is my practice. Depends on how deep you want
to look.
I think I have done a lot in my 32 years on this planet, but
how are those things contributing to the common goal of educating students? My
background in sports and outdoor recreation has probably been something that
has helped build relationships with students and provide more opportunities to
them. But ask yourself, can one person deliver everything a child needs to succeed in this world?
Currently I am taking a more academic focus and some of the
contributions from others would be in the form of: The literacy team, mindlab,
social networking, my leadership mentor, and my wife who is also a teacher. It
is also important to mention outside agencies that have become integrated with
schools now. We have social workers in schools (often funded by Rangitane o
Wairarapa), RTLB on site, and a 0.4 SENCO teacher. I have also been dealing with
CYFS a bit recently, although it would be fair to say not enough. So many dynamics
happening in one class, in one school, in the eco-system of education.
References
Berg-Weger, M., &. Schneider, F. D. (1998).
Interdisciplinary collaboration in social work education. Journal
of Social Work Education, 34, 97-107.
Duerr, L. (200). Interdisciplinary Instruction. Education
Horizons
Jones, C.(2009).
Interdisciplinary approach - Advantages, disadvantages, and the future benefits
of interdisciplinary studies. ESSAI7 (26), 76-81. Retrieved from http://dc.cod.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1121&context=essai
Bishop, R. (2012). Edtalks.(2012,
September 23). A culturally responsive pedagogy of relations. [video
file].Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/49992994
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