When Subjects Disappear: Making Sense of Transdisciplinary Learning
Stepping into a classroom where transdisciplinary learning is taking place may, for a moment, feel like a strange place. Where is the math or the literacy? Well, it is still there, but it is now immersed in 'Big and Central Ideas'. Students are still learning and applying mathematical skills, just as they always have. However, now they are not restricted to isolated lessons of math or literacy but apply the same skills to real-world ideas in a cross-curricular manner.
So where are the subjects?
Evolving the School Timetable
Historically, the conventional approach for timetabling was that school students had a structured day of single lessons, one after another: first period math, second period literacy, and so on. Through transdisciplinary learning in schools, students are introduced to 'big ideas' – concepts that relate to our local, wider, or international community, and that are present and represented through multiple subject areas. Through these concepts, students apply the traditional subject content. The subjects begin to connect with each other, just as they would in the world outside of schooling. Students now begin to understand why certain skills and subject content is important and how it will be significant to them in life.
Transdisciplinary: What Does It Mean?
A word that has become second nature to teachers that apply and facilitate the learning, but a piece of vocabulary that is not commonly used. So, what is transdisciplinary learning?
Traditionally used in the world of research to describe a researcher who has expertise in two different disciplines, or where two disciplines come together to solve a more complex issue. For example, in addressing climate change, scientists may collaborate with town planners to resolve flooding issues.
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By providing students with transdisciplinary learning opportunities, they are applying different subject areas to real-life concepts, taking on the thinking of multiple disciplines. Learning is now truly transdisciplinary.
The Subjects
It is important to understand that through this style of learning, subjects and their benchmark standards are still very much present. Teachers carefully plan and deliver each lesson in such a way that the subject content and skills at each age or grade level are still being covered. The difference is that each subject's content is now connected to real world learning in classrooms, making much more sense to students and highlighting its importance.
For example, a unit of work based around governance, where the big idea is 'Systems' and the central idea is 'Laws and governance systems regulate societies and promote order'. Students are introduced to the central idea, given the opportunity to express what they already know, then encouraged to ask questions that guide their learning. Through the unit, teachers apply subject skills across disciplines: math – statistics and data handling, English – non-fiction persuasive writing, social studies – social responsibility. Students begin to identify how the different disciplines complement each other within a larger idea.
The Benefits of Transdisciplinary Learning
The benefits of transdisciplinary learning extend well beyond the classroom. Students make meaningful connections to the real world, giving purpose to their learning. These are memorable, enjoyable experiences that remove the 'chore' from learning, instead providing relatable examples and real-world application. Students develop crucial skills not typically experienced in standalone, single-subject lessons, skills that will be refined over time and applied in life beyond school.
Through real-life concepts and the encouragement to question and challenge ideas, students become genuinely curious. It is that curiosity, combined with the skills and retained knowledge, that creates a lifelong learner – better preparing students for their future, particularly when their future job role may not yet exist.
Ready to learn more about transdisciplinary learning at AIA Mankhool? Schedule a meeting with our leadership team and discover how we’re shaping future-ready students.