People who are well-versed in several disciplines and are comfortable traversing in between them are the only ones who can prosper in the current global economy centered around the exchange of information, knowledge, and development enables. Adaptability, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking are skills that are highly valued in the market.
Integrated studies, also known as interdisciplinary studies, is an amalgam of a diverse set of disciplines that allows students to foster a meaningful understanding of complicated influences and association within an issue.
Here are two studies that shed light on the importance of integrating interdisciplinary studies in the school curriculum.
Research Study
The Logic of Interdisciplinary Studies is an exhaustive study conducted by Mathison and Freeman. This study examined the historical backgrounds that informed the discussion around interdisciplinary studies, how it was organized, the differences across its content, the general assumptions about its learning and teaching, and how it can improve traditional approaches to education.
The study found the following:
- Integrated studies increased the understanding, application, and retention of concepts.
- They improved the overall comprehension of the world’s issues helping students reach conclusions after considering different views.
- Integrated studies leveraged the student’s decision-making and critical and creative thinking skills.
- It enhanced the student’s ability to detect, assess, and transmit essential facts needed to solve difficult problems.
Case Study
High Tech High is a school in San Diego, California that gained a lot of traction for its success as a school with an integrated studies curriculum. The project-based learning and interdisciplinary curriculum resulted in 100% college acceptance, with 80% of students enrolled in a four-year degree program.
The school’s management believes that their interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning isn’t the end of old pedagogical methods but an intervention to ensure restructuring of the high school experience for children in the US.
Based on a similar model, teachers at Ideal School structure their lessons based on an interdisciplinary approach. They combine book learning with project-based learning, and the school’s curriculum is 5 core subjects that are interconnected to one another in different ways – allowing the students to not learn in a vacuum but to thrive in an experientially diverse and kaleidoscopic world.
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