Cooperative classrooms and the power of interdisciplinary learning
Public school education, and the standards that apply to charter and private schools, are generally built on the same mid-19th century foundations and principles. Prior to that, the important aspect of an elementary and secondary school education ensured their graduates mastered certain concepts that would enable them to be productive members of society. For example, skills like being able to calculate change, or measure objects, for building and tradework. Schooling varied greatly during that time. In order to provide equal opportunity, a national set of standards in schools was adopted. The new federal framework worked well enough through the Industrial Age, bringing an educated public ready for higher education and specialization - the new needs of society at the time. Fast forward to 2021 and beyond, education models in the K12 space haven’t changed that much. However, society definitely has.
Knowing that mitochondria is the powerhouse of a cell is great for technology-free trivia nights, but our future generations also need skills that aren’t yet defined. Thus, we need our students to be learners, critical thinkers, and creative problem-solvers who can use the resources available to them to find solutions. To accomplish this, we need to drive interdisciplinary education - where students are immersed in topics, and exposed to learning through multiple perspectives. It can create a foundation, as described by Fink (Fink, 2003), for Significant Learning. This learning lasts, it creates an impact, and is meaningful for both students and teachers.
The six aspects of Significant Learning are:
Foundational knowledge
Application of the subject
Integration into other subjects
Finding a human-dimension connection
Caring - and building empathy
By working with teachers across the school, in different subjects, and with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, schools can offer students ways to meaningfully engage with their education. Significant Learning can help drive the necessary skills we should be imparting our future generations with, for life-long success.
So how can Student Soapbox drive interdisciplinary instruction, and support Significant Learning in K12 classrooms?
We start by utilizing student lesson plan polling and the Teacher Community’s easy communication and collaboration tools for lessons. These programs help students connect the dots and make learning relevant. For example, an English and Language Arts teacher sees that their students will learn about marine biology in their science class based off of a recent poll. Working with the science teacher, they create an interdisciplinary unit, discovering and linking complementary lessons and materials that will drive significant learning.
Students may study essays and writings that explore marine conservation perspectives in English class while students learn about biological impacts in marine life. An art teacher can see these teachers collaborating, and join in as well, allowing students to immerse themselves in the subject and find ways to connect and apply knowledge across subjects.
The school will have multiple teachers working in unison, driving true learning while also addressing standards students need to master, thus creating a positive, engaging education experience. Now, school evolves into a democratic learning process and brings in new collaborators, all for the benefit of student success.
By allowing students to explore information and apply their knowledge in multiple contexts, students are building necessary skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and the “soft” skills employers are desperately seeking in their future hires. If there are tools to make it easier on teachers, we owe it to ourselves, and our students, to implement it.