Interdisciplinary learning is an important element within Curriculum for Excellence. It constitutes one of the four contexts for learning in ‘Building the Curriculum 3’.
PDF File: Building the Curriculum 3 – A framework for learning and teaching
PDF file: A Summary of Building the Curriculum 3 – A framework for learning and teaching
- Context for learning
- What is interdisciplinary learning?
- What are the benefits?
- Planning for learning
- Planning for coherence and progression
Guiding Principles
Interdisciplinary learning enables teachers and learners to make connections in their learning through exploring clear and relevant links across the curriculum.
It supports the use and application of what has been taught and learned in new and different ways and provides opportunities for deepening learning, for example through answering big questions, exploring an issue, solving problems or completing a final project.
Learning beyond subject boundaries provides learners with the opportunity to experience deep, challenging and relevant learning.
Practitioners can achieve this by:
- having a clear focus on a small number of different curriculum areas/aspects of a curriculum area or subjects, for example music and drama
- making clear connections with literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing across learning
- focusing on a few carefully selected and relevant experiences and outcomes
- involving learners in in-depth investigation drawing on various sources of information and developing experience and awareness of different curriculum areas in the process
- choosing a theme or problem which requires knowledge and skills from different curriculum areas, aspects of curriculum areas or subjects
- capitalising on themes for development across learning, including developing global citizenship, financial education and outdoor learning
- responding to a significant event
and through:
- stimulating learning and teaching activities which include frequent explicit reference to the knowledge and skills being developed and the connections across and within curriculum areas and subjects
- involving learners in:
- active, collaborative learning
- challenging, thought-provoking tasks
- critical thinking
- clear planning across curriculum, learning, teaching and assessment which identifies:
- the specific learning intentions of the interdisciplinary work
- the experiences and outcomes from each curriculum area which are being developed
- how a range of evidence of what has been learned will be gathered and assessed, including through discussion with the learner
- working towards an overall strategy for interdisciplinary learning, which may include consideration of:
- appropriate balance of disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning
- appropriateness of learners’ progression
- coherence in learners’ experiences
- effective organisation of learning and/or timetabling
- provision of appropriate time and support for teachers’ planning
- evaluation of learning.
