Ruth Thomson Health and Technology Department
A great example of Inter-Disciplinary Learning (IDL) and collaboration between subjects can be found in the joint Maths and Health & Technology (H&T) activity currently being run with S1 pupils. In H & T pupils are making chocolate truffles while in Maths they are learning how to design and create presentation boxes for the truffles.
However, as I was to discover through observing three different S1 Maths lessons, pupils are being exposed to a wide range of concepts, skills and experiences not just in relation to H&T and Maths, but in literacy and business too.
In one lesson pupils discussed why and how they would set up a business, what terminology such as profit, loss, outgoings and bankruptcy meant and pupils compared the cost of producing truffles using Asda own brand ingredients with other more luxurious brands. In another lesson pupils cut out and assembled a range of shaped boxes – tetrahedron, cuboid, pyramid, rectangular prism etc. (11 in all) to establish which shapes would make the best presentation boxes. In a further lesson pupils learned how to calculate percentage increases/decreases to help them determine best buys for products. In all, pupils spend two to three weeks in Maths covering IDL topics including: percentages, proportions, nets of cubes and cuboids, best buys (ingredients) and the creation of the boxes.
Unsurprisingly, chocolate truffles is one of our most popular recipes in H&T. Using literacy skills to follow the recipe, pupils are also developing a wide range of other skills when making chocolate truffles: weighing and measuring ingredients, using the hob safely to melt ingredients, using co-ordination skills and judgement to create even-sized truffles and also ensuring the truffles are presented to a high standard (imperative given the retail price suggested by pupils!)
Early feedback from pupils is encouraging, pupils commenting on the connection between subjects and the real-life nature of the activity. This is one IDL project which both pupils and staff definitely seem to be learning much from.
