Understanding Our Complex World:Why Interdisciplinarity Matters & How We Can Teach It Well

Engaging the pressing global problems and issues we face today requires that we develop a multifaceted and complex understanding of them. Such understanding invariably draws from multiple disciplines and fields. Preparing our students to grapple with global problems and issues demands that we nurture their capacity to solve problems, create products or ask questions in ways that go beyond single disciplinary lenses. To prepare educators for the demands of quality interdisciplinary teaching, this workshop introduces a framework for designing interdisciplinary instruction. Through analysis of a concrete example, participants will address two key questions: (1) what is interdisciplinary understanding, and (2) how can we design instruction to nurture interdisciplinary understanding? The workshop will support educators working with learners in middle and secondary school as well as with all ages of adult learners.