The need for individuals to act and think in an interdisciplinary fashion is evident in the twenty-first century. Education systems at all levels must address this practice in order to prepare students for success in crossing disciplinary boundaries. Julie Klein argues in her article, “A Platform for a Shared Discourse of Interdisciplinary Education,” that interdisciplinarity is not a simple set of skills that can be added onto a course, but instead, is a process that is best learned through the reconstruction of the content and method of teaching.
Klein dedicates the first three sections of the article to defining the terms discipline and interdisciplinary. The author suggests that educators must have a common understanding of the history, definition, and meaning behind these terms in order to effectively design and implement curricular change. Disciplinarity is defined by functional differences between subject areas including specific concepts, theories, and methods. In addition, a discipline is isolated by systems of power that control the nature of work, including departmental units, allocation of resources, and economies of value to society. Since the late nineteenth century, education has been structured around academic disciplines. Klein suggests that the defined boundaries between disciplines are fading as each needs the resources from another to address today’s problems. Therefore, educators must understand the concept of interdisciplinarity and pull this practice into education.
Interdisciplinarity is defined as an individual’s ability to integrate information from two or more disciplines to study a theme. Klein examines numerous pedagogical methods that address interdisciplinarity including team-teaching, clustered or linked courses, collaborative learning, and project and theme based inquires. She further states that curriculum integration has secondary benefits such as placing an emphasis on critical and complex thinking as opposed to rote memorization, increased application of knowledge to larger contexts, and enhanced student motivation.
Klein concludes that education must address interdisciplinarity and the most effective method is the reconstruction of curricula. Klein realizes the remaining need for subject specific education, but asks educators to understand interdisciplinarity, its importance, outcomes, and methods of incorporation in today’s educational system.
Klein’s article provides an interesting overview of the differences between disciplinary and interdisciplinary based education. The definitions of terminology, historical review, and critical explanations provide thorough background information, enhancing one’s understanding of interdisciplinarity and its need in education. In addition, Klein uses numerous citations to demonstrate varied perspectives, thus providing an excellent source for further literature review. This article acts as a good first step for those interested in learning about interdisciplinary education. However, one should examine her citations for a more detailed explanation of specific pedagogical theories and designs.
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