He aha te mea nui o te ao
What is the most important thing in the world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
It is the people, it is the people, it is the people
Maori proverb
I think there is great power when we realise that people hold so many valuable skills and that we are much stronger and more effective when we use our strengths to benefit each other. Dr Deana McDonagh (2011), says that "not being an expert is an advantage". I think this is such an important attitude to have, and could enable us to value the skills that we bring to the table. Joyce Thomas (2011) add that interdisciplinary collaboration brings people in and allows for previously unconnected connections to be made.
What does this all mean?
Staff (2012) says that to foster interdisciplinary education it is to take a "holistic approach to education and requires the close collaboration of multiple teachers to create an more integrated, enhanced learning experience for students". So as I reflect on this I have that there are many teachers, experts, students and valuable people that I can and do collaborate with the enhance the learning experiences of my own students.
One recent area of focus for me has been seeking collaboration from colleagues with more experience and knowledge of Te Reo Māori to enhance my students learning. This has worked really well this past term, as I have offered to support a colleague in an area of my strength being Digital Technologies. This term we have swopped classes on a Wednesday afternoon to support the current learning in the classrooms in these areas. This has been a new initiative in our school, so we decided to give it some time to decide if there were benefits to learning this way.
I am happy to report that the benefits have far exceeded our expectations. Firstly as classroom teachers we have been able to build relationships with 28 other students in the school. New connections have been made. For both classes we have seen increased engagement in these learning areas and the skills they have been learning have been transferred to the relevant classrooms. Therefore the learning has definitely been enhanced.
What next?
Well I am looking forward to Term 3 as we continue to build this close collaborative approach to learning. In doing so two other teachers in the school have decided to try what we have been doing, which is exciting to see.
References:
Staff R. (2012). Fostering Interdisciplinary Skill Sets. Retrieved from https://rossieronline.usc.edu/fostering-interdisciplinary-skill-sets/
ThomasMcDonaghGroup. ( 2011, May 13). Interdisciplinarity and Innovation Education.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDdNzftkIpA
References:
Staff R. (2012). Fostering Interdisciplinary Skill Sets. Retrieved from https://rossieronline.usc.edu/fostering-interdisciplinary-skill-sets/
ThomasMcDonaghGroup. ( 2011, May 13). Interdisciplinarity and Innovation Education.[video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDdNzftkIpA
I was interested in your post as I had also chosen to improve my knowledge of te reo Maori through a interdisciplinary collaborative approach, to be able to support students with their learning. We are very fortunate to have a teacher aide at our school who takes the classes for our students but I think it would be fantastic to make it a collaborative experience in which we can learn from each other and work to our strengths. I agree with you when you say we can be more effective when we can use the skills others can bring and benefit from it.
ReplyDelete