Approaches to teaching and learning that are transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary provide opportunities to approach the same subject from various discipline viewpoints. So let’s talk about what transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches are in detail.
What is transdisciplinary learning?
Students can use transdisciplinary learning to make connections between several academic disciplines while examining a pertinent concept, issue, or problem. It combines insights from several school fields to have a better understanding of the concept’s adaptability.
Children should learn to apply their information through this technique, which is linked to the children’s interests as well as current events and developments in our day. The goal is to learn for a lifetime rather than just memorising specific information for an exam. Transdisciplinary, cooperative, competence-oriented, and innovative courses concerning digital media should make this possible.
Benefits Of A Transdisciplinary Educational Approach
Let’s find out some pros of following a transdisciplinary way of teaching in schools.
Students learn to think differently and be more creative
Convergent thinking, which involves using a set of rules to arrive at a single answer to a problem, is promoted in today’s educational system. Divergent thinking, on the other hand, is a more free-flowing approach that leads to multiple innovative solutions to a single problem. While both divergent and convergent thinking is vital, emphasising solely the latter might lead to a loss of creativity and critical thinking.
Students have a better grasp of what they’re learning
Many students learn because their teachers and parents tell them to. The transdisciplinary approach relates one topic to a variety of school courses, allowing students to gain a better understanding of the issue, identify connections, and comprehend why they are studying it. This technique also assists children in remembering what they have learnt.
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Students are more motivated
Connecting a topic to other educational disciplines necessitates some imagination on the part of teachers. It makes courses more engaging and, as our experience demonstrates, it instils in pupils a sense of curiosity and motivation to investigate a topic from several, and often even unexpected, perspectives.
Students learn a language of a problem
Transdisciplinary learning helps students to examine a problem from multiple perspectives. They learn how to adapt to a variety of situations in real life, how to think critically, and how to recognise that there are usually multiple solutions to a single problem. Many headhunters these days value and seek out this type of thinking.
What is interdisciplinary learning?
This kind of learning allows students to learn by connecting ideas and concepts from several areas. Students that learn in this manner can apply what they’ve learned in one area to a new discipline, broadening their learning experience. The most effective method of interdisciplinary study allows students to choose their interdisciplinary route by selecting courses that interest them.
One technique to bring ideas together and make interdisciplinary learning more meaningful is to study things thematically. This can be accomplished by allowing students to select their studies, and their learning is enhanced when they reflect on the links between what they are learning across disciplines.
Benefits Of An Interdisciplinary Educational Approach
Now we will discuss the pros of the interdisciplinary teaching method.
Mental Flexibility
The youngsters’ mental flexibility and implementation power enable them to become lifelong learners. It encourages pupils to consider various methods of learning.
Collaboration and Communication
This method emphasises and fosters the value of collaboration and teamwork as vital life skills. Working in groups and expressing themselves in more innovative ways help students become more successful communicators.
Problem-Solving Skills
Prior learning of numerous subjects helps students build essential problem-solving skills. As a result, kids profit much beyond the classroom. They learn innovative solutions to some of the world’s most difficult problems.
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Easier to Understand
Young learners frequently discover unique connections between diverse areas of knowledge, and the interdisciplinary method takes advantage of this approach to provide a stronger link to the actual world.
Interdisciplinary Thinkers
Students develop into interdisciplinary thinkers who welcome new ideas analytically and artistically. This helps them prepare for graduate and professional school as well as rewarding careers in new and growing industries.
Difference Between Transdisciplinary And Interdisciplinary Approach
Interdisciplinary learning allows for the synthesis of ideas and features from other areas. Simultaneously, it addresses pupils’ individual peculiarities while also assisting in the development of vital, transferrable abilities. This method is certain to instil a passion for learning, generate excitement, and address learning gaps in children.
Transdisciplinary learning, on the other hand, equips students with important skills and cognitive complexity that employers need in the future workforce, and well-developed transdisciplinary programmes in higher education offer students a unique opportunity to develop these skills.
Before selecting a school for your child know what approach they are using in their curricula. The school environment is a crucial factor. Support your child with the right kind of education.