Multidisciplinary Approach

Multidisciplinary approach

Multidisciplinary approaches focus primarily on the disciplines. Teachers who use this approach organize standards from the disciplines around a theme. Figure 1.1 shows the relationship of different subjects to each other and to a common theme. There are many different ways to create multidisciplinary curriculum, and they tend to differ in the level of intensity of the integration effort. The following descriptions outline different approaches to the multidisciplinary perspective.

The multidisciplinary approach denotes the teaching of concepts across more than two subjects or disciplines. The instruction may be organized on fundamental issues common to the three academic disciplines instead of teaching the students in a disjointed and unconnected manner. Examples of the multidisciplinary approach can be illustrated by Integrated Social Studies (Geography, Political Science, Sociology, Psychology), and Integrated Science (Biology, Chemistry, and Physics) as reflected in the junior secondary curriculum in Botswana. The use of the multidisciplinary approach in instruction can equally be referred to as the integrated approach. Integration, in this sense means using relevant ideas from many other disciplines to, ‘do justice’ to the topic or problem at hand. Aina (1979) says of integration: Integration can be used within and across disciplines. Language, for instance, can be taught in itself (within) to integrate the four skills of listening, reading, writing, and speaking, as well as across to integrate concepts, themes and ideas from the different subject spectrums. This is an approach favoured by several authors based on the premise that practical experiences of life suggest that solutions to problems of living are not found in the study of separate school subjects (Aina, 1979).

multidisciplinary approach permits the teacher to combine a variety of methods, techniques and technological devices. In fact, it is believed that multidisciplinary teaching gets the whole school, teachers, parents and community involved. This is because it facilitates team and collaborative activities. Teachers share classroom activities, worksheets and resources with each other to facilitate their students’ learning. The parents also get involved as they work collaboratively with teachers to address students’ learning needs and issues. Students also learn collaboratively as they do group or pair projects and presentations. In fact, everyone benefits as the students see their curriculum come alive to address issues in the classrooms, across subject areas, in the school as a whole, as well as in the community. It is assumed that the greater the level of integration desired, the higher the level of collaboration required in multidisciplinary instruction.

Figure 1.1. The Multidisciplinary Approach