Introduction

Interdisciplinary Units, or IDUs, are a key component of the MYP. At their core, IDUs are about connection and collaboration. By integrating two or more disciplines, they allow students to synthesize knowledge, skills, and understanding from different disciplines and discover how they could inform and enrich one another. During an IDU, students might find themselves bringing together maths concepts to create patterns in the visual arts or using their study of history to add context to a work of literature.

A Shift in Approach

The usual approach to developing interdisciplinary Units (IDUs) in the MYP involves subject teachers identifying connections between their respective subjects and collaboratively developing a unit. However, this approach can be expanded to incorporate all MYP teachers in the design and implementation of an IDU. A team-based approach can offer a more inclusive way to create IDUs in the MYP. By involving all MYP teachers in the design and implementation of an IDU, a wider range of perspectives and expertise can be brought to the table, leading to more engaging learning experiences for students. Furthermore, it enhances professional conversations between teachers and fosters a collaborative learning environment.

The Need for Sustainable Design in MYP Interdisciplinary Units

The traditional approach to developing IDUs within the MYP has presented a challenge: it often depends on the involvement of just a couple of subject teachers within a year level. This limitation threatens the sustainability of the IDUs. If these teachers leave, it can create a continuity gap. Their replacements may struggle to implement the previously established IDUs due to insufficient documentation and unclear ownership. This can make it challenging for other faculty members to understand and continue the interdisciplinary initiatives.

This issue highlights the need for a more sustainable approach to designing and implementing IDUs. To this end, a team-based approach involving all MYP teachers at a year level could provide a more practical option. By having a wider pool of educators involved, the IDU becomes a collective effort, reducing reliance on a few individuals.

Additionally, a team-based approach facilitates better transitions, so even if some team members leave, the remaining members and new members can continue to deliver the IDU effectively. In my opinion, this approach maintains and enhances IDU sustainability and continuity.

Enhancing Shared Understanding Through MYP IDUs

All MYP teachers should have a good understanding of interdisciplinary teaching and learning, which is not exclusively the domain of a few. Every MYP teacher needs to be informed of the ‘why’, ‘what’, and ‘how’ of the IDUs to maintain the program’s philosophy and deliver a cohesive learning experience. A collective understanding of interdisciplinary teaching and learning among all educators is essential in the MYP. When teachers have a common understanding of interdisciplinary teaching and learning, they can collaborate more successfully in designing and implementing curriculum that effectively meets the needs and interests of their students.

Collaborative Strategies for MYP Interdisciplinary Units

A team-based approach to designing and implementing IDUs also means shared responsibility. This is a particularly beneficial aspect in teaching contexts where teachers have heavy workloads. When the tasks of planning, delivering, monitoring, and assessing interdisciplinary projects are distributed among a team of teachers, the overall process becomes more manageable. It reduces the load for each individual and creates a supportive environment where teachers can rely on each other’s expertise and input.

As a result of this recent experience, I now realize that teams need some non-negotiables so workloads and responsibilities are shared fairly. Some non-negotiables for a team-based approach are:

• Fair Distribution of Workload: All teachers involved in the development and implementation of IDUs must share the workload equitably. No teacher should be burdened with a disproportionate amount of work. All tasks, from planning to assessment, should be distributed fairly among team members.
• Commitment to Role: Each teacher must take their role seriously and be actively involved in the process. In order to develop and implement IDUs, each team member must fully commit to their responsibilities and contribute meaningfully.
• No Shifting of Responsibilities: Teachers should not offload their duties onto their colleagues. Each member has a defined role and a set of responsibilities that they must fulfill. In this way, everyone is not overburdened, and the team functions efficiently.

The team should adhere to these non-negotiables to ensure a productive, collaborative, and fair environment.

The Team-Based Interdisciplinary Approach

A team-based interdisciplinary teaching model involves teachers from different subject areas working together to design and deliver IDUs. The approach includes stages of gathering learner insights, professional development for IDU topic refinement, team formation, and defining clear roles and responsibilities for all team members.

1. Learner insights to inform IDUs

Begin with a survey asking students how they would approach a problem or address an issue by combining two or more subjects. Students in the survey are asked to think of a product they would create, a new solution for a problem, or a problem they would solve within their abilities, and why. If they had to combine two or three subjects to create this product or solve this problem, what would they be?

This approach enables us to gather students’ input, identify their interest areas, and gauge their exposure to various curriculum topics. It also allows teachers to understand students’ perspectives on real-world issues and potential interdisciplinary connections between subjects. In some cases, students came up with unrealistic and vague topics. In any case, it’s important to know what students need versus what they want.

The benefit of starting by gathering data from students before designing the IDUs is multi-faceted. Firstly, it empowers students by giving them a voice in their learning. Secondly, by understanding students’ aspirations, concerns, and the subjects they believe can be combined to solve real-world problems, teachers can design the IDUs to align with students’ interests and address issues that are personally relevant to them. Additionally, this approach provides valuable insight into students’ exposure to different curriculum topics, allowing teachers to identify potential gaps or areas of emphasis. Understanding students’ prior knowledge and experiences with specific subjects can inform the design of interdisciplinary activities that effectively bridge and reinforce learning across disciplines.

2. Professional Development for IDU Topics Refinement

The teachers then discussed the students’ responses and brainstormed possible topics with different year-level groups. Through the use of student responses, teachers can develop IDUs that are relevant and meaningful to the student population.

Following the initial brainstorming phase, the next step involves narrowing down the list of possible IDU topics for specific year levels. This focused approach allows for a more in-depth exploration of the potential topics, ensuring that the selected IDUs align with the academic and developmental needs of the students within each year level.

Later, we had 25 teachers attend an in-school workshop led by Kyle Wagner, an expert in project-based learning, to refine the selected IDU topics. Kyle’s workshop provided a clear overview of project-based learning and equipped our teachers with tools to collaborate and refine ideas. This workshop served as a valuable resource for developing project-based IDUs.

Kyle shared a variety of successful project-based learning examples during the workshop, which was particularly impactful as it allowed teachers to picture how project-based interdisciplinary units might be effectively developed within the framework of the MYP. This professional development enhanced teachers’ understanding of project-based learning and also offered inspiration to guide our IDU development. We concluded the workshop by identifying the MYP Year 7–11 IDU topics.

3. Team Formation and Teacher Agency for IDUs

In my role as the MYP Coordinator, I collaborated with the lead subject teachers to identify discipline groundings and potential products students could create to demonstrate their interdisciplinary understanding. Following the identification of subject groups, I created a survey for teachers to indicate their interest and potential contribution. I always believe that teachers’ expertise and interests should be considered when implementing initiatives. My intention was to promote ownership and involvement in interdisciplinary teaching. Teachers had access to all the information about the units and ranked their preferences in the survey. In forming the year-level teams, I considered their preferences, their expertise, and the students they teach.

4. IDU Roles and Responsibilities

IDU Subject Leaders

The IDU Subject Leaders play a significant role in identifying the disciplinary grounding for the interdisciplinary units. Their responsibilities include designing summative assessments and task-specific clarifications. They help ensure the details of the IDU unit plan are documented and that the team’s reflections are documented.

ATL Skills Facilitators

ATL Skills Facilitators are responsible for identifying relevant Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills that align with the interdisciplinary units. Their role includes explicitly teaching ATL skills using specific strategies pertinent to the interdisciplinary context. Additionally, they are tasked with documenting the details of ATL instruction in the appropriate section of the IDU unit plan, ensuring that the development of these essential skills is integrated seamlessly into the interdisciplinary learning experiences.

Scheduling/Facilities Coordinator

Scheduling/Facilities Coordinators allocate time for students to complete the interdisciplinary project and assessment to support the interdisciplinary learning experiences. Additionally, they help with the scheduling of rooms and spaces, ensuring logistical support during IDU implementation.

Resource Coordinator

Resource Coordinators provide materials to support learning activities for interdisciplinary units. They are tasked with establishing and managing the IDU’s Google Classroom, serving as a central hub for resources and communications related to the interdisciplinary units. Additionally, they manage the distribution of learning materials, including photocopying when necessary, and are responsible for updating the Google Classroom with all relevant information to support the successful implementation of the interdisciplinary units.

The team-based interdisciplinary teaching approach involves bringing together teachers from different disciplines to create and implement IDUs collaboratively. Using this approach, everyone on the team is responsible for interdisciplinary teaching, thereby creating a more inclusive, effective, and sustainable approach to IDUs.

5. Engaging Parents in MYP Interdisciplinary Learning

To help parents understand interdisciplinary learning, I led a parent workshop two weeks before IDU week began. Parents participated in a design thinking challenge and reflected on the experience. This interactive experience gave parents a clear understanding of how students engage in interdisciplinary projects by integrating two or more disciplines. Following the hands-on activity, I facilitated a discussion about interdisciplinary learning in the MYP, helping parents understand the value of this approach. It is important for parents to understand the nature and benefits of IDUs so they can better support their children’s learning at home, ask informed questions, and engage in meaningful discussions about the IDU topic their child is learning.

In my workshops, parents often ask, “Can MYP help my child develop the necessary skills and get into a good university?” In answering this question, I explained how interdisciplinary learning offers students the opportunity to flourish academically as well as holistically. Engaging in interdisciplinary projects greatly impacts students’ learning experiences, developing a set of qualities universities seek in prospective students. The ability to integrate knowledge and approaches from multiple disciplines demonstrates adaptability, resourcefulness, and creative problem-solving. In addition to developing a broad skill set, these collaborative experiences through IDUs equip students with a well-rounded approach to higher education.

Check out Stanford d.school website for some design thinking challenges.

ESF Discovery College MYP Interdisciplinary units of 2023-2024

This document outlines the five innovative IDUs designed for our students in Years 7-11 at Discovery College for the academic year 2023-2024.

Challenges and Solutions

Before we get into some of the challenges and solutions associated with implementing a team-based interdisciplinary teaching approach, it’s important to acknowledge that any experimental pedagogical approach will inevitably encounter roadblocks. It is possible to address these challenges effectively and turn them into opportunities through thoughtful planning, collaboration, and reflection. Using the design thinking cycle, we can learn from our experiences and make adjustments. We can then troubleshoot challenges, come up with creative solutions, and refine our team-based interdisciplinary teaching approach. It is important to persevere and view challenges as opportunities for growth and improvement.

The following are some of the main challenges we encountered, along with potential solutions to address them:

Limited Collaborative Planning Time

Often, teachers are pressed for time and struggle to find common periods for interdisciplinary planning. This can be fixed by setting aside dedicated time for interdisciplinary planning, such as during professional development days or regular staff meetings. In total, we scheduled four collaborative meetings lasting an hour each. On professional development day, we organized two 90-minute PD sessions.

The reality is that collaborative planning meetings after school pose significant challenges for teachers. Teachers have already given their energy and focus to teaching throughout the day, and by the end of it, they often find it difficult to engage in deep, creative planning. This mental fatigue can potentially hinder the effectiveness of these after-school sessions, making it more challenging to develop interdisciplinary units. As well, some teachers have extracurricular activities after school, making full team participation difficult. This highlights the importance of finding alternative times for collaborative planning that would allow teachers to be at their most creative and productive.

Embedding planning into the school timetable could be a solution. Team members could benefit from a master schedule with dedicated time for interdisciplinary planning. Every year-level team can meet at a different time, thus ensuring that sufficient teachers are available to supervise students during interdisciplinary planning.

Distributing planning over time is another option. Instead of trying to accomplish all planning within a few intensive sessions, it might be best to spread the process over a longer timeframe with shorter, more frequent meetings to allow for gradual development.

Schools may also wish to use early release or late start days. Interdisciplinary planning sessions can be conducted on days when students are released early or start late, allowing teachers to focus solely on collaboration without the pressure of teaching classes immediately before or after.

Insufficient Facilities and Resources

Insufficient facilities can significantly hinder the implementation of IDUs and reduce students’ excitement. It is vital to recognize the impact of dedicated spaces on fostering enthusiasm, promoting creative thinking, facilitating collaboration, and showcasing student work. For example, having a designated launch space for IDUs and display areas for students to show their work can promote motivation and engagement.

IDUs require varied materials, tools, and support systems to effectively bridge concepts from multiple disciplines. When resources are limited, it can hinder the progress of these units in several ways.

For example, when integrating Design and English disciplines for students to create games aimed at promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a range of resources is essential. Students would benefit from having access to a variety of existing board games or card games to analyze game mechanics, package design, and game rules. Materials such as card stock paper, paints, brushes, and boards are necessary for the physical construction of the game. Additionally, a 3D printer could be helpful for creating custom game pieces that elevate the tactile experience and visual appeal of the student-designed games. Without these materials, students may be unable to fully realize creative and educational board games, which may affect the quality of their work.

Here are some solutions to address limited facilities and resources based on my reflections on this recent experience.

1. Facility/Room Booking System: Implementing a streamlined facility/room booking system can ensure equitable access to dedicated spaces for IDU activities. This system should allow teachers to book facilities for specific periods, ensuring effective and equal sharing of resources.
2. Resource Purchase Process: Establishing a clear process for teachers to request materials, book trips, get insurances, and invite guests would be advantageous. The purchasing process is not familiar to every teacher. A clear process for teachers to request resources and all the necessary request forms available in one easily accessible location makes it convenient for teachers to access and submit the required forms without wasting time looking for them. Teachers are able to access the necessary materials and support efficiently, allowing them to focus on their IDU planning.
3. Budget Allocation: Budget holders need to allocate sufficient funds to support IDU implementation, field trip fees, and insurance. Clearly defining and allocating funds to these specific areas will ensure that teachers know where to pull from when making their requests.
4. Curriculum Adaptation and Flexible Resource Integration: When designing IDUs, it is helpful to first conduct an audit of the existing resources within the school. By knowing the materials, spaces, and expertise already at hand, teachers can design IDUs that are not only interesting but also feasible, aligning with the school’s current capabilities and budget. By doing so, the development of the IDU will remain within the scope of the school’s capabilities, eliminating the need for excessive additional funding.

IDU Scheduling & Workload

In light of the complexity of scheduling one-week off regular timetable IDUs within the MYP framework, the best approach to timing must be carefully considered. My opinion is that there is no best timing, but only better timing.

Timing: We implemented the IDUs three weeks before the end of our first semester. It is the busiest time for our teachers to mark students’ summative assessments and submit semester grades. We also held DP mock exams during the IDU week, while our Year 12 (Grade 11) students continued their regular schedules. Although teachers don’t have their regular worklad, they are still busy marking and preparing lessons for MYP IDUs. Next, we’ll gather feedback from all MYP teachers involved in the process to get their perspective on implementation timing.

Balancing Workload: Given that the team-based approach requires all hands on deck, it’s important to ensure that the workload is balanced fairly among the year-level teams. This includes dividing assessment and supervision loads in a way that allows teachers to contribute effectively to the IDU while managing their other responsibilities.

Conclusion

As a whole, I believe our first team-based implementation of IDUs has been a success. It is thanks to our teachers’ professionalism and resilience at ESF Discovery College. Despite limited and scattered collaborative planning time, our teachers demonstrated remarkable perseverance and flexibility in bringing the IDUs to life. Their ability to adapt and design lessons on the fly ensured that the IDUs were not only implemented, but also thrived.

The outstanding interdisciplinary projects displayed by our students on the last day of IDU week reflect the collective efforts and commitment of our teachers. I am grateful for our teachers’ agency, adaptability, open-mindedness, and determination throughout the process.

You can read more about the strategies in implementing team-based interdisciplinary approach in my previous blog post. Navigating Challenges in Designing Interdisciplinary Learning Experiences provides teachers with support when designing student IDU experiences. You can find more information about the IDU planning process here.