It depends on your goals. For example, at school, the IT teacher can encourage the students to make an online avatar video about something they are learning in their History class, like the caste system (I read a thesis with this project). In high school, the Research (or Statistics) teacher can ask for data from other classes, or the Calculus teacher can give Physics-related problems or examples (I used to do this). In college, you can mix Physics and Biomedical Sciences, Art and History, Physics and History... It all depends on the goals you have for the class of the day, your goals for the month, and/or your goals for the complete course. You also have to keep in mind how much you are going to deepen in each topic (i.e., what is your objective? For the kids to learn the caste system or to learn how to work with the online app?), and if the other professors are willing to collaborate with you. 

For the masters I'm currently studying (Biomedical Physics and Eng), I work in the OB&Gyn Department of a Hospital. The group members have majors in one of the following: IT, Physics (me), MD, RN, Electronics, Statistics; and we all give our opinions (or ask our doubts or concerns) according to our area of expertise. So, it is possible to be interdisciplinary in every education level. The question then would be: is it relevant? Or, is it necessary? Will it add a significant value to my course? Because you can remain with the disciplinary  model and it will be fine. Maybe if you make your course interdisciplinary it would become more difficult than it should.

 Myrthala

I can only speak from experience as I am not an expert in the subject. But, at the University level at which work is more challenging to include research, I have found using an interdisciplinary approach to some courses help student understand the content better. For example, in History and Literature, students are able to better understand the relevance of the literature to the history behind the era for the literature. I hope this helps.

Many thanks,

Debra

It depends on your goals. For example, at school, the IT teacher can encourage the students to make an online avatar video about something they are learning in their History class, like the caste system (I read a thesis with this project). In high school, the Research (or Statistics) teacher can ask for data from other classes, or the Calculus teacher can give Physics-related problems or examples (I used to do this). In college, you can mix Physics and Biomedical Sciences, Art and History, Physics and History... It all depends on the goals you have for the class of the day, your goals for the month, and/or your goals for the complete course. You also have to keep in mind how much you are going to deepen in each topic (i.e., what is your objective? For the kids to learn the caste system or to learn how to work with the online app?), and if the other professors are willing to collaborate with you. 

For the masters I'm currently studying (Biomedical Physics and Eng), I work in the OB&Gyn Department of a Hospital. The group members have majors in one of the following: IT, Physics (me), MD, RN, Electronics, Statistics; and we all give our opinions (or ask our doubts or concerns) according to our area of expertise. So, it is possible to be interdisciplinary in every education level. The question then would be: is it relevant? Or, is it necessary? Will it add a significant value to my course? Because you can remain with the disciplinary  model and it will be fine. Maybe if you make your course interdisciplinary it would become more difficult than it should.

 Myrthala

I strongly propose to introduce interdisciplinary studies after Graduation only. i.e. 10+2+3. First, one should learn the basics and fundamental of the subject what one is going to study. Second, one should have a primary knowledge of subject concern. Third one should have innovative approach to look at the things. 

Concerning medicine , I strongly beleive that must introduce interdisciplinary education at the 4th year of University, in order students to be able to be familiarized with these procedures.

In today's world scene inter-disciplinary approach needs to be introduced in school. That will lay a strong foundation and enable children to start linking and interlinking the concepts in the social sciences and pure sciences. It can also give rise to the new concept formation and generation of knowledge.

see link

http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0864-21412015000400004

Interdisciplinary learning needs to be part of any learning at any level. When teachers link learning to a number of different areas that spread across multiple disciplines, it helps learners to create lasting memories. We use the term 'making sense' to refer to this phenomenon. Linking learning in an interdisciplinary manner helps to achieve what is referred to as transfer of learning, a fundamental goal of learning.

Article Some Useful Pedagogical Practices: Educational Neuroscience ...

Disciplinary means constituting discipline.  The basic understanding we have is nobody is an all-rounder with respect to all sciences and faculties due to the human limitations.  But what we can do is to optimize the coherency of words in each mind to develop its strength through logical arrangement of knowledge and know-how, when we consider a single human being.  But when humans are augmented with machines and other devices to be created as cyborgs, capabilities may be enhanced but still limited. The basic purpose of interdisciplinary studies are combining or involving two or more academic disciplines or fields of study to infer new knowledge, which needs basic understanding about the various basic sciences and faculties to develop new ideas/philosophies/knowledge, where in multidisciplinary, several subject disciplines are involved in the process of education. Here we need a basic knowledge through the basic sciences, philosophies and faculties, including physical and metaphysical, to develop new ideas.  But the purpose of interdisciplinary study is more oriented towards research purposes.  So, generally, our aim should be to provide disciplinary courses up to 10+2, or even up to 10+2+3 to give a basic disciplined training and understanding about the basic sciences and faculties.  Here for exceptional candidates this may be avoided.

Using a different perspective: In the UK, child at primary schools are taught using a ‘cross curriculum’ approach, for example, literacy through science or maths through ICT. A similar process takes place in secondary school and further education (college).  The argument is, to foster wider thinking and deeper understanding; learners need to recognise that knowledge, skills and practice is influence by the wider world (e.g. writing craft varies dependent on content). Consider the new TEF framework and the need to linking current learning to the working environment. 

Let’s take educational studies, would we teach motivation theories in isolation or would we link motivation theories to practice? If the learners actively engage with the motivational theory in a way which they can relate to their everyday life (working life) they are much more able to critically engage with the theories.  There is the argument that “teachers” who teach motivation can teach motivational studies within any domain.

Just some musing

Dear  Vijay,

Concerning K-12 education, there are a number of factors that determine the implementation of disciplinary-interdisciplinary approaches in schools, including instructional time, number of subject areas, teacher competencies, etc. Interdisciplinary curriculum is widely used at the elementary and middle school levels. Courses include social studies (geography, history, civics, culture, ect.) and science education. At the secondary level, the disciplinary approach dominates school programs (Geography, physics, chemistry, biology, history, etc.). Each approach has its strengths and weaknesses. We need both of them at some points of schooling.

Hello Vijay,if you look at different social work and education theory like social constructionist theory of vigotsky or Piaget or multiple intelligence theory,and others psycho-social theory you will be found the insight how interdisciplinary curriculum designed/framed. Any ways while framing interdisciplinary education in the curriculum due consideration of the students psychological context, their mother tongue language , their developmental stages, their economic and spiritual development needs to improve the quality of the education/curriculum designed.

I agree with Mohammed that both the disciplinary and inter-disciplinary approaches are needed and I would argue further that both are required at all levels of formal education, from primary/elementary through to post-secondary/tertiary. Ultimately learners need to appreciate that authentic knowledge cannot be separated into distinct disciplines. When undertaking interdisciplinary learning experiences, it is important that learners are able to deepen their understanding of concepts, procedures and processes that they would have gleaned from their study of the respective disciplines. At the same time, they must be alert to the possibility that there may not be a complete similarity between what is learned in the context of the study of the discipline and what emerges as they engage in interdisciplinary activity. Such areas of apparent conflict could provide opportunity for even more enhanced knowledge building.

Interdisciplinary could equally be looked at a curriculum paradigm: the way we look at and examine the World in terms of teaching, learning and research. Increasingly what the Wolrd appears to be looking for is a blended professional capable of interfacing with a wide array of actors within a life long learning process. Learning never ends. Such a view demands both multidisciplilnarity and interdisciplinarity.

Moving from a disciplinary oriented form of teaching to being an interdisciplinary educator is not too costly for four reasons. First, most educators are familiar with the methodologies and empirical practices of related disciplines so acquiring the necessary cross disciplinary knowledge to become an interdisciplinary teacher will not be overly stressful or time consuming. Second, most educators are familiar with task modeling - an instructional strategy that promotes learning through observation - which is fundamental to interdisciplinary teaching since most students are unfamiliar with interdisciplinary approaches to learning, so instructors do not have to learn an entirely new form of pedagogy. Third, synthesis of insights from across disciplines, the most demanding element of interdisciplinary teaching, is an activity that most scholar-educators have engaged in previously or can learn to do with modest effort. Finally, instructors can determine the share of the course that is interdisciplinary, so they insert into their course the level of interdisciplinarity that is ideal for them given their experience with this form of teaching and the nature of the course they are leading.

Technology can be used such interdisciplinary teaching and learning as sometimes, the best videos to illustrate a concept or perspective are found in other disciplines, so integrating them into your own discipline can a form of interdisciplinary teaching. For example, a video of a choir singing in unison in the music discipline can be used to further understanding of unity in any other discipline.

Best regards,

Debra