In most schools, students sit in their chairs and absorb information. They have lectures about the American Revolution, lectures about Catcher in the Rye, lectures about photosynthesis and such. Few schools, however, work to really incorporate this information into the students’ thought processes or to create an interdisciplinary approach to such topics. Here is an example of how such learning could take place.
There are schools where the entire basis of the curriculum is centered on the interdisciplinary understanding for the students. While working on math problems, the students might simultaneously do a project in art class where they are working on three dimensional items that include math problems. While learning about science, they will go out to a garden that they have at school and see photosynthesis in action.
While reading a book in English class, the teacher will be sure to coordinate with the history teacher so that they are reading about the same time period that the students are learning about in history. Then, in drama class, the students will create a drama based on events from the same time period. Or, the class might rewrite the novel that the students are doing in English class, creating a modern day version of the story in question.
These are just a few of the ways that a multidisciplinary approach to learning could really bring the classroom to life and the learning into action for the students.