How Do We Know If We're Really Doing It?

One of the questions asked frequently about interdisciplinary teamed instruction is "How do we know if we're really doing it right?"

There is no one right way to "do" interdisciplinary teamed instruction. At the same time, planning teams can design their unit, project, or course to be rich in possibilities; relevant to the standards learners must achieve for lifelong decision making; and rigorous in the types of experiences, thinking, and habits of mind that can be developed through interdisciplinary study. The first question planners might ask is, "Are we exploring an important topic or theme (often embedded in a central focus or problem), or are we more concerned with 'covering the book'?" Next, the planning team might ask, "Do students raise questions and direct the inquiry, or is it just being 'delivered' to them?" To determine whether the instruction is "working," examine the variety of students' in-school and community-based learning experiences. Field trips, guest speakers, small group activities, multiple knowledge resources, student portfolios, class discussions, new technologies, culminating events, academic summits, or exhibitions could be possible features of a successful unit.

Complete the following checklist to determine how well you are achieving your interdisciplinary instruction goals:

	I bring the community into my classroom and bring my classroom into our community through guided field work and guest speakers.
	I cultivate the skills that students will need for life by using project work, student choice, and performance assessments (including self-assessments).
	I use broad themes like "changes" or essential questions like "How can we preserve the world's resources?" to stimulate student thinking and in-depth investigation from multiple perspectives.
	I plan lessons that provide students with varied learning opportunities for representing and expressing their understanding of concepts.
	I emphasize the importance of student talk and purposeful teamwork in my classroom.
	I make use of available technologies to support student investigation and product development in my classroom.
	I reinforce student learning through daily reading and writing experiences in my classroom.
	I enrich student learning by linking curriculum concepts to forms of literature, art, and music.
	I work with other teachers in my subject or grade level to plan coordinated or collaborative learning experiences (projects, events, partnered study, out-of-school learning).