At our first Friday Face-to-Face, at the fabulously cool MaRS Commons in Toronto, Celeste Kirsh beamed about the synergy she and a colleague had about a thematic-based culminating assessment that would work for both her (in English) and the colleague (in Social Studies). I shared her excitement, but then recalled the singular opportunity I missed out on during my first year teaching.
I taught all sections of Grade 8 Language and Social Studies, and I spent the last few days of summer planning how I wanted to spend the first half of the year using Chester Brown’s Louis Riel: A Comic-Book Biography as the spine of a truly interdisciplinary unit.
It didn’t happen.
What a waste! Chalk it up to the craziness and disorganization of the first-year teacher.
What a waste!
But I’m determined to make up for it. A meaningful inter-disciplinary project will happen. With my grade 12s. Even though they’re taking different subjects. That I don’t teach.
It will.
(More to come.)
I love the determination! What are some of the obstacles that you can forsee for this project? How can you cultivate a culture of cooperation with the teachers in these grade panels and courses that you don’t teach?
Food for thought!
Glad you enjoyed the day – it was great connecting with you again as well
We are waiting with baited breath to hear the next chapter. The Trafalgar girls would embrace an interdisciplinary approach; I am sure of it!
Jan