Just Chillin’ and Growing: Transdisciplinary learning in the Elementary School

by Dave Secomb, Elementary Principal

Learning at YIS is based on a model of inquiry that examines contexts that unite all learners regardless of their cultural or ethnic background. One of the features of this is a transdisciplinary approach to designing learning. Acknowledging the prefix trans-, in this approach the knowledge, concepts and skills across several disciplines are combined in order to examine global issues, problems or themes.  Transdisciplinary learning provides the same opportunities for students to learn discipline specific knowledge, skills and concepts as more familiar teaching approaches offer. What makes this approach unique is that these are not the starting point of the learning. Within transdisciplinary learning, subject boundaries become blurred because the traditional discipline is modified in order to incorporate a new perspective – the disciplines combine to create a shared conceptual framework. It is this framework that provides the context for deeper understanding of conceptual, universal ideas that are significant in the lives of students. So, what does that actually look like?

Grade Four have recently inquired into the concept of interdependence with the aspiration to understand the relationship between living things and their habitats. As part of their inquiry they engaged in literacy learning about non-fiction reports. One of these reports explored a case study of two islands in the Gulf of Alaska and this gave the students an opportunity to learn geographically about human and natural environments through a Social Studies lens. This also provided an invitation for students to think scientifically about the biology and ecology of living systems within these habitats. Students created connection circles to help uncover the system dynamics of a complex scenario. This allowed them to examine multiple ideas simultaneously and identify cause-and-effect relationships within the ecosystem.

Mr. Secomb and Students discuss learning!

This learning was then taken to another level through the Arts. Working with our Drama teacher, Ms. Abernethy, the students explored a variation of Social Presencing Theatre, called 4D Mapping, to deepen their understanding of interdependence in ecosystems. Social Presencing Theater is a creative process that uses simple body postures, movements, and design of space to enhance one’s capacity to sense the qualities, patterns, and potential within the social relationships of a system. By approaching their learning of ecosystems and interdependence in this way, the students were able to communicate clearly, access their own intuition, and present current realities in more visible ways.

Students 4D Mapping Together

A highlight from this experience was one student's quote during the 4D mapping process about how they sensed one species might be feeling when other species were removed from the ecosystem: "Well, they are just chillin' and growing because the otters are gone". Back in the G4 classroom, the students then applied this learning to their own personal and group inquiries into different ecosystems. They returned to the connection circle tool to map their thinking and share their learning about interdependence.

Students creatively expressing themselves in Drama class

Some of the reflections from the students included the following comments:

• “In the ecosystem in the Savanna, there are a lot of feedback loops. For example, the Golden Oriole and the Sun and the Wellwood tree.”
• “The ecosystem and the feedback loop have a connection because the feedback loop talks about how living things increase or decrease each other.”
• “The feedback loop helps me to understand the ecosystem.”
• “Feedback loops help us understand that every role in the ecosystem is important.”

Over time, the students will come to realise that balancing and reinforcing feedback loops occur in a wide variety of aspects of their lives and are the building blocks of complex social and economic systems. They will see how these can be applied to other areas of their academic learning, their social relationships, and even at home - watch out families!

Elementary student identifying the correct eco system for marine life

This sort of learning occurs throughout the Elementary School - from ELC to Grade Five, often drawing on the expertise of subject specialist classes to add further nuance to an inquiry. Separately, the students would have been able to learn about habitats in Science class, non-fiction reading and writing in literacy class, geography in Social Studies class, and body posture and movement in Drama class. However, when this learning is centred through a conceptual lens and explored across disciplines, the subject barriers soften and combine to create a meaningful and active context for learning that is beneficial for the students. 

The distinct lack of capacity for some adults to think in this way could be considered a precursor to the decisions that have led us to situations that cause global distress and harm. Yet, a transdisciplinary stance is not typically a design principle of most school curricula. This approach to thinking can’t be simply switched on for students when they approach the end of their school-based education - it must be nurtured and built up over time from a young age. At YIS, our students are transdisciplinary thinkers and learners in Elementary school so that, when they are older, they can be highly skilled discipline-based learners that are able to navigate complex issues, themes and problems.