In the modern education system, interdisciplinary education has become a trend. Interdisciplinary education encourages students to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and solve complex problems in real life through the integrated application of knowledge and methods from different disciplines. In this article, we would like to describe how our Grade 8 students engaged with interdisciplinary education this past semester through a Project-Based Learning (PBL) project.
In their biology classes, students gained an in-depth understanding of the structure and function of the eight major systems of the human body and explored the secrets of physiology. They learned that the human body is like a sophisticated instrument, and each system has its own unique role, working together to maintain the normal functioning of life.
Then, in IG-computer Science class, the students used their web-making skills to create a knowledge-sharing website through group collaboration. The site became a tool for their understanding of the eight major systems of the human body to be presented in a visual form, making complex knowledge vivid and easy to understand.
In this PBL project, students not only improved their research skills, but also demonstrated excellent teamwork and interdisciplinary communication skills. They learned how to look at problems from different disciplinary perspectives and how to integrate knowledge from different disciplines to solve problems. This interdisciplinary cooperation is not only about the application of skills, but also about the expansion of thinking and the comprehensive application of knowledge.
In the results presentation session, we invited teachers from the comprehensive science discipline to comment on the students’ work. They spoke highly of the students’ work and gave relevant suggestions for improvement. They believed that the project effectively promoted the students’ interdisciplinary learning ability and improved their learning interest and enthusiasm.
——8A 张籽龙Peter
In this PBL course, students introduced and demonstrated the webpages and models that each group had created about life sciences. We learned coding during our Computer Science lessons and also presented our achievements in the learning and display of the eight systems of the human body in life science, gaining valuable experience and benefitting a lot through practice.
——8B 李含蕊Abby
This project allowed us to explore the mysteries of the human body and deeply understand the human body system by making webpages. Teamwork, academic spirit, and scientific research technology were the learning skills that I deeply experienced during this project.
——8C 赵虞瑄Anna
While our academic studies do involve the study of content in textbooks, even more valuable for us is the wisdom gained by the ‘collision’ of ideas, thoughts, and perspectives through the interaction of classmates through thinking, research, and group collaboration. The sense of accomplishment that one gains, when the knowledge you have learned and shared through interdisciplinary learning then permeates throughout your class, is incredible.