Page 26 - Interdisciplinary Studies 11-12 (2002)

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THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12: INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
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to provide access to municipal bylaws and provincial legislation, to advance scientific research around the world);
identify and describe the ways in which information is classified, organized, stored, and retrieved in selected print and elec- tronic forms used in each of the subjects or disciplines studied (e.g., in fictional and instructional books and periodicals, audio and multimedia forms, census and statisti- cal reports, personal and community
web pages);
identify and describe the features of a variety of information systems (e.g., local and national online public access cata- logues, search engines and directories, web portals – websites or services that offer a broad array of resources and services, such as e-mail, forums, search engines, and online retail services).
analyses in sociology, ethnographic studies in anthropology, case studies in business studies);
– identify and describe the features and appli- cations of the systems-thinking approach (e.g., the identification of external and internal factors, the application of structured problem-solving strategies and models).
Skills and Strategies
By the end of this course, students will:
– demonstrate an understanding of the col- laborative attitudes and skills that are valu- able when researching and creating interdisciplinary products and activities (e.g., to solicit feedback on a business plan and then revise it by elaborating on its ideas; to plan a hospitality event using divergent thinking within the group to brainstorm new ideas and convergent thinking to evaluate the group’s ideas sys- tematically; to use enterprise, flexibility, and empathy to help resolve civic disputes);
– identify the conventions of language
used in each of the different subjects or disciplines studied (e.g., common and less- common terminology, recurrent idioms and expressions);
– critically analyse and demonstrate the ability to apply a variety of critical- and creative-thinking strategies and models (e.g., brainstorming techniques, decision- making processes, Edward de Bono’s lateral-thinking models) to help develop effective interdisciplinary products or activities;
– demonstrate an understanding of how a variety of information technologies are used to support interdisciplinary work (e.g., electronic spreadsheets to manipulate data and present information, web-based simulations to test scientific hypotheses, electronic graphic organizers to develop and link ideas).
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Perspectives and Approaches
By the end of this course, students will:
– analyse and describe how each of the sub- jects or disciplines studied views the role of personal experience in gaining knowl- edge (e.g., “How does our personal expe- rience affect our perception of things?”, “What personal responsibility does claim- ing to ‘know’ something carry for the ‘knower’?”,“What roles do culture and language play in our perceptions, under- standings, and beliefs?”);
– analyse and describe the different perspec- tives of each of the disciplines involved in an enterprise (e.g., the engineer’s interest in making roads safe and the sociologist’s interest in who benefits from the new roads; the journalist’s interest in reporting a news story and a citizen’s interest in maintaining privacy);
– identify and describe the different approaches used to investigate topics in interdisciplinary work (e.g., statistical