Page 49 - Interdisciplinary Studies 11-12 (2002)

SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 47
Teachers should make appropriate accommodations and modifications for the assessment of exceptional students.
The Role ofTechnology in the Curriculum. Students will be expected to use a variety of com- puter programs that have been developed to assist students, practitioners, and researchers both in specific disciplines and in interdisciplinary work. These include simulations, multimedia resources, databases, and computer-assisted learning modules.
Information technology is especially important to interdisciplinary studies. Students must be able to readily locate and access information, and to use a variety of traditional and emerging technologies to help them develop innovative approaches to inquiry and research, project-based planning, and assessment. Students will benefit from using graphic-organizer applications as part of their systems-thinking approaches, as well as from accessing learning organizations (e.g., academic, professional, corporate) that develop and share information and models.
Students can also use electronic communication to compare their results and analyses with those of other students, as well as to consult experts throughout the world. Through online public-access catalogues, Internet websites, and CD-ROM technology, students can access pri- mary, secondary, archival, and virtual resources. Students’ technological knowledge and skills, which are highly sought-after in many careers, will be enhanced through their application across many disciplines.
Teachers should work collaboratively within and across disciplines to plan for the effective integration of computer and information technologies into interdisciplinary studies. School library programs can also promote the development of information literacy skills among all students by coordinating and supporting the collaborative planning and implementation of interdisciplinary research and technological applications.
English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development (ESL/ELD). Interdiscipli- nary studies courses can provide a wide range of opportunities to address the needs of ESL/ELD students. Teachers who are planning and implementing interdisciplinary studies courses collaboratively must value students’ diversity, interdependence, and independence. They must recognize the interdisciplinary experience, skills, and knowledge that all students bring to the classroom and build on these strengths. Teachers should approach with sensitivity the increased emphasis on communication and real-life applications in interdisciplinary stud- ies, especially in cooperative learning settings, so that difficulties with language do not inhibit the participation of ESL/ELD students and hinder their success. Students should be encour- aged to communicate and compare their understandings in both oral and written form, using the language conventions of both interdisciplinary studies and the constituent disciplines. Where possible, teachers should use visual and interactive methods, including arts-based activi- ties and innovative technologies, to help students make connections among specific disciplines and to help them apply interdisciplinary insights confidently in everyday life.
The courses offered in interdisciplinary studies call for extensive reading and research. In interdisciplinary studies, teachers should promote a variety of resources and technologies appropriate to the reading level of individual students. Teachers should also make appropriate accommodations and modifications for the assessment of ESL/ELD students.