Overcoming challenges in interdisciplinary teaching: Practical insights for educators

The holiday season is a time for rest, reflection, and recharging. However, for many students, the break from school can also feel like a long stretch of unstructured time, leaving them feeling disconnected or disengaged. How can teachers, parents, and students themselves make the most of this holiday time? One powerful answer lies in mindful creativity. By encouraging students to explore their artistic potential during the holidays, we can help them stay mentally active, nurture their imaginations, and develop skills that are beneficial far beyond the classroom.

Fostering creative expression with simple, accessible activities

Creativity doesn’t have to require fancy materials or expensive tools. In fact, some of the most powerful creative exercises are simple and low-tech, making them perfect for holiday fun at home. For younger students, parents can encourage activities like drawing, painting, or crafting using materials already available around the house. A homemade journal, for instance, becomes a great space to write, sketch, and reflect on their thoughts and feelings.

For older students, consider more structured creative tasks that can tie into their personal interests. If a teenager is passionate about photography, encourage them to take a “holiday photo journal” to capture meaningful moments throughout their break. For students interested in digital arts, platforms like Canva or free design apps can help them experiment with graphic design or video production in a low-pressure environment.

These activities not only keep students engaged but also offer an outlet for self-expression. For parents and teachers, this is an opportunity to introduce students to the idea of “mindful creativity”—using art not just for fun, but as a tool for managing mental energy and staying present in the moment.

Embracing the process over the product

One of the most valuable lessons creative activities can teach students is the importance of process over product. During the holidays, there’s often a tendency to focus on completing tasks or checking things off a list, especially for older students balancing study time with relaxation. But creativity allows students to focus on the experience itself rather than worrying about the outcome. This approach encourages mindfulness, where students can immerse themselves in their chosen activity and stay mentally grounded.

Parents can support this by reframing the concept of creativity as a journey. For example, instead of pressuring a child to finish a painting by a certain date, parents can emphasize the joy of experimenting with colors, shapes, and textures. Likewise, teachers can remind students that creative tasks—like writing a short story, creating a sculpture, or experimenting with digital media—are valuable learning experiences regardless of the final product.

Creating space for collaborative creativity

Though the holidays are often seen as a time for relaxation and solitude, they also present a unique opportunity for family members to engage in shared creative activities. This can be particularly helpful when managing a household with children of different ages and needs. For example, families can create “art stations” where each member, regardless of age, works on their own project in a shared space. Parents can encourage the younger children to create festive decorations or draw holiday cards while teens might work on personal projects such as writing or digital art.

By setting up these shared spaces, families allow students to explore their creativity while fostering a sense of community and collaboration. Even during the break, this kind of shared activity helps students build social skills, share ideas, and remain connected to their family members.

For older students, parents can encourage participation in virtual or physical creative challenges, like a "holiday storytelling challenge" or a "DIY holiday gift project." These challenges offer an opportunity for students to push their creative boundaries while staying connected to others.

Incorporating technology for digital creativity

While some families may opt for more traditional art forms, technology can also be a powerful tool to nurture creativity during the holidays. Simple apps like Sketchbook for digital drawing, GarageBand for music composition, or even free video editing apps like Inshot allow students to express themselves in unique ways. Introducing students to these tools opens up a world of possibilities for creative expression, especially for those interested in digital arts.

Parents and teachers can guide students by suggesting specific digital creative challenges—such as creating a holiday video montage or composing a holiday song—that will encourage exploration and creativity. Even for students who are preparing for exams, taking breaks to engage in digital creativity can help alleviate stress and provide mental rejuvenation.

Conclusion: A holiday season of creative discovery

The holiday season offers a golden opportunity to nurture students’ creativity, giving them the space to explore, reflect, and grow. By fostering an environment where creative expression is encouraged, families can help students maintain their mental energy, reduce stress, and stay engaged in a fun and mindful way. Whether it’s through traditional arts or digital creation, students can use these activities to connect with their inner selves and express what they’re feeling during a season that can sometimes feel overwhelming.

Ultimately, the holidays should be a time for students to recharge—mentally and creatively. By embracing the joy of creativity, students will enter the new year feeling more focused, refreshed, and ready to tackle whatever comes next. Parents and teachers can play a crucial role in facilitating this process, making the holidays not just a break, but a period of meaningful growth.

Interdisciplinary teaching is a cornerstone of modern education, promoting critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to solve complex, real-world problems. By integrating concepts and methods from multiple disciplines, this approach allows students to see connections between diverse fields, enriching their learning experiences. However, while interdisciplinary teaching is transformative in its potential, educators often face significant challenges when implementing it. Institutional barriers, the complexity of integrating knowledge across disciplines, and difficulties in fostering collaboration among colleagues are just some of the hurdles. Addressing these issues requires not only understanding the challenges but also adopting effective, research-based strategies to overcome them. This essay highlights the key barriers to interdisciplinary teaching and offers actionable insights for educators, grounded in academic research and practical experience.

Navigating institutional barriers

Educational institutions often operate within rigid disciplinary silos, where curricula, departmental structures, and funding streams are designed to prioritize single-discipline approaches. These institutional norms create significant obstacles for educators trying to implement interdisciplinary teaching. Institutional resistance stems from the perception that interdisciplinary initiatives require substantial resources and disrupt established systems. To address these issues, educators can begin by introducing small, manageable interdisciplinary projects that align with existing institutional goals. For example, designing a thematic unit that addresses topics such as sustainability or global health can serve as a pilot program to showcase the benefits of interdisciplinary teaching.

Additionally, educators should build partnerships with administrators and decision-makers by presenting evidence of interdisciplinary teaching's positive impact on student learning outcomes. Research shows that interdisciplinary approaches can improve problem-solving skills, engagement, and critical thinking. By aligning interdisciplinary initiatives with institutional priorities, such as fostering 21st-century skills or improving retention rates, teachers can make a stronger case for institutional support. Educators can also leverage professional development opportunities that focus on interdisciplinary methodologies to demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement, further increasing institutional buy-in.

Simplifying cognitive and pedagogical complexity

One of the most significant challenges in interdisciplinary teaching is the cognitive demand it places on educators and students. Teachers are expected to master and integrate knowledge from multiple fields while helping students draw meaningful connections between disciplines. This complexity can be daunting, especially for educators who feel less confident outside their primary area of expertise.

To simplify this process, educators can focus on overarching themes or questions that naturally bridge disciplines. For instance, topics like "What drives innovation?" or "How can we combat climate change?" encourage students to draw on knowledge from science, social studies, economics, and more. Such thematic approaches reduce the pressure on educators to cover every detail of each discipline, instead encouraging exploration and synthesis.

Co-teaching is another effective strategy to address this challenge. It allows educators to combine their expertise, providing a more holistic learning experience for students. For example, a history teacher and a science teacher could collaborate on a unit about the Industrial Revolution, integrating historical perspectives with scientific advancements. Collaborative teaching not only lightens the cognitive load on individual educators but also models interdisciplinary thinking for students.

Project-based learning (PBL) is another pedagogical approach that aligns well with interdisciplinary teaching. By engaging students in real-world problems that require input from multiple disciplines, PBL allows students to actively apply their knowledge while making connections between subjects. Educators can scaffold these projects to ensure that students understand how each discipline contributes to the solution, further reinforcing interdisciplinary thinking.

Fostering collaboration among colleagues

Collaboration among educators is essential for successful interdisciplinary teaching, but it is often hindered by practical challenges such as conflicting schedules, lack of shared planning time, and differing pedagogical philosophies. To foster collaboration, educators can create informal communities of practice within their schools or districts. These communities provide a space for teachers to share ideas, co-develop lesson plans, and reflect on their practices. Such networks can be particularly valuable in addressing the "silo mentality" that often pervades educational institutions. Teachers can also use digital collaboration tools, such as shared Google Docs or Microsoft Teams, to overcome logistical barriers like time constraints and physical distance.

Structured planning tools, such as shared timelines and interdisciplinary curriculum maps, can further enhance collaboration. These tools ensure that all team members are aligned on goals, timelines, and responsibilities, reducing the risk of miscommunication or duplication of effort. In schools where interdisciplinary collaboration is new, educators can start with smaller-scale projects, gradually building trust and shared understanding among colleagues. Over time, these efforts can lead to a more collaborative culture that supports interdisciplinary teaching.

Conclusion

Interdisciplinary teaching has the potential to revolutionize education by equipping students with the skills needed to navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world. However, the challenges it poses—ranging from institutional resistance to cognitive and collaborative difficulties—cannot be ignored. By implementing practical strategies, such as piloting small initiatives, leveraging co-teaching, and fostering communities of practice, educators can overcome these barriers and create meaningful interdisciplinary learning experiences.

The key to success lies in combining institutional advocacy with innovative pedagogical practices and strong collegial networks. As research demonstrates, interdisciplinary teaching not only enhances student learning but also enriches educators' professional practice. By addressing these challenges with creativity and perseverance, teachers can unlock the full potential of interdisciplinary education, ensuring that both students and educators thrive in a dynamic and interconnected world.

 “The one who plants trees, knowing that he will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” - Rabindranath Tagore

Drawing from Tagore's wisdom, technological development is not merely a product of our time but the culmination of centuries of progress. From the days of Pythagoras, Leonardo da Vinci, Newton, Descartes, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein, and countless others, the current state of "technological development" is a testament to their contributions, both known and unknown. 

In particular, we will focus on a ubiquitous tool that stands at the pinnacle of technological innovation: the smartphone. This device transcends age, social class, and geography, becoming an integral part of daily life for virtually everyone. 

I am fortunate to have witnessed the evolution from traditional landline telephones, connected by a web of wires, to mobile phones with antennas, then without antennas, and finally to smartphones with touch screens capable of running various applications. These apps range from social media to banking, shopping, health monitoring, and controlling equipment like cameras, printers, lab refrigerators, and other laboratory devices. 

This innovation has transformed every individual into a digital citizen. It has gained popularity even among older generations who grew up with rotary phones or public phone booths. I recall a story my professor shared about his time studying in France in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Communication with family back then involved either writing letters that took months to arrive or making costly, occasional phone calls. Students considered it lucky to get a turn on Radio Monte Carlo to send live greetings to their parents. Today, foreign students can talk to their families as soon as they land, simply by connecting to Wi-Fi, and can even make live video calls at any time. 

The smartphone is the result of diverse inputs—scientific, aesthetic, health, and social. It has not only facilitated social communication across distances but also revolutionized commerce and economic activities. Through various apps, people can shop, advertise, and conduct banking transactions 24/7. Business-to-business (B2B) inquiries are increasingly shifting from desktops and laptops to smartphones. Educational platforms have also adapted, offering courses accessible on smartphones, enabling learners to watch lectures while commuting or during breaks at work.

Smartphones allow continuous monitoring of smart environments, whether at home, in the lab, or in the office. Additionally, experts on social media—health coaches, psychologists, and others—offer education and advice to people who might not otherwise seek professional guidance. This democratization of information means that anyone can be educated and aware of global happenings. However, we must take responsibility for filtering the information we consume and share. 

Imagining a world without technology is easier than envisaging an AI-dominated future. Our grandparents, who lived in technology-free villages, often enjoyed longer lives and spent much time in nature, free from distractions. What we may consider wasted time, they saw as moments of observation—an essential part of research and discovery.

These peaceful times were often periods of creativity. In her book “The Creative Fire,” the psychologist Clarissa Pinkola Estés recounts a story about the impressionist painter Monet. When a neighbor commented on seeing him resting in his garden, Monet replied that he was working. Later, when he was busy painting, the same neighbor assumed he was working, but Monet said he was resting. This story illustrates the rhythm of work and rest, where moments of quiet contemplation are vital for creativity.

Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” We have all experienced losing track of time while engaged in an enjoyable activity. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this state "flow"—a state of complete immersion in an activity. Flow is not just for creative professionals; athletes, chess players, and engineers often experience it as well.

In the Blue Zones, where technology is almost absent, people achieve longevity through daily habits that help them reach a flow state, contributing to long and happy lives. This state is similar to the state a mathematician working on a formula or a surgeon performing an operation, reaches. When in flow, the mind is focused, the body is in harmony, and the overall system is healthy and capable of self-repair.

Today's challenge is maintaining focus amid constant technological distractions. We often multitask, thinking it saves time, but scientific evidence suggests otherwise. Our brains can process only a few dozen pieces of information per second, despite receiving millions of bits. Multitasking is essentially rapid task-switching, which can reduce efficiency and effectiveness.