Integrating Interdisciplinarity and Environmental Awareness in Teaching
Introduction
Nick considers his modules to be environmentally and interdisciplinary focused by definition and in their range of reference. For him, Environmental Studies is a focal point for thinking about interdisciplinarity, as it necessarily draws on several different approaches to understand the very concept of inter-relationality, which is the basis of ecology. He believes that “interdisciplinarity is about studying the relationships between entities in an ecosystem and the biosphere, drawing on various methodologies and theoretical frameworks”.
For him, the key takeaway for students in his modules is to develop an understanding of the importance of living environmentally. He aims to remove the fear students have of investigating technical sources of knowledge, which he believes is a barrier to accessing environmental scientific knowledge and can be intimidating. However, understanding these technical details is crucial because, according to Nick, students need to comprehend what carbon emissions mean and how our actions in the present, including this year alone, will determine our various trajectories in the near future. This understanding is a part of interdisciplinarity for Nick.
Dr Nicholas Lawrence
Principles of Practice
Breaking Free of Traditional Assessments
Nick shares that he has “tried to break” from traditional models of assessment by introducing field trips and reports on those trips, as well as using video essays alongside written essays. He finds this to be a “helpful” form of assessment within his modules because “it allows students to work with aspects of their own.” Students are usually permitted to visit any site with any environmental aspect, as long as it aligns with the module learnings. Nick believes this approach extends the message of his modules, which is “that all environments are environmentally worthy of attention."
Inviting Experts from Other Departments
It is common practice for him to involve colleagues from other departments in his modules. These colleagues present on topics within the module where they have expertise, which he describes as a “much more efficient and rewarding” method of teaching. As he shares, “It’s where they come from and they're able to contribute to class discussions from a position of expertise.” Therefore, he believes that convening modules is “really not just a question of doing it all by yourself” but rather thinking of yourself as an “architect who brings together a variety of experts from different disciplines and fields who can help us see the field from different standpoints.”
Moving Forward
The Role of Convergence in Interdisciplinarity
Nick acknowledges that teaching students at different levels can make it challenging to integrate one’s own “disciplinary specifics” when students are still learning and trying to grasp these concepts. This often leads to problems not being fully addressed.
He explains that interdisciplinarity works “when we converge on a common space from multiple areas, each having a role to play.” This approach aligns with ecological and ecosystemic thinking because “information and factual truth about nature are always mediated culturally.” To fully understand this, students need a background in cultural education, reading methods, and interpretive approaches that may not be common in the social or natural sciences.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Nick shares that interdisciplinarity is a way of understanding that “wherever you are is a place to start, but not a place to end”. Therefore, you cannot settle, become comfortable, or complacent with your pedagogy; rather, you need to keep improving and learning to get better. He emphasises that “you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone,” which, for him, means engaging with very scientific and technical language, such as that found in Nature Magazine, to challenge himself and continue learning.
