Transdisciplinary Learning Staff Development Day

Earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to hear from Professor McWhinnie when she was guest speaker at our Staff Development Day, inspiring her audience with a wide-ranging presentation about what interdisciplinary learning means.

The Professor spoke about curiosity and collaboration, about creating a ‘safe to fail’ environment, where students learn to love the problem, not just the solution.

“With the speed of change, unlike my parents who had jobs for life, graduates today will have a life of jobs,” explained Professor McWhinnie.

The Professor’s message was clear: while there is a lot to be said for deep, discipline-specific knowledge, we don’t live or work in silos, so we need to think about the ‘wicked problems’ of this world in more complex ways.

Teachers at Loreto Kirribilli have been putting these ideas into action, with a number of transdisciplinary units of study spring up, from Year 1’s Kirribilli Walkabout, to Year 9’s Science and Mathematics students Ecosystems project, and the uproarious efforts of the Year 10 Music and Drama Collaborative Performance Night.

We look forward to great things as our transdisciplinary story unfolds!