Interdisciplinary project database

Pitching to Galleries

Read about how artists pitch their work to galleries. Consider: is it important for artists to have public speaking skills to present their ideas? Why would it matter, if at all, to display your work in a public setting like a gallery? And, is it possible for our current works to be in a gallery right now?

Highlighting Dialects

Embracing the different languages of the world can lead to a flourishing, multicultural society. However, there is a fear that these languages will “replace” the mainstream language of the area. Showcase your community’s various speakers and dialects, highlighting the importance of a diverse community.

Artistic Impact

Research and identify a specific music artist, visual artist, or culinary expert. Analyze, critique, and highlight the importance of one or more of their works, presenting on this information and how it can impact others.

Counting "Right"

Check out “Why you might be counting in the wrong language” by Anand Jagatia, which summarizes the idea of a base-10 counting system (having a set structure for stating different decimals). Consider with students: why is it that math is practiced and stated in different ways around the world? How has math developed over time in different areas of the world?

Spent

Play the online free web "game", Spent, to understand how people become homeless. It simulates the decisions that people make (and the catastrophes that happen) that cause homelessness.

Competitive Education

Read this article summarizing points in the book, Excellent Sheep, which talks about the obsession with US ivy league schools. Consider: does a competitive education bring us happiness?

Environmental Phys Ed

What systems impact our health? What about systems beyond individual control? We often consider diet and exercise as mainstream ways to improve our health, but what about societal factors? Consider other concepts like air and water pollution, access to gym and outdoor spaces, use of cars and public transportation, city design, safety, and more — and consider how your community could be a healthier system.

Small to Big

Making a difference starts by taking initiative. Consider the positive impact of even the most minor actions. By yourself or with a group of like-minded peers, identify a community need and begin a service action campaign, such as picking up litter at a local park or helping a local food bank. Help others join this initiative with you by offering on-ramps to easily team up!

Perceptions of Graffiti

Consider the science of street art and graffiti. There are some that see graffiti as disorderly and unkept, while others see it as a sign of beauty. This study considers the context of one’s identity and upbringing and their perception of graffiti.

Environmental Health

Consider the impact of the environment on one’s health. Why is it that certain demographics have certain health issues, diagnosis, etc.? What impact does community safety and environmental racism have on health outcomes?

Regional Dialects

Why is it that people in urban, rural, and suburban areas all have different dialects and vernacular? How are people from these different places perceived? Why is it important to counteract stereotypes about SLI?

Confirmation Bias

What is Confirmation Bias? How does it influence the way we perceive and accommodate new information that contradicts our pre-existing beliefs? What are examples of Confirmation Bias in modern life and the history of science?

Textbooks of the Past

Compare a historical textbook (e.g. using Archive.org or materials from previous years) and compare what was learned and how history was taught in the past versus what was learned and how history is taught now.

Why is it that we learned about things differently in the past? Was there anything we were incorrect about? What implications does this have for learning history?

Rorshach Test

The Rorschach Test is one of the most easily recognized assessments of the subconscious throughout pop-culture. But how should it be used and its results understood? Is it science or pseudoscience, how would we know?

Traditions

Have students write about one of their family traditions. Optionally, this can be shared with the class to create a shared story that highlights the diversity of students’ lives.

Cultural Iceberg

Use the following online tool, Exploring Your Cultural Iceberg, to get an understanding of your own visible and hidden cultural characteristics. How would you describe your cultural identity? Revisit this lesson through the lens of cultural identity. For example, how might these scenarios be different between people from different cultures based on how we perceive visible and hidden cultural characteristics?

Science as Thriving

Scientist Finds Secret to Thriving: Using this or other studies/survey data as a starting point, develop an understanding of how scientists could study something like well-being, happiness, or thriving. How can the scientific method evaluate something so subjective? Create your own methodology or survey and perform a similar study with a group in your school or community. What have you found? What are the limitations of your research?

Connections

There’s a lot of amazing people doing work to make change. However, they’re often not aware of each other and therefore not having as much of an impact as they could. Act as a community liaison, researching all of the community action groups and individuals doing work in a certain sector of your community, arranging meetings and helping these groups coordinate with each other.

Animals and Hostile Architecture

Consider the impact that hostile architecture has not only on people, but on the environment. For example, spikes are added to the ledges of buildings to prevent birds from gathering and dirtying walls. How does this impact the ecosystem?

Why Do We Age?

Consider how and why we age biologically. Using scientific data, examine the ideas presented during this lesson and consider if it’s actually possible to expand one’s lifespan. And if so, how much we don’t know about the process.

Open-Ended Questions

Creativity isn’t only reserved for the humanities! Open-ended questions make students think outside of the box about problems. Develop yourself, and/or have students develop, open-ended questions that require math to solve. Instead of providing a solution, encourage students to use their imaginations in various solutions to each problem.

Models of the Past/Future

When considering city planning, it’s worthwhile to imagine our communities in the past or in the future. Either by conducting historical research or by looking at upcoming initiatives, create a model of your community in the past or future. Document how it differs from today and why that matters.

Collages

For students who struggle with illustration, art can be a daunting task. Challenge students to create collages using magazines and other print media, teaching the principles of design that let the artwork flourish.

"Proper English"

Consider how “proper English” has evolved overtime, and that one singular form of English hasn’t always existed. Most recently, a great example would be the APA making a singular “they” proper English. This was a result of gendered stereotypes about who would be speaking. Further, one can analyze modern interpretations of Shakespeare.

Jigsaw: Open Societies

Investigate this task force by Google which is exploring threats to open societies, focusing on how technology can lead to a safer Internet and world.

Historical Tenacity

Find examples of individuals and groups throughout history or the present, from your country or elsewhere, who exhibited tenacity and grit. Which criteria of grit do they exhibit? How did they overcome barriers to success? How did they persevere through adversity to accomplish a goal?

What should we know?

Do you think there’s something that everyone should learn about? Prepare a formal proposal for changing your school’s curriculum and present it to building leaders.

Researching Presentations

Research famous speakers and business developers. Analyze how they use speech and written word to exemplify their ideas, noting the various tools they use to best convey their ideas. Convert this into a guide for others to follow.

Equity, Money, and Happiness

Consider how the science of equality, equity, and money are connected to happiness. See resources like The Inner Level by Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett for more information.

Learning Intergenerationally

There’s a lot to be learned from older generations! Talk to people of previous generations and conduct a research study/reporting on their knowledge and what they did. How does this differ in comparison to your own generation?

Consider the Future

Consider the future. What will it hold? Is it a utopia? A dystopia? Not much different than today? Establish a writing prompt that highlights the daily life of those 500, 1000, or 5000 years in the future. Consider the scientific advancements and how this would impact how people live.

Rote Memorization

Practice problems are an ongoing practice in learning mathematics that requires a tremendous amount of grit. Perhaps more than any other subject, math traditionally requires an ample amount of rote memorization.

However, there are those that argue that this rote memorization (such as times tables) aren’t needed with the existence of calculators. Hold a debate that examines this argument.