Interdisciplinary project database

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.

The "Scene"

Street art is highly connected to other “scenes”, such as skateboarding. Consider what these spaces are, why they exist, and how they operate in tandem with one another.

Math "Soft Skills"

This article discusses the ways soft-skills are fostered in mathematics courses, Finding Soft Skills in Mathematics Isn’t As Hard As You Might Think.

Development of Language

Learn about how linguists use the scientific method to understand the use of, and develop of, language. Utilize this technique to analyze audio files and determine dialects, regions, or language development.

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?

Soft Skill Analysis

Perform an in-depth analysis of a certain “soft skill”: teamwork, communication, time-management, etc. Why is that skill valuable and needed? Where can you find examples of it in action? How can that skill be better taught in a school curriculum? 

City Math

Read and discuss Life in the City Is Essentially One Giant Math Problem from the Smithsonian. Consider: what math problems must we solve in order to successfully design a city? Have students brainstorm these problems, then consider what their expressions and solutions may look like.

Analyzing Rap

Music, rhythm, math, and lyricism are all intrinsically connected. Learn about how lyric-based music, especially rap and hip hop, utilize language to convey meaning and messaging, all-the-while adhering to strict rules about rhythm (and therefore, math)!

Control and Social Media

In adopting an internal locus of control, a huge barrier in today’s age is social media. The expectations we set for ourselves based on “the algorithm” distorts realistic expectations. Analyze this study on the impact of social media, isolation, and happiness.

Headspace

Getting started with a creative endeavor requires the right headspace. Help students embrace a positive mindset by creating a quiet, distraction-free environment where creativity can flourish. Encourage students to start an art project out of thin-air – providing resources to get started and seeing what happens!

Cyberbullying

Standing up for yourself goes beyond being willing to take a stand in-person. Increasingly, hatred and bullying finds itself almost entirely online, especially in anonymized spaces. Conduct an independent investigation of how cyberbullying emerges in your community, offering countermeasures for other young people to take and presenting on these ideas.

Designing "Wicked Problems"

Navigate this repository to design problems and questions around "wicked problems" (problems with no easy solution).

Humane Architecture

If this lesson has examples of hostile architecture, what would humane architecture look like? What would a space hold if it were designed to be welcoming, caring, and accepting of everyone?

Assertiveness

Analyze the science of standing up for yourself. Developing the confidence to speak up and demand action is incredibly difficult, and it’s more difficult for some than others. This research highlights assertiveness and what it means to make these decisions.

Controversial Experimentation

Learn about the story of the teacher, Jane Elliot, who conducted a controversial elementary school experiment where she favored students with certain hair colors over others (and documented how the students responded).

Holistic Word Problems

Consider how math presents itself in real life. Although we commonly address problems through word problems, these are often linear expressions on what are much more complicated issues. What would a math problem look like that’s more holistic, addressing a real problem in the community? Offer examples and brainstorm how many questions you’d need to solve.

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.

Healthy Lifestyles

Creativity is an applicable skill in understanding how to maintain a healthy lifestyle beyond a linear look at gyms and dieting. Consider what other ways people can be healthy, such as nature photography or becoming a part-time community dog walker.

Stereotype Threat

Consider the various research studies on stereotype threat (ST). Compile this information into an infographic that explains how our views on certain cultures, races, genders, and more, leads to worse overall outcomes for all.

International Cost Analysis

Create a cost-benefit analysis of living in your current country vs. living in a completely different environment. What would your life be like? What lifestyle changes would you need to make? Would this be something you’d want to explore?

What is happiness?

What is happiness? What is extreme happiness? Beyond the simple act of being content, it’s something else entirely to be euphoric. Conceptualize an art project that manifests a state of mania.

"Laziness"

Consider the concept of “laziness.” Is it possible for someone to be “lazy”? What if “laziness” didn’t exist at all? Consider the philosophy of “laziness” and journal on how this understanding leads us to change practices and systems in the real world.

Creating Games

Utilizing games can help us make sense of complex ideas. In business and nonprofit work, it is common to develop simple trading card ideas to think abstractly and come to solutions. Develop your own board or trading card game which has the goal of teaching something.

Defining Success and Happiness

Develop a committee that focuses on student’s interpretations of success and happiness in the school. How many students have realistic expectations for what they want to do? Provide resources for students to help them achieve happiness.

Focused Headspace

Exercising is a key part of taking breaks and achieving the right headspace to accomplish daunting tasks. Help students discover ways to take quick breaks: from walking to meditation to dancing to relieve stress and re-focus on their goals.

Actionable Sustainability

Develop an action plan to encourage others to give back and promote a sustainable, environmentally-friendly. space. (”How can you appeal to other’s humanity to treat the environment better?”)

A.I. Art

Watch “How This Guy Uses A.I. to Create Art | Obsessed | WIRED”. What is fascinating about this clip? Consider the idea: is it possible for artificial intelligence to create art on its own? If so, is this art as valuable as human-created art? Why or why not?

Calmness

Achieving a state of calm is paramount to being content. By finding a healthy, manageable, and enjoyable exercise, we can relax and de-stress. Perform a series of basic exercises to help students find ways to expel energy.

Colonization of Art

Art has developed overtime, sometimes in hostile ways. Read about the impact of colonization on African art. How did this change what was depicted? And now, in the modern age, globalization has streamlined artistic connections across the entire world. Is this for the better? Or has something been lost?

Time Relativity

Explore how time is relative. How, scientifically, does this work? What is time dilation? Does this mean that time travel is possible? How is it possible to even understand the concept of space-time as a human?

Street Art Techniques

Analyze how graffiti artists move their craft from sketches to spray painting, highlighting how professional graffiti artists hone their craft. Then, demonstrate and create projects together using these techniques.

Examining "Diets"

Like art, science, and mathematics, our understanding of the body (and exercise) has changed drastically over time. Especially in dieting, many fads have caused ludicrous notions of health and exercise. Explore these ideas, such as tapeworm diets, Olympic Athlete diets (500BC), or the “Chew and Spit” diet.