Interdisciplinary project database

Hostile Architecture

Examine ways in which hostile architecture is harmful to everyone based on where you live. In many cases, this would be a local metro area with a larger population.

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).

Environmental Racism

Look at the impact of environmental racism on communities. Consider studying how lead poisoning affects people and why it matters that we care for all people in communities.

Statement of Ethics

Research and read about their favorite or currently worn clothing manufacturer. Do they have a production ethics statement? If so, what is it? Is there any information about the company withholding or breaking this statement around the world? Write a statement of ethics for a clothing company you operate. Or, amend an existing clothing company’s ethics statement.

Amplifying Student Voice

Student Voice is an organization that amplifies student perspectives to change the education system and the world. Read, listen, and analyze one or more of the pieces of student journalism from their website. What are these student journalists focused on? What does their perspective add to the coverage of important topics and events? How can we help amplify student voice in similar ways?

Accidental Discoveries

Scientists are frequently making discoveries that have a wide-ranging impact on society. Consider all of the accidental discoveries that scientists have made. How has this impacted the systems of our society?

Reliable Nutrition

Finding reliable health and nutrition information is incredibly difficult. There is so much mis- and disinformation about health, nutrition, and fitness. How do you know what to trust? Create a health misinformation guide with students to sort out what is reliable from what is false or potentially harmful. To show that they know the tricks, have them use those tips to create their own health and nutrition disinformation ad or video.

Salary and Success

Consider what students are passionate about or wish to do with their lives in various careers. Look up the salary data for these careers and brainstorm what realistic expectations are, economically, for each of these positions. Can anyone be “successful” regardless of how much their salary is?

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.

Housing Data

Compare housing data to various environmental outcomes and conditions. Consider: what did prices used to be? What are they now? Why?

Cost-Benefit Improvements

Highlight an issue in your community, such as funding parks or fixing potholes. Using local news sources, have students conduct a cost-benefit analysis of incorporating these ideas. This can consist of financial data, but also data on how these improvements affect elements of community life.

Western Mathematics

This is a powerful article from mathematics educator and author Sunil Singh on the Western narrative entrenched in mathematics education. Whose cultural narrative is the narrative of mathematics? Why do more children know about Newton than, say, Brahmagupta?

Mitigating Risks

Create a list of mitigated risk activities that would occur in your community, such as public speaking, creating a public mural, and exploring a park. Consider your comfort level and preparedness for these tasks, then sign up for a wide variety of activities that challenge your safety level (within reason). Make a log of everything that you complete.

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.

Value Sort

Repeat the Value Sort activity (in this lesson) with adults in your community: have students repeat it with parents, have teachers complete it in your building, have different groups in your community complete the value sort. Compare responses: what stands out as notably similar or different? What accounts for generational differences, or those explained by culture, religion, class, ethnic background, etc.?

Developing Emotional Connections

Stories in various mediums (such as books, movies, lyrics, and games) are one of the best ways to develop an emotional connection on perceived harms, bullying, and counteracting hate. Encourage students to share stories of when they’ve felt disrespected, either by other students or by educators, and give them private spaces to share these and learn from each other.

Clear Mathematics

Clearly communicating is a challenging task. Clearly communicating problems and concepts of mathematics is even more challenging. Ask students to present information on a mathematical concept or solution to an equation to the class. Coach them on the best ways of clearly communicating and understanding this information.

The Art of Code

Highlight excerpts fromThe Art of Code - Dylan Beattie”, which demonstrates how nuanced and creative the field of coding is, and how much it takes to develop the applications that govern much of what we do in the modern world. Have students reflect: how are math and science connected to art?

Youth-Led Activism

Research and complete a presentation of youth activism and youth-led movements throughout history.

Designing for Disability

Designing for disability is a vitally important element of our society. In schools, learning disabilities can often lead to many difficulties, including failure or discipline. Consider, what would your community look like if it centered disabled people? What would you need to account for? What would change? Create a plan that highlights these changes and propose them to your local governance.

"Perfect" Language

Analyze what the “perfect” form of your language is. Why is it perceived this way? What does it mean? Where is it found? What is its history?

Science of Training

How can we measure the return on investment for training in soft skills? Investments in soft skills produced significant productivity gains in addition to improved attendance and retention of employees. An interesting body of research to paraphrase for students interested in understanding the impact of working on soft skills.

Subversive Art

Investigate how street and subversive art has been used in historical movements, such as Solidarity in Poland, Marcel Duchamp and the Dada movement, Al Weiwei in China, or David Koloane in South African Apartheid.

Religious Navigation

Continue to examine how various religions interact in the world today, especially how these impact countries: their politics, culture, economies, and more. How do leaders navigate the world stage in light of various faiths?

Interpreting Life Through Art

Similar to the language art extension, explore the idea of subjectivity in art and the artist's personality in interpreting life events through art. For example, tarot card readings, the impact of WW1 on visual arts, or Picasso's art periods.

Climate Change "Trolley Problems"

Relate a "trolley problem" to the environmental crisis. Climate change is a major problem facing the world’s population and it is likely that individual actions will need to change to create a sustainable society. Are individuals willing to give up daily actions they take for granted? Is this the only way to solve the problem?

Negotiation

Consider negotiation in the spirit of financial decision-making. When one needs to make a large purchase with the approval of a partner, or perhaps is negotiating with their own company, they need to have the proper knowledge to 1) know how to negotiate numbers, and 2) understand how they can adjust numbers as needed.

Global Art Movements

Demonstrate how artists have been inspired by global art movements over time. Showcase how the development of art movements and intersection of regional developments has led to masterful works over decades and centuries.

"Creativity"

What does it mean to be “creative”? Many people describe themselves as “not being a creative” person, but there’s much more to this idea than simply drawing. Have students deconstruct the term, showcasing how “creativity” is utilized in everything from art to accounting, as well as in various cultures and contexts.

Allies Demanding Action

Consider how bullying and discrimination specifically targets marginalized groups and how allies of these movements can demand action. For example, utilize The Trevor Project’s Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth.

Screen Readers

Many people who have difficulty seeing or reading information on computers use screen readers to browse the Internet. However, many websites are not designed properly for these screen readers to function. Learn about accessible web design. Perform an audit of your school’s (or community’s) website(s) and offer suggestions to increase accessibility.

Ptolemaic and Copernican

Examine the great debate between the Ptolemaic system and the Copernican system. Why did people believe in both of these ideas? What conflicts emerged as a result of Copernicus’ theories? How did our modern view of the Earth revolving around the Sun emerge as mainstream knowledge?