Course-5 Understanding Disciplines and School Subjects pmd

2.2. 2. Introduction
In the previous unit you have already studied about the meaning of Academic
Discipline and the basis of its classification. Have you ever realised, while learning one
discipline the knowledge of other discipline becomes helpful or what you have learnt in
one discipline is linked to what you are learning in other discipline? There are two approaches
we can observe when we try to link knowledge from different disciplines, they are
Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary approaches of Learning. Two metaphors have been
used by Moti Nissani to illustrate the concepts of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary
approaches to learning. Multidisciplinary approach is like a bowl of mixed fruit, each fruit
representing a single discipline. On the other hand, interdisciplinary learning is more like a
‘smoothie’ which is a blend of fruits so well blended into one another that the original
distinctive flavour of each fruit is no longer recognizable. Multidisciplinarity refers to the
placing side by side of insights from two or more disciplines. Here different disciplines
help to develop a detailed understanding of the topic being studied. These disciplines
however make separate contributions unlike interdisciplinary learning where an
interdependent relationship is emphasized. No integration between these disciplines is
expected in a multidisciplinary approach.