Changing Horizons in Geography Education - HERODOT Network ...

Interdisciplinary pathways: gains and lossesJolanta Rodzoś, Paweł Pytka, Artur ReligaDepartment of Geography Education, Maria Curie-Skłodowska Universityal. Kraonicka 2cd, 20-718 Lublin, Polande-mail: jrodzos@tlen.plAbstractThe paper presents an assessment of interdisciplinary pathways in Polish schools. In thefirst part, theoretical foundations of such of classes are presented, as well as models of theirimplementation. In the second part, based on a survey conducted in schools of the Lublinprovince, an analysis of the factual situation is made. Presented in detail are three pathwayswhose realization involves geographers, i.e. ecological pathway, regional pathway, and Europeanpathway. The ways of organizing such classes are discussed and evaluated. The finalresult is a list of advantages of interdisciplinary pathways, as well as their minuses resultingfrom objective factors and from lack of understanding of the idea.Key words: interdisciplinary, schools, pathways, curriculumIntroductionOne of the principal tasks of contemporary Polish school education is workingout a teaching model that would realise the idea of a holistic approach to contents.The purpose for integrating the contents is to make pupils aware of various interrelationsand interdependences among the elements of their perceived reality. Oneeffect of the integrative efforts is a formation of classes new to Polish schools: theinterdisciplinary (cross-curricular) pathways, sometimes knowns as the short educationalpathway. Although the idea has been known in Polish didactics for quite a longtime, as an institutionalised form of classes it was introduced in 1999.Interdisciplinary PathwaysThe educational pathway is defined as “…a set of contents and skills of educationalimportance which can be implemented within different subjects or as separateclasses” (Ministry of Education and Sport, 2002). When putting that definition intothe language of practice, a few most important facts need to be stressed:• each educational pathway is assigned particular contents to be realised• the pathways are not assigned any definite hour limit• pathway implementation should be carried out by the teachers of various subjects• organisational form is not specifiedInterdisciplinary pathways are implemented at all levels of school education. Theirfull listing is given in Table 1. The pathways can be organised in a variety of ways.Practice shows that schools realise four models (Figure 1−4; after Pacholska, Kozak,Bloch and Koralewska 2001):72