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Picture this: It’s your first day as a graduate student instructor. You’re armed with a stack of syllabi, a mind full of academic theories and the unshakable feeling that you might be in way over your head.
I found myself in this very situation not so long ago, standing at the beginning of my teaching career, ready to dive headfirst into the deep, murky waters of academia.
As I entered the classroom that morning, a wave of anxiety and dread washed over me. The students, mostly fresh-faced undergraduates, stared at me with a mixture of hate and skepticism. Perhaps it was the students’ blank looks or perhaps it was my own insecurity, but the room seemed to be silently screaming, “Can this graduate student actually teach us something valuable?” I, a 23-year-old master’s student, was tasked with determining the academic future of 38 students on academic probation that fall semester. If I failed, they did, too. My hands were sweating.
No pressure, right?
I did my best to appear confident, but that’s all it was—an appearance. Although I had spent hours upon hours in preparation for this role, once it came to my first day, I was still utterly unprepared. Why?
I didn’t have the necessary pedagogical tools and knowledge I needed to succeed as a graduate instructor. Not because I didn’t have the necessary information, resources or support. Rather, because I did not know how to effectively use the knowledge and resources at my disposal.
This experience is not uncommon. Graduate students are often placed in instructor roles they are grossly unprepared for. And we can’t achieve the active and intentional culmination of pedagogical tools and knowledge through simple course-prep activities or repeated teaching experiences. Instead we can achieve it by using an interdisciplinary learning approach when forming an understanding of our own learning and the learning of others.
‘Where Do I Start?’
Upon hearing “interdisciplinary learning,” I don’t doubt that words like “what,” “why” and “how” pop into your head.
What is interdisciplinary learning? We traditionally view it as an approach that involves integrating knowledge and methods from multiple academic disciplines or fields of study to address complex problems, questions or challenges. It goes beyond the boundaries of a single discipline and encourages people to draw upon insights, theories and methodologies from different areas to gain a more comprehensive understanding.
But while interdisciplinary learning is widely applied in higher education, very little scholarship exists about how to apply interdisciplinary learning to graduate student teaching. And it’s crucial to recognize that interdisciplinary learning in graduate student teaching extends beyond merely blending academic disciplines. It involves integrating not just different fields of study but also diverse ways of working with students. This approach acknowledges that each student brings distinct views, learning styles and backgrounds to the table. By embracing this diversity and incorporating varied methods of engagement, collaboration and assessment, educators can create a truly inclusive and dynamic learning environment—one that not only enriches the educational experience but also equips students with the adaptability and critical thinking skills they need to thrive in an increasingly complex world.
Applying interdisciplinary learning to graduate student teaching offers substantial advantages to us as instructors. It can broaden our perspective and enhance our instructional tool kit. By integrating insights and methods from diverse fields, we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of effective teaching strategies. We can better tailor our teaching methods to the specific needs of individual students and thus foster a more engaging and comprehensive learning environment.
For instance, as an instructor of an academic probation class, I integrate concepts from psychology, particularly focusing on different mindsets, with principles of management, such as SMART goals, to support students in improving their academic performance. We discuss how a growth mindset versus a fixed mindset can impact their approach to learning and academic challenges. By understanding the power of mindsets in shaping behavior and outcomes, students learn to cultivate goals that embrace challenges, effort and persistence. They acquire practical skills that empower them to overcome obstacles and achieve academic success.
Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning at Work
It took me two years of teaching to realize that I was doing it incorrectly. It was only when I started researching pedagogy as a second-year Ph.D. student that I started to understand the complex dynamics of teaching and learning and how teaching and learning as a discipline is not isolated from the other disciplines.
To illustrate this point, here are a couple of examples of discipline-specific ideas and how they can be related to teaching and learning.
First example: As an elective, I took a class on college advising. I figured, why not? Once I obtain my doctorate, I’ll likely be doing a combination of research, teaching and advising.
In this course, I learned that advising is a process where a knowledgeable person provides guidance, support and information to help someone make informed decisions. That made me stop and think. Isn’t that what college instructors do? This prompted me to do further research, and I found two concepts, advising as teaching and teaching as advising.
Advising as teaching refers to the idea that academic advising is not just about administrative tasks or providing information but is, in fact, a mentorship process similar to teaching. Teaching as advising involves instructors taking on a role that goes beyond delivering content and includes providing guidance, support and mentorship to students.
In no way do I want to insinuate that all advisers are teachers and all teachers are advisers. But making the connection between these two roles displays the blurred line between teaching and advising and how effective teaching and learning can integrate components of advising.
In my courses I’ve had the privilege of being able to apply the concept of teaching as advising by incorporating personalized mentoring sessions into my classroom structure. Inspired by the principles I learned in my college advising elective, I now allocate time every few weeks for one-on-one meetings with students to discuss their academic progress, goals and challenges. During these sessions, I not only provide guidance on course content but also offer support and mentorship tailored to each student’s needs and learning style.
This interdisciplinary approach not only enhanced my teaching by fostering deeper connections with students but also helped students thrive academically. By recognizing the interconnectedness of teaching and advising, I created a more inclusive and supportive learning environment where students felt valued and empowered to take ownership of their learning journey. As a result, students reported feeling more engaged, motivated and confident in their ability to succeed, demonstrating the transformative impact of interdisciplinary learning on both educators and learners.
Another example: In the field of education, I am expected to network and connect with other scholars and professionals, within my discipline and others. As such, I developed a connection with a scholar who had done research in the field of student affairs. Within this conversation, I learned that student affairs is a field that focuses on the holistic development and well-being of college and university students. I had never thought of the development of my students and how it impacted their learning before this conversation. However, now that I had, I began searching for ways that I could incorporate my newfound awareness and knowledge of student development into how I teach.
Fast-forward to today, when I use a variety of student development theories to shape my teaching and learning strategies as a graduate student instructor. For example, I apply understandings of Chickering and Reisser’s theory of psychosocial development to understand the diverse backgrounds and experiences of my students. By recognizing that students may be at different stages of development in areas such as identity formation and interpersonal relationships, I can tailor my teaching approaches to meet their individual needs. This proactive approach not only fosters a supportive learning environment but also enhances student engagement and success, as students feel understood and valued in their academic journey.
This example demonstrates how incorporating student development theories into teaching strategies can help instructors better understand and support the diverse needs of their students, ultimately enhancing their learning experience.
The ‘How’ Behind Your Teaching
These fragments of information taken from various disciplines represent a synthesis of insights that I have derived from my experiences. I didn’t google “What disciplines relate to graduate student teaching and learning, and how can I use interdisciplinary learning to connect the two?” and get this answer. Instead, it was the product of critical reflection on my own learning experiences to advance my understanding of teaching and learning as a whole. Using interdisciplinary learning, I was able to make connections between seemingly unrelated topics to advance my abilities as a graduate student instructor.
Knowing the how behind your teaching allows you to shape and mold pedagogical understanding and pedagogical practices to best serve yourself and your students. I encourage graduate students in teaching roles to consider their how for interdisciplinary learning and apply their experiences to the way they shape the learning in their classroom.
The next time you find yourself standing in front of a classroom, armed with syllabi and academic theories, remember this: It’s OK to feel like you’re in over your head. Embrace the uncertainty, adapt to the challenges and never underestimate the power of an interdisciplinary approach. After all, teaching is not just about imparting knowledge. It’s about a journey of growth—for yourself as well as your students.
