Interdisciplinarity of environmental issues as a challenge in general education according to subject teachers

Authors

• Essi Aarnio-Linnanvuori Helsingin yliopisto

Abstract

Environmental issues are complex and cross-curricular subject matter. In this article, I examine environmental issues as subject matter in school subjects discussing society, world views and ethics. The topic is discussed using concepts of interdisciplinarity and critical thinking. The aim of this paper is to describe the process of integrating an interdisciplinary topic in a discipline-based school subject, and to understand the challenges subject teachers face in relation to interdisciplinarity and uncertainty of information. The interviewees presented three types of views about interdisciplinary environmental education: views emphasizing natural sciences, views drawing on the specific content of the discipline, and views reaching for interdisciplinarity. Interviewees considered interdisciplinary education to be demanding, and some of them felt insecure about their own capabilities. However, others had found such perspectives to environmental issues that draw on the specific content of their discipline, and were able to use them for promoting critical thinking. Therefore, in higher education, it is necessary to ensure that student teachers recognize the environmental content relevant for their own discipline.