Changing Perspectives on Disciplinary Work through Guided Intentional Cross-Disciplinary Conversations.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Changing Perspectives on Disciplinary Work through Guided Intentional Cross-Disciplinary Conversations.
Authors:	Hewitt, Sarah¹, Bonma, Joanne¹
Source:	Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal. Spring2025, Vol. 18 Issue 2, p103-121. 19p.
Subject Terms:	Teaching methods, Conversation, Identity (Psychology), Soft skills
Abstract:	Each discipline has a unique language, culture, and approach to teaching. As academics develop their disciplinary identity and learn the language and culture, they also develop assumptions about other fields, creating barriers to interdisciplinary work. Intentional conversations are one mechanism to break through these barriers, but this takes time, and time is another barrier to interdisciplinary work. In this study, we used a conversational model to facilitate intentional discussion about disciplinary boundaries. We partnered participants with someone from a different discipline and facilitated conversations around aspects of teaching to address assumptions and explore boundaries. We predicted that participants would gravitate towards talking about aspects of their disciplines that they perceived to be furthest apart, and though this turned out to be true, we found surprising crossover points between the disciplines. One finding is that the participants felt they were unique even within their field and explained how they did not fit the stereotype they assumed their partner had about their discipline. Second, participants shared similar concerns regarding the evolution of their discipline and the changing role of professors. And finally, participants discussed where on the spectrum their fields lay regarding the teaching of soft skills and found common ground and areas where they could learn from each other. Participants were surprised at these crossover points, finding more commonalities between disciplines than expected. Our findings suggest that intentional conversation can facilitate cross-disciplinary interactions and cross-pollination of ideas for the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Each discipline has a unique language, culture, and approach to teaching. As academics develop their disciplinary identity and learn the language and culture, they also develop assumptions about other fields, creating barriers to interdisciplinary work. Intentional conversations are one mechanism to break through these barriers, but this takes time, and time is another barrier to interdisciplinary work. In this study, we used a conversational model to facilitate intentional discussion about disciplinary boundaries. We partnered participants with someone from a different discipline and facilitated conversations around aspects of teaching to address assumptions and explore boundaries. We predicted that participants would gravitate towards talking about aspects of their disciplines that they perceived to be furthest apart, and though this turned out to be true, we found surprising crossover points between the disciplines. One finding is that the participants felt they were unique even within their field and explained how they did not fit the stereotype they assumed their partner had about their discipline. Second, participants shared similar concerns regarding the evolution of their discipline and the changing role of professors. And finally, participants discussed where on the spectrum their fields lay regarding the teaching of soft skills and found common ground and areas where they could learn from each other. Participants were surprised at these crossover points, finding more commonalities between disciplines than expected. Our findings suggest that intentional conversation can facilitate cross-disciplinary interactions and cross-pollination of ideas for the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	19180853
DOI:	10.59236/td2025vol18iss21872