We should encourage arts and science to meet. I studied ancient history not technology, but you can get a long way just by being curious and asking questions. Martha Lane-Fox, Chancellor of The Open University (Gale, 2016)
Issue | Subjects may include |
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Withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (Brexit) | Politics, history, economics, finance, geography, business, sociology, modern languages |
Nuclear armament | International relations, history, politics |
Natural disasters | Physical geography, physics, history, anthropology |
Over population | Human geography, healthcare, history of medicine, sociology |
Poverty | Psychology, childhood studies, sociology, economics, history |
Sustainable agriculture | Biology, chemistry, earth Sciences, technology, economics, politics, geography, business studies |
Future pandemics | Chemistry, Biology, medicine, politics, economics, logistics, business studies |
Refugee crises | Politics, economics, geography, history, business studies, logistics, law, education |
Skill | Explanation |
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Critical thinking | Critical thinking skills are used and developed as students look across disciplinary boundaries to consider other viewpoints and also begin to compare and contrast concepts across subject areas. |
Self-management | Choosing which subjects to study – and why – can be challenging, and requires students to think carefully about how to identify their priorities and manage their study choices. |
Adaptability | Different subjects may need to be viewed through different lenses which means an individual needs to be able to switch to the appropriate lens at the appropriate time for whichever subject they are looking at. It requires careful self-management to be able to do this. |
Analysis and problem solving | By studying across different subject boundaries and by studying a wider range of subjects, students develop deeper skills of evaluation as they learn a number of different logical and methodical approaches and are able to select the best one to use for particular circumstances. For example, students can draw on their range of academic or subject knowledge to identify solutions of a practical or technical nature. |
Communication and literacy | Students’ written and verbal communication skills are well developed amongst multi-subject students as they learn to revert to the appropriate communication style for a particular subject area. For example, multi-subject students might encounter a range of different assessment methods, including essays, laboratory reports, written and oral examinations, as appropriate to different subject areas. |
Application of information technology | Using technology across a range of subjects means that students can be more practised in displaying and presenting information in a range of ways. |
Flexibility | The ability to adapt to different contexts and environments is a strong skill gained from multi-subject study as you will be switching from one subject to another. |
Synthesis of ideas | Students begin to consolidate learning by combining ideas from many perspectives and consider an alternative way of acquiring knowledge. |
Subject | Personal | Career |
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