By following these processes, you will clarify what is important to learn rather than just what first attracted your interest. The whole process may also help you move toward an interdisciplinary framework. These three terms represent different frameworks for curriculum and instruction. A Multidisciplinary instruction begins with a theme and plans activities in several content areas. This is a useful starting point in the journey toward a thematic approach, because teachers are accustomed to viewing content within disciplines.
Most thematic units are multidisciplinary in structure.
An Interdisciplinary framework is one in which the emphasis shifts to skills, especially the higher-order thinking skills. Critical skills are revisited in several contexts, usually through research and collaborative efforts. A Transdisciplinary approach is the closest of the three models to a real-world approach and is also the most consistent with the Thematic Cycle Approach. In this model, the students generate questions or problems. Skills and content from various subject areas are chosen because they are useful in answering the questions or solving the problems.