... an instructional organization in which a combination of teachers from different content areas, pool their resources, interests, expertise and knowledge of students. These content area specialists plan and conduct instruction for a common group of students, thus jointly taking the responsibility for meeting a significant part of the instructional needs of this common group of students. The aim of interdisciplinary teaming is to foster communication, coordination and cooperation among content area specialists.

... gives middle school students the opportunity to develop a positive self-image, to work at their own pace according to their individual interests, skills, abilities, and experiences, to become aware of the relationship between content areas, while also developing their own individual sense of responsibility.

...offers support and enhances the effort to provide better instruction and classroom management; makes school discipline and student behavior easier to manage and control.

... allows for more effective use of interests, expertise and special talents of different teachers.

... gives students and teachers the feeling of belonging to a small group which has common goals and whose members are supportive of each other.

... requires a common group of students who are assigned to a common group of teachers who share a common planning time.

...holds the instructional program together on a day to day operational basis. IT IS NOT THE ELIMINATION OF DEPARTMENTS. Departments are needed to assure that there is consistency in the curriculum.

...results in a more productive classroom/school environment. It has the potential for dealing with affective areas (human relations, responsibility, citizenship, etc.)

...permits the correlation of subject matter content and concepts through planned repetition and reinforcement.

... provides the opportunity to share ideas, plans student information.